Do you ever toss lure A even tho lure B is better suited to conditions ?

[Deephaven]

All the time.  My motto is when in doubt, throw a frog.

 

....as for the slow stuff, I didn't drop a drop shot once this year.  Thank god!

[TnRiver46]

All the time. I try all kinds of lures that don’t work for hours and hours, mainly a spinnerbait. Then as soon as I throw a plastic worm I catch bass, usually in less than 5 minutes 

[Fishlegs]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

 

I'd fish a jerkbait in a septic tank if I thought the Brown Bass were running !

?

A-Jay

That kind of fishing really stinks! I'm sorry. I'll let myself out. ?

 

[Deephaven]

More seriously, when exactly is the wrong time to throw a frog?

[txchaser]

I'm often swapping out from working lures to either try to upsize or to learn what else they might bite. Some days it is a bad idea and I feel like a dummy, some days I get huge payoff in fish or in learning. 

 

[PhishLI]

On 10/18/2022 at 10:08 PM, avidone1 said:

I do     Seriously,  I like fooling a bass as much as the next guy but sometimes I feel like fishing a certain lure or technique even tho conditions call for something else   Anybody else do that

Your question had nothing whatsoever to do with ceasing to throw a bait that's catching fish, but instead it was about veering off of throwing a supposedly ideal bait for the conditions, so I'll try to answer what you asked.

 

I've posted more than one story in the Fishing Reports section where in an act of desperation I reached for the last bait on my list of probable choices, then ended up lighting them up. Doing so has proven to me over time that there's a wide range of useful baits beyond the fundamental recommendations, including many that seem to be counterintuitive for specific conditions. So, yes, I do that.

 

This has happened a lot. I'm not suggesting something goofy like throwing a frog in 33* water in a northern lake in February where the weeds have died off, but short of that there's no reason not to experiment, especially in a specific body of water. The accepted trope "a bass is a bass where ever they are in the country" has some merit, but it's not that simple. Most people who've fished similar bodies of water in close proximity know they often fish quite differently. I think of it this way: Each lake has it's own culture.

 

Personally I want as many options possible, but only after I've come to understand the parameters of their effectiveness based on where I'm fishing them. There's only one way to truly know what they are, and that's to fish them often and find out for yourself, then you'll have a "when" baseline for each bait. Some people don't have the temperament or desire to play this game that way, and some do. Do what makes you happy..

[Lead Head]

I'm mostly alone when fishing, so I'm not competing with anyone. My wife will listen if I have a story to tell, but she really doesn't care if I caught any fish or not.

So, fishing is ME time. I do what I enjoy. Sometimes I play games with myself like trying to catch a fish on every rod I brought, but that requires a level of cooperation from the fish that I very rarely see.

I like jigs. I like feeling the contours and textures of the bottom. I like working them through rocks and other forms of cover. So, most trips start and end with a jig. Most of the time I'll throw 3 or 4 other lures in between, but not always. 

If they are eating the jig, I'll throw it until I leave... without exception. I'll need one of my other offerings to be getting absolutely crushed to prevent me from picking the jig back up. On slower days, I figure if I'm not going to catch many (or occasionally, any) fish, I might as well do it with something I enjoy. 

 

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Caught this bass throwing an OG slim fishing stumps in open water, then immediately went to the bank and started throwing topwater and no bites. 

 

I'm a topwater fanatic, so I fish what I enjoy. A Worm is the absolute last thing I pick up but sometimes would rather catch a few bass then go Home empty. So yeah I'm guilty of fishing Lure A when Lure B works a whole lot better.

 

Tourney fishing is a completely different mindset, I'm fishing what works, not what I want to fish. ?‍♂️

[Bankbeater]

I'll fish with a heavy bait when it's windy even though I know my chances are better at catching with a smaller bait.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Yes, especially if I'm really into them.  There's no better time to try new things, or get confidence in a bait you feel you need to work on.  In fact just a couple days ago the chatterbait and JB was the 1-2 punch, once one stopped getting bit the other would work.  I dropped the chatterbait for a trap and attempted to drop the JB for a spy bait, which worked.  The JB being my favorite way to get bit I couldn't resist going back to a JB.  I did go from a 120sp to an older RC Luck E Strike in Pro Blue that had never been used.  I got my biggest fish of the day on it.