When do you give up on a cast?

[garroyo130]

I was out jig fishing this morning and after I worked the jig through my spot, I quickly reeled it in to get it back to me. As I pulled it out of the water, a nice bass jumped out which made me wonder if I'd be better of fishing it all the way back.  

 

So my question is. Do most of you guys work it target to boat/shore or do you work your spot and quickly reel in to get it out again? 

[scaleface]

I work my cast longer than the pros . I see them pitch into cover  hop it once then pick it up and repeat . I work all the way through the cover and beyond usually . Sometimes all the way to the boat .

[Choporoz]

  Early in the day, I'm more likely to work most of the way back.  If I've learned or decided that they are hanging tight, I will gravitate to targets and not spend a lot of time focusing on the remaining 3/4 of the way back.   But if there's brush or slope in between, I'm going to work more of the way back.  So...the answer is 'Yes'.  

   And as someone on here said recently, ....paraphrasing .....  if the fish hits while reeling back for next cast, maybe a worm or jig isn't your best choice.... maybe you should be throwing a spinnerbait

[WRB]

The bass said I want something moving faster!

Tom

[Bankbeater]

It depends on what cover and structure I'm fishing around.  If I'm fishing open water I'm more likely to bring the bait back in faster.

[InfantryMP]

Unless I mess up a cast, like the wrong spot, I will fish it back to the boat. I have had to many fish hit right at the boat to not do that. 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, garroyo130 said:

. As I pulled it out of the water, a nice bass jumped out

 

37 minutes ago, WRB said:

The bass said I want something moving faster!

Tom

 

This is how swim jig fishing was invented.

[MN Fisher]

Unless it's pitching into cover - where I do pull it up fast to try another spot that might only be a couple feet away - I work the lure all the way back to the boat.

[flyfisher]

53 minutes ago, WRB said:

The bass said I want something moving faster!

Tom

exactly right.  I saw Mike Iaconelli once fishing a jig and as he reeled it in he caught one.  he immediately put that rod down and grabbed one with a weightless fluke and caught 4 more.   He even said it wasn't the bait they wanted but the action and speed which is why he switched

 

[Mike L]

If pitching which is what I do 70%-80% of the time , I’ll work a specific spot by dropping, dead stick a bit, move, shake and repeat about 1/2 way back. 
Make another about 10 ft over and continue that way until I feel that area has been covered. 
 

When flipping I’ll do a variation but move no more than about 3ft at a time. 
 

The weight used and speed of it all is dictated by water clarity and cover. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[QED]

It's simple.  If you are targeting specific structure/cover and don't think the water is productive after that, then reel it in quickly and move to the next target.  If the intermediate water might be productive, then fish through it.

[The Bassman]

Some of my biggest fish have hit right at my feet. Having a 4 lbr. strike a wake bait just before you lift it out of the water is definitely a wake me up.

[Johnbt]

I've had too many fish bite right at the boat either on the surface or straight down underneath.

I don't care where a cast goes, as long as it ends up in the water I'm fishing it all the way back to the boat.

[NoShoes]

If I’m fishing open I’ll work it back to the boat. If I’m fishing a particular piece of cover I tend to work the cover hard and then reel it back once it out of strike zone 

[Big Hands]

Totally dependent on what is happening. I have times when they want it on the fall, and if they haven't hit it in the first thirty seconds, it's not likely to happen on the rest of the retrieve. It certainly could, but if I'm on a hot bite right at the beginning of the retrieve and not much after, that's how I'll fish until I let them prove otherwise. Every so often, I'll try a longer retrieve just to make sure I'm not missing much.

 

Other times, they'll hit it right as it gets to the boat, or somewhere in between.

 

I let them tell me how it's going to be.

 

And, we're getting close to the time of year when I expect more feedback, early and often!

[TnRiver46]

The other day I was standing on the bank reeling in a worm to re cast it and a nice bass tried to swipe it off the surface when I lifted it out of the water. The water was pretty cold too 

[Boomstick]

It really depends on where I'm fishing, what I'm fishing, what the cover and structure is like and how far away my general target is.

 

Since I am in a kayak, one scenario I often run into is that I am holding a little out of pitching range and don't feel like moving and re-anchoring or maybe low hanging branches are blocking me, so I will make quick casts to the general area and reel it in if I don't get bit on the fall.

[Cdn Angler]

If I think I'm in dead water or it is not likely that a fish would follow, I just reel it in quickly. Then toss to a higher target area. 

 

You'll get bites as you pull a bait out of the water as it triggers followers, but the calculation is whether those bites are greater than the bites you'd gain if you reeled quickly and got more total casts.  I guess like everything with fishing "it depends." 

 

Back when I was fishing in a tiny kayak (sub 30 lbs) in waters with giant musky (40 lb +) I pulled a jerkbait out at the boat and an absolutely enormous musky tried to take a bite and slammed straight into my boat at seemingly full speed. Scared me senseless. 

[Bluebasser86]

It really depends on the bait for me. With moving baits, a lot of times that swing up to the boat will trigger followers to bite so I fish it through the whole cast. With slow moving baits, I usually have a pretty good idea where my strike zone is and don't fish it much past that. 

[thediscochef]

Bass can be located near all parts of the retrieve in my experience. I fish it all the way and almost always regret it the few times I don't. It feels like half the time I do burn it back in, something tries to grab it as I'm pulling it out of the water and that is heartbreaking. So I don't do it. Also usually a cue to fish faster.

[scaleface]

I have caught an awful lot of nice bass with a worm or jig after it leaves the cover . It happens all the time . They are not always buried up inside it . Sometimes they are close by. Sometimes they follow the bait  .

[Catt]

When do you give up on a cast?

 

When the lure hits the rod tip!

[geo g]

When I start a trip I will work a bait all the way back to the boat until I figure out where they are hanging.  I will also change up the speed and action of the bait during the retrieve to see what triggers them.  After two or three caught I will concentrate on what and where caused that bite.  Never lose sight of what and where your bait is when attacked!  Replicate that!

[softwateronly]

About ten casts after "my last" cast.

 

scott

[Bankc]

The only time I give up on a cast, is if I snagged something and can tell it's stuck to the lure.  And even then, I have my doubts.  I often wonder if I shouldn't just continue to reel that willow root in slowly, so as not to make a bigger disturbance.