How long to you stick with a lure / technique before switching?

[DaubsNU1]

What is your method to changing things up?

 

Do you give a lure / technique a specific amount of time before tying on something else?

 

My standard method to the madness:

• Pre-rig my 6 rods with the lures I like for that particular lake
• I will fish for a while with one rod / lure / presentation, then switch if things don't produce. 
• Then switch again.
• If none of the 6 are producing, then it's time to re-configure, (i.e., stare at my tackle-box for a while : ) 
• If one of the 6 is producing, I will ride that horse until it's time to head home. 

 

Other ends of the spectrum: 

• My uncle will throw a spinner bait all day, every day, and will rarely ever try anything else. He might change colors, or weight, but it's still spinner-bait...(in some ways, I admire his dedication)
• I fished with a guy years ago who had a timer hanging around his neck...set for 15 minutes. If he hasn't caught fish in that 15 minute span, he was switching lures.

[Sphynx]

I try not to pre rig, mostly because reading the water is a critical component to the process for me, I get out there and run down the checklist, sunny/overcast? Still/choppy? Clear/stained? So on and so forth and will usually end up with 2-3 lures for top of the water column, middle, and bottom, from there it depends on how familiar with the area I am, if it's a totally new spot, I go straight to a search bait like a Rat-L-Trap or something, then will shift to something slower if I get the feeling that it's just not going to work, if it's a very familiar spot I'll probably aim something a bit slower at the usual suspects like a jig, then switch out to a moving bait if that doesn't work or if I have exhausted my supply of high percentage spots.

 

I really don't have a system per se, just work off my gut feeling and trust that my instincts are well honed enough to get me bit...kinda like the guitar and improvising solos, I don't really have a process, I just trust my instincts and it usually works out if I stick with it and change things when they feel wrong. 

[Catt]

How long to you stick with a lure / technique before switching?

 

Long time ?

 

Been throwing a Texas Rigged worm for 60 yrs, spinnerbaits to.

[LrgmouthShad]

Purely based on instinct on this one. I can be all over the place. 

[GRiver]

I usually fish t-rigged, so I’ll change colors after about 1/2 hour or so maybe longer. But I’ve usually have about three rigs on deck and ready. If I see a situation that looks good for a top water I’ll pick it up and work it for a while along a stretch of water, then go back to my T-rig. Same for the spinner bait rod and so forth.

Plus it justifies the number of rod and reels I own . Hahaha

[fin]

If I'm junk fishing with a speed clip, sometimes it's 3 strikes and you're out. I'll go through about 10 lures or whatever is in my small Plano. That rarely produces anything, but it's only something I do when I'm desperate.

 

More often, I've got two proven lures on that I have maximum confidence in and I will stick with them until I'm about ready to give up for the day. At that point, I may try anything on my way out.

[NoShoes]

I’ll fish a Texas rig all day. Might play with a few other lures on a good spot, but if I can’t buy a bite I’m Texas rigging or running the trolling motor hot lobbing a lipless

[Tennessee Boy]

I may be doing it all wrong but I’ve never thought of fishing as a search for the right lure.  I find a place that I think should have some fish and I use the lures/tools that I think are appropriate for that location.  Rocks might call for a jig.  Lily pads might call for a frog but it’s about fishing the water in front of me not finding a lure.  If I don’t get bit,  I look for different water before I start questioning my lure choices.  Changing lures is more of a tweak to dial in my presentation.  There are lots of exceptions to all of this but that’s my general approach.

[roadwarrior]

I like starting with several options and make 10 casts before switching.

[thediscochef]

It's all over the place honestly. It mostly depends on how much life I'm seeing; if there's a ton of fish around and I'm still not getting bit...let's find what will get bit. But if the fish are slow and scattered then there's no guarantee that even 5 fish will see my lure in an hour and I will throw the same plug for hours if I feel like it; this is how I landed my best fishes of the year in 2022 so far, as well as my Christmas PB.

[GTN-NY]

1st thing in the morning start,  I’ll make about 10 casts with a topwater then I grab my jig rod. 
 

Middle of the day start, I’ll make 10 casts with a spinnerbait before grabbing my jig rod. 
 

Basically I live or die with the jig 

 

edit: of course there’s 8 other rods on the kayak that are rigged and ready that will probably go untouched

[gim]

10 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said:

What is your method to changing things up?

 

Do you give a lure / technique a specific amount of time before tying on something else?

 

My standard method to the madness:

• Pre-rig my 6 rods with the lures I like for that particular lake
• I will fish for a while with one rod / lure / presentation, then switch if things don't produce. 
• Then switch again.
• If none of the 6 are producing, then it's time to re-configure, (i.e., stare at my tackle-box for a while : ) 
• If one of the 6 is producing, I will ride that horse until it's time to head home. 

 

Other ends of the spectrum: 

• My uncle will throw a spinner bait all day, every day, and will rarely ever try anything else. He might change colors, or weight, but it's still spinner-bait...(in some ways, I admire his dedication)
• I fished with a guy years ago who had a timer hanging around his neck...set for 15 minutes. If he hasn't caught fish in that 15 minute span, he was switching lures.

 

I'll tell you what, this is pretty darn close to what I do too.  I almost always start with a power/faster-moving lure and then slowly make my way to a finesse/slower-moving lure on the tactical ladder.  I simply prefer to catch fish with a more aggressive strategy but its usually apparent after a short period of time if they are willing to bite that or not.

 

I know people who rarely deviate from their one or two types of lures too, like your uncle with the spinnerbait.  Even when I start catching fish on something else, it takes an act of god to make them switch.

[Boomstick]

10 hours ago, Sphynx said:

I try not to pre rig, mostly because reading the water is a critical component to the process for me, I get out there and run down the checklist, sunny/overcast? Still/choppy? Clear/stained?

Where I live, I can usually tell you what the water will look like before I get to the lake (clear!).

 

How long I keep a lure on depends on if I am seeing signs of life or not. If I am not seeing signs of life, it's either going to be a long day throwing a search bait or it's time to move locations.

[scaleface]

I have enough experience that I trust myself to make good decisions on the water with no pre set conditions  .  If things are not happening and I'm just going through the motions , that is not good . I'll make some sort of change just to get my head back in the game . 

[Bankbeater]

Sometimes I'll fish with the same bait all day, and sometimes I change after 10 minutes.  I go with my gut. 

[king fisher]

I usually wait to long to change lures, except for the times I change to soon.  Same goes for location.

[Basser2021]

13 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Purely based on instinct on this one. I can be all over the place. 

I am the exact same way

[PaulVE64]

Considering the number of times ive caught a bass on the first cast with a lure I should probably change up lures alot more often. Basically if i think ive covered the area without a bite i will move and repeat. Before i move again i switch up my lure  

[Log Catcher]

I usually start with a crankbait and spinnerbait and switch between the two. If nothing happens I move to the Trig and jig. What gets me if nothing is happening and I think it's time to change baits or colors I will catch one on what I'm getting ready to take off.

[WRB]

Depends on what I know about the current bite that’s is working, depth I know the bass are active in.

If I know it’s a worm bite 8’ to 12’ on clay banks with stick ups I will stay with a worm all day and change size or colors or weights.

if I know bass are in the area and don’t know what the bite is then usually stay with a lure/presentation about 30 minutes before trying something else or may change every other cast, just depends on my gut feeling about the activity in that area.

Tom

[schplurg]

On 4/27/2022 at 2:51 AM, LrgmouthShad said:

Purely based on instinct on this one. I can be all over the place. 

Me too and my instincts seem to suck. I think my problem (when bank fishing) is finding the fish, not the correct lure.

[scaleface]

On 4/27/2022 at 6:53 AM, Tennessee Boy said:

I may be doing it all wrong but I’ve never thought of fishing as a search for the right lure.  I find a place that I think should have some fish and I use the lures/tools that I think are appropriate for that location.  Rocks might call for a jig.  Lily pads might call for a frog but it’s about fishing the water in front of me not finding a lure.  If I don’t get bit,  I look for different water before I start questioning my lure choices.  Changing lures is more of a tweak to dial in my presentation.  There are lots of exceptions to all of this but that’s my general approach.

This is pretty much my approach .

[PressuredFishing]

I never switch unless switching is needed, depending on weather water clarity+temp etc, usually the first lure I choose works the best because I chose it for a reason. When I did not know much about fishing I had to learn what lures to switch to when and why, that is all just intuitive now, I no longer question what I throw when I throw it unless it needs questioning

[T-Billy]

 If there's fish up shallow in cover, there's a good chance I'm gonna pick up a flippin stick and grind ALL.. DANG... DAY.  

[Mbirdsley]

I pre rig to the best of my ability.  However, I’ve been Known After the first cast to say “ that ain’t it” and tie  something else on. Just my gut feeling.
 

  Generally 15-20 minutes.  If I can’t at least get a bite after that time period in an area I know that holds fish I’m changing.