How many lures can you show to the same fish?

[wonkyrig]

Let's say you're on new water, or your home water but patterns have changed or it's a seasonal transition period. You can find the fish, but you're trying to figure out what they'll eat. When you're rotating through lures, how many will you present to the same fish before rotating holes?

 

I can usually get a beat on whether they're feeding up or down and whether they'll chase or not, but sometimes I struggle and wonder if it's more efficient to keep working an area over with different stuff or if I should rotate to somewhere else when I change it up. I guess when I'm not getting bit, there's always a question of are these fish just not active or am I showing them the wrong stuff or presenting it poorly?

 

Thanks!

[WRB]

Welcome to BR!

Going through your tackle bag of lures rarely works imo.

The time to experiment with lures is doing a active period when the bass are striking lures. When bass are neutral or inactive lures are less an issue then timing being at the right location at the right time. 

It’s my belief that each bass is active about 20% of the time during a 24 hour time period. Neutral mood about 20% and inactive about 60%. Both active and neutral bass catchable, inactive active are very difficult to react to lures.

You're better off determining where active bass are located then camping on inactive bass, unless your are willing to wait 3 to 4 hours.

Tom

Tom 

 

[Swamp Girl]

I agree with WRB. I'm a fidgety fisher, continually changing lures and locations. However, I watch fishing videos where much more highly skilled fishers are meticulous when working a location. 

[PaulVE64]

When I fish I have maybe 20 lures. That includes each piece of plastic or jig or crankbait. Everything.

I rarely throw anything that isnt brown, green, black or white and I change baits often. If was sight fishing and a bass refused my lure I would change it right away.

 

But, I fish for river smallies. They are  mean sumbits.

[wonkyrig]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Welcome to BR!

Going through your tackle bag of lures rarely works imo.

The time to experiment with lures is doing a active period when the bass are striking lures. When bass are neutral or inactive lures are less an issue then timing being at the right location at the right time. 

It’s my belief that each bass is active about 20% of the time during a 24 hour time period. Neutral mood about 20% and inactive about 60%. Both active and neutral bass catchable, inactive active are very difficult to react to lures.

You're better off determining where active bass are located then camping on inactive bass, unless your are willing to wait 3 to 4 hours.

Tom

Tom 

 

 

The method that seems to be the most successful on the lake I fish is run and gunning offshore brushpiles from post spawn to fall. Some days a spinnerbait is the deal, sometimes a crank, sometimes a fluke, topwater, etc. If I'm bouncing around and not getting bit on one or two lures, are you saying it doesn't matter much what I'm showing them so long as I show up at the right time? Do you find active fish and then start playing with presentation to maximize?

 

I know there are some people around here that have so much confidence in a fluke that they'll pull up and make maximum two casts to a brushpile with a fluke and if it doesn't get bit, they leave. And they'll do that all day. I'm just trying to avoid running around everywhere with a fluke or whatever and not getting bit for however many stops when those fish would have eaten a crank. But I also don't want to sit there and throw 5 or 6 different things if the fish have become suspicious after the first 1 or 2 things they didn't eat.

 

I guess what I'm trying to understand is should I be thinking of all the fish in the lake the same, like if this group is eating topwater, all the fish in the lake are. And if they're not eating topwater, none of them are? Or should I be treating each new location/group of fish as a "fresh start" where I play the game and figure them out? From observation it seems like if I can get bit a couple times on a lure, the probability of that presentation working elsewhere is high. But I also don't want to dismiss fish as inactive if they don't eat it, because I don't want to miss shots I didn't take. I hope that makes sense. Maybe overthinking it.

[ATA]

This is the only bait I see catches same fish LOL

 

https://youtu.be/1029PjJJUnk

[wonkyrig]

9 minutes ago, ATA said:

This is the only bait I see catches same fish LOL

 

https://youtu.be/1029PjJJUnk

Hahaha true.

[ironbjorn]

17 minutes ago, ATA said:

This is the only bait I see catches same fish LOL

 

https://youtu.be/1029PjJJUnk

Heard that stuff will catch you some putrid fish in local dive bars

[WRB]

I am not a run & gun bass angler but try not to waste time on bass that are uncatchable. 

Look at the entire water column from the thermocline depth to the surface with structure elements that hold bass. Cover on good structure elements is a plus and isolated cover is better.

Nearly every bass boat approaches a spot the same direction and spook off or shut off the larger wary bass. Angles are important, the direction your lure approaches a bass can make a big difference, bass don’t react well to lures coming from defined them. 

Try approaching from the opposite direction everyone does or from next to the shore and casting out or parallel to where the bass are located. 

Sometimes it take several angles to get the bass to strike.

A Senko will usually out produce a Fluke for example but it’s a slower presentation. Jigs usually catch larger size bass then soft plastic worms, both target less active bass. 

Bass striking faster moving lures are willing to chase that lure down, active feeders. Good time to try a few other other lures or colors to dial in what the bass prefer.

Tom

[wonkyrig]

10 minutes ago, WRB said:

I am not a fun & gun bass angler but try not to waste time on bass that are uncatchable. 

Look at the entire water column from the thermocline depth to the surface with structure elements that hold bass. Cover on good structure elements is a plus and isolated cover is better.

Nearly every bass boat approaches a spot the same direction and spook off or shut off the larger wary bass. Angles are important, the direction your lure approaches a bass can make a big difference, bass don’t react well to lures coming from defined them. 

Try approaching from the opposite direction everyone does or from next to the shore and casting out or parallel to where the bass are located. 

Sometimes it take several angles to get the bass to strike.

A Senko will usually out produce a Fluke for example but it’s a slower presentation. Jigs usually catch larger size bass then soft plastic worms, both target less active bass. 

Bass striking faster moving lures are willing to chase that lure down, active feeders. Good time to try a few other other lures or colors to dial in what the bass prefer.

Tom

Thanks Tom! Lots of good points.

[Tennessee Boy]

I agree with @WRB.   I don’t view bass fishing as a search for the right lure.   It’s a search for the right location and presentation.   Lures are the tools that let you make a variety of presentations.  

[KP Duty]

12 hours ago, ATA said:

This is the only bait I see catches same fish LOL

 

https://youtu.be/1029PjJJUnk

I noticed Boomhauer called hank a fishin' magician.  I wonder if the owners of FMTC (fishin' magician tackle co.) named their company after watching King of the Hill.

[Kirtley Howe]

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I agree with @WRB.   I don’t view bass fishing as a search for the right lure.   It’s a search for the right location and presentation.   Lures are the tools that let you make a variety of presentations.  

When fishing from shore, I will try a wide variety of lures and colors and presentations. I do that because I have a small number of places I can fish in one day and need to try as many options as possible. When fishing from a boat, which gives me many more places available to fish, I usually try at most 6 options. 2 topwater (maybe different styles, or just different colors), 2 mid depth, and 2 bottom. Of course, if fishing shallow water (18" or less), the total number of choices are more limited, so different colors are more prevalent than different depth lures. Often my lure choices are determined by weather conditions....cold water/weather conditions would mean more slow moving presentations, while warmer water/weather would mean more faster moving presentations. But those are just starting points, as sometimes a slow presentation works better in warm water (wacky rigged worm comes to mind), and a fast presentation (think of lures like lipless crankbaits) works better in cold water. So I guess that the answer to your question is "it depends".

[Cbump]

90% of today I had a weightless senko and a Carolina rig senko on deck. Same color. If they didn’t bite that, I didn’t waste time on them. 

[LrgmouthShad]

For a period of time, I would sit on a spot and rotate through several baits before moving. Didn’t take long and I abandoned that strategy.
 

I will go to a spot and throw one or two maybe three at most baits at it, and then I’m moving. But if I really believe there are fish there, instead of sitting my arse there until they bite, I will instead come circle back after fishing other spots and fish it again later

16 minutes ago, Cbump said:

90% of today I had a weightless senko and a Carolina rig senko on deck. Same color. If they didn’t bite that, I didn’t waste time on them. 

Dude, talk about keeping it simple ?. That’s awesome. Mag II was 70% of my day, but you know I can’t resist throwing ol spinnerbait around a little 

[Cbump]

3 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

will go to a spot and throw one or two maybe three at most baits at it, and then I’m moving. But if I really believe there are fish there, instead of sitting my arse there until they bite, I will instead come circle back after fishing other spots and fish it again later

This exactly. They gotta eat some time. Just gotta catch them in the right mood lol. 
 

Man since I got livescope my tackle selection has been way simpler. I target isolated, completed submerged trees mostly. They’re senko over the top and let It sink down for any suspended fish or fish willing to come up and get It. 
Drag a c-rig by the base for any hiders on bottom. 
 

My big fish today was the size of my thumbnail on Livescope. Watched It shoot up from 15’ to 3’ in about 1 second literally to get my senko. It’s incredible how fast they are when they want to be. 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 minutes ago, Cbump said:

This exactly. They gotta eat some time. Just gotta catch them in the right mood lol. 
 

Man since I got livescope my tackle selection has been way simpler. I target isolated, completed submerged trees mostly. They’re senko over the top and let It sink down for any suspended fish or fish willing to come up and get It. 
Drag a c-rig by the base for any hiders on bottom. 
 

My big fish today was the size of my thumbnail on Livescope. Watched It shoot up from 15’ to 3’ in about 1 second literally to get my senko. It’s incredible how fast they are when they want to be. 

You had a great bag and a great big fish for sure! Would love to see a fish jump up 12ft to eat a senko, that’s awesome. 

 

The timing deal drives me nuts. Can fish all good spots, but if it’s at the wrong time for them all, you could walk away empty handed. And sometimes the windows are short. 

[Functional]

I usually use something quick moving, spinnerbait, chatterbait, swim jig, etc until I get bit. If it's something high percentage like a dock it laydown I'll also do a lazy pick apart with a trig/jig

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Ive seen quite a few people get overwhelmed, trying to figure out what bait to try next when nothing is working.  

Depending on the time of year, Ill have 3 or 4 key baits that compliment eachother.  Unless I have ideal conditions or see something that makes we want to use a particular bait, Im sticking with my line up, even if I cant get bit.  I just keep looking for active fish