You're Not Getting Bites, What's the First Thing You Change?

[papajoe222]

So, say you're out there on a familiar body of water and you're not getting bit. You know you need to change things up, but where do you start?

For the sake of eliminating the obvious answer, changing locations, mine is normally changing where in the water column to try next.  I've found that, more often than not, I'm fishing below the fish and unlike fishing above them, bass rarely will go down more than a foot or so to grab a lure. The opposite sometimes holds true, like in the early morning when I'm throwing topwater with no takers.

[Darth-Baiter]

Depth and speed 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Slow down and down size the bait.....after that I go home ?

[Glenn]

I change cover, then structure, then depth.  That is, unless I'm getting follows.  Then I change presentations and/or color.

[Spankey]

For me that’s when I have to really slow things down and fish soft plastics. Fish a bit deeper. I’ll do this before I make I make the location change. 

[WRB]

The 1st thing I looking for is at what depth the bass and bait are active in. My friend Don Iovino calls this the life zone I call it the depth to focus on.

Boaters have a big advantage determining the life zone using sonar surveying the marina area before leaving to run to your favorite area. Simply turn on the sonar unit and look around to determine at what depth the bait and bass are at. Bass live in marinas and usually can be metered.

During the summer nearly every lake develops a thermocline and the life zone is nearly always within a few feet of that depth.

Knowing this you can concentrate on that depth zone.

Tom 

[Big Hands]

I gave this a think and came to the conclusion that I don't have any set formula. It could be any (or more than one thing) of the following:

 

Depth

Structure

Cover

Location

Bait

• Type
• Color
• Size
• Weight
• Retrieve Speed

Technique

Line

• Type
• Size

 

 

[T-Billy]

I generally start shallow and move out from there if needed. Early spring being the main exception.

[Columbia Craw]

It’s totally dependent on the type/ body of water in play.  A high desert deep rocky river or a shallow bowl of a lake require different approaches.  Tidal effected sloughs or highland reservoirs deem their own approach.  
 

I like Big Hands’ response but also feel the order of the changes would differ by local.

[Pat Brown]

Depth and speed.  In that order.  

 

I don't mean covering water less fast, I mean speed of the bait retrieval, rate of fall etc.  But I will slow down when a school I find seems active (bites, catch one)

 

Depth seems like the single most universal and important thing you need to figure out on any given lake before any other thing is worth exploring.

[Team9nine]

6 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Depth and speed 

 

46 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Depth and speed.  In that order.  

THESE ^^ 

 

Buck Perry 101: All fishing success, and all fishing failure, must first be answered in terms of depth and speed control

[Pat Brown]

In 2023 you need some form of sonar to EFFICIENTLY target largemouth bass on reservoirs with any sort of depth for bass to relate to because it's anybody's guess on any day what depth the bait is going to be holding at.  

 

I find in general, bass key in on 'fast' during the hot months.  Even on the HOTTEST days.

[A-Jay]

First thing I do is change my pants.

A-Jay

[LrgmouthShad]

Well, I’ve not been permitted to answer with change location, so I’ll say change depth instead. 
 

Im kinda hard headed. I sometimes have a tendency to just do 1-4 different things and if the fish don’t like those 1-4 different things, I say okay that’s fine you are a smart fish but I will find your dumb cousin

[Mike L]

When the vast majority of your water is 5ft or less, depth really doesn’t play into it as much as the rest of you guys. 
 

Action, size and angle are the first things I change considering 70%-80% of my presentations are either pitching or flipping, especially this time of the year.

The Rate of retrieval is part of almost every cast for every bait anyway 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[Susky River Rat]

I go home and drink a beer. Kidding. I will change depth and speed first. Thay generally comes with a lure change.  Then I change structure. 

[scaleface]

A lake I'm familiar with  then I know where bass have been in the past. Dont know what I will change first, it depends on why I feel bass are not biting. I'll probably  work   cover more thoroughly.

[gim]

8 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

I go home and drink a beer.

Why go home.  Crack one open on the spot.

 

Jokes aside, I am with @T-Billy.  I start shallow and work my way deeper.  I generally also start with a more aggressive approach to see if they are willing to chase a moving lure.

[Susky River Rat]

@gimruis I take my drinking to seriously for fishing to get in the way. ? I would much rather be on my boat fishing sober not catching then at home drinking.

[Will Ketchum]

I change the retrieve. I go from a steady retrieve to reel and drop etc. to see if it works.

[Tennessee Boy]

I don’t think there is a single answer that works for all bodies of water in every season of the year.  That said I “generally” tweak things in this order.

 

Depth

Speed

Bait Size

Bait Action

Bait Color

 

 

[Catt]

11 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Depth and speed 

 

5 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Depth and speed

 

4 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Buck Perry 101: All fishing success, and all fishing failure, must first be answered in terms of depth and speed control

 

c'est fini : it's finished 

[king fisher]

Why is it I am the one that always has to change?  The bass are part of the relationship, maybe they should be less selfish, and change once in awhile.

[Bankc]

I change depth.  And I do that by changing location.  Usually the best shallow water spots aren't too close to the best deep water spots on the lakes I fish.  

 

And I change speed on just about every cast until I get a bite.  

 

I only change presentations when Mother Nature tells me to.  Like when she snags one of my lures and won't let me have it back.  I'm kind of lazy about that stuff.  

[crypt]

7 hours ago, Mike L said:

When the vast majority of your water is 5ft or less, depth really doesn’t play into it as much as the rest of you guys. 
 

Action, size and angle are the first things I change considering 70%-80% of my presentations are either pitching or flipping, especially this time of the year.

The Rate of retrieval is part of almost every cast for every bait anyway 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

this......for me....