How Often Do You Switch Your Lures During A Day Of Fishing?

[TheBassMan79]

Hey everyone, need some advice from you guys. I hope you can lend me some advice on how often I should change my lure while fishing. For example, if I am out fishing for bass and I am using a spinner bait and not getting any hits, should I switch over to another spinner bait with a different color , or should I switch over to a crank bait or plastic shad? Maybe even throw on a dip stick worm? What would be your opinions on this?

I thank you for your time, and you have a wonderful day.

[clayton86]

Welcome to the forums

I used to switch a lot and now I don't switch nearly as much unless I'm really desprate for strikes. If your eventhinking about you next lure chances are u don't have confidence in what your throwing and confidence is key. Iv gotton to the point where I can read the water and conditions and get it right the first time like on bright days white and silver always produce for me darker days anything black or red it seems. So I don't change a lot other then rods going from grass to open water to wood or rocky cover but lures are usually close to same size and color so I'm not really changing much other then my probability of getting hung up.

 

 

[James Yalem]

Every 20 to 30 minutes, less with moving bait, more with bottom bouncer; unless I catch a fish, then the lure gets another 30 minutes to catch another bass. But if a lure doesn't catch a keeper (15" or more) in 1.5 hours, I try another lure.

[BrianSnat]

I bring 5 rods. One usually has an unweighted, T or wacky rigged Senko, 1 with a C rigged or T rigged, weighted plastic (Rage Space Monkey, Rage Anaconda, Brush Hog, Kreature, Senko, etc.), 1 rod will have some sort of crankbait (deep diving during the day, surface in the evening, early morning or night), 1 with a jig and the last with some sort of plastic swimbait or maybe a spinnerbait.

I always start with the unweighted Senko because it seems to be the most productive under most conditions. I'll give it about 15-30 minutes. If I get nothing I move to the weighted plastic. If that fails then I'll move to one of the others.

Basically I'll give each lure about 15 minutes to a half hour.

If nothing is working after about an hour I totally reconsider the depth that I'm fishing at and/or the location where I'm fishing.

I don't worry so much about changing colors. I've found that if the bass are hitting a certain bait they'll usually hit it regardless of the color. I've been catching fish on a black Senko while my partner is doing equally well on a green pumpkin or chartreuse Senko.

It's only after a everything has failed that I'll start thinking about changing colors. There are occasions (albeit rare in my experience) when color can make a significant difference.

[deep]

I've often spent one whole trip with a black and blue jig tied to the end of my line. Less frequently, with a 6" weedless hudd. Just gotta find the fish. Put that jig in front of an active fish; he'll bite it.

[deep]

Hey everyone, need some advice from you guys. I hope you can lend me some advice on how often I should change my lure while fishing. For example, if I am out fishing for bass and I am using a spinner bait and not getting any hits, should I switch over to another spinner bait with a different color , or should I switch over to a crank bait or plastic shad? Maybe even throw on a dip stick worm? What would be your opinions on this?

I thank you for your time, and you have a wonderful day.

If you know where the fish are, before changing the color or bait, I'd change the retrieve. A spinnerbait, just like a jig, is a very versatile lure. I don't like throwing spinnerbaits at all, but that's another matter. You can bottom bounce and hop that spinner bait, rip it, yo-yo it, reel and pause, wake it, whatever; you get the idea. Sure sometimes changing colors (matching the hatch) can turn a good day into a great day, but if you aren't getting any strikes at all, chances are there's something wrong that's more important than the color. IMHO of course.

[Jigfishn10]

I start off with a spinnerbait and make 2 series of fan casts. The first series is retrieving it fairly quickly and the second slower with some stop and go variation. If no bites I swtch to a slower presentaion, usually a jig or tube and make a few series of fan casts with those. Then I would use some type of plastic stick bait and would really be methodical about it. If nothing, then I move on.

That's just my approach and it works for me. i'm sure members here have other approaches which works for them and I'm sure I'll learn something here as well.

BTW, welcome to the site, pull up a chair and enjoy.

[yfz 450]

i fish more in the morning and bring about 6 or 7 rods. i through spinner baits in the morning or something like an original floating rapala. if that dosnt work i go to rubber worms or senkos, after that its deep crank bait time. and hopefully by that time i can find a pattern. i will generally fish a bait for 30-45 min

[slonezp]

Welcome.

First, you didn't mention if you're fishing from a boat or from shore. If you're in a boat it's much easier to change because you've brought more than 1 or 2 rods with you. If you are shore bound there are a couple baits you should carry with you in a couple colors. Spinnerbaits aren't always the ideal bait to catch fish and different baits work better in different situations.

I take 6 rods out with me. A jig, a topwater, a swimjig, a spinnerbait, a worm, and depending on the water I'm fishing a crank or jerkbait. I tie them up the night before. How often I change presentations depends on the fishing. No matter how many times I change baits I always end up back to the jig.

[Fishes in trees]

Everyone has their own idea of how to approach this fishing issue. Here is how I do it. (I fish from a boat) I bring 20 or so rods and reels along, all rigged up with different baits, sometimes only slightly different. So for me, switching lures is just a matter of setting one rig down and grabbing a different one.

I'll take a moment to explain the logic behind this. Fishing tackle can be bought. Fishing time can't, it is priceless. So anything I can do to maximize fishing time and reduce down time caused by changing lures, etc, I will do.

An exception to this rule is if I bring a buddy along in my boat, I'll really try to keep it to 8 or 10 rigs.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I've often spent one whole trip with a black and blue jig tied to the end of my line. Less frequently, with a 6" weedless hudd. Just gotta find the fish. Put that jig in front of an active fish; he'll bite it.

Ill do this to, plan outing with just a jig one day another day plan to use just senko and another just small crank but this is shore fishing around a 26 acre lake so I move about with just 1-2 poles. I always bring crawlers if my lure of the day is failing me.

[Jig Man]

Like fishes in trees I have many setups in the boat and at least 10 out when by myself. If I am not on fish or at least have an idea what has been working, I make 5 casts then change until something gets bit. Then I can think about color, size, similar bait that might work better and a better presentation.

I like it when I get bit on the first bait that I use.

[Hooligan]

I very rarely change baits when tournament fishing. Most often, I'm going to be on a pattern and after those active fish. I may switch here and there, but not often. What I will do is use different baits as a follow up, or switch to a silent crank, things like that. I've always got a jig on 2 rods, a 10" worm on one or two rods, a Senko, three cranks, and one spinnerbait. At certain times of year it will vary with different baits, but ice-out to ice-up there's always some form of 2 jigs and at least two cranks.

[Bluebasser86]

I don't change baits very often, I just pick up a different rod. I do a lot of junk fishing and will make a couple casts with one bait, pick up a different rod and make a casts or two at something I thought I should hit with that bait, and then pick up another rod. If something is really producing then I'll stick with it for the most part but I always try to keep an open mind that just because what I'm using is working doesnt' mean something else won't work better.

[Catt]

15-45 minutes! Really!

Man y’all sure spend a lot of time changing lures!

I’ll go hours without changing lures

[grimlin]

15-45 minutes! Really!

Man y’all sure spend a lot of time changing lures!

I’ll go hours without changing lures

Same here......

[Jigfishn10]

Same here......

So grim & Catt,

Hypothetically, you're fishing a topwater and had a fish boil over it, you throw back and same thing, just a boil or nothing for that matter, you wouldn't switch to a soft plastic or some other follow-up lure?

[TouchTooMuch]

it depends on alot of things for me. This time of the year the bass are more active and closer to the shore. So i will start out with a shallow crank (my favorite is my KVD 1.5) and work my way down the shore about 10 -15 yards out. then it all depends on the bass from there. If they bite on the crank i will keep using it till they stop. Once they stop I will move to a plastic, 9 out of 10 times a 4 inch zoom lizard T-rigged. if they stop biting on that I move to a jig. I will sometimes throw a spinner out before I throw the lizard. Also, I always find time to throw my frog

[Catt]

To me top water lures & a backup lure go hand in hand but that is not what I’m reading in this thread, instead I’m reading if I don’t get bit in 15-45 minutes that lure is coming off.

In 15-45 minutes you have not had the time to determine anything other than your boat is wet

[Jigfishn10]

Catt, I had to ask the question, thanks for the clarification.

The topic quesion and the OP is a bit misleading, and I think slonezp nailed it by asking the right question about being shore bound or fishing from a boat. There is a difference between the 2 IMHO.

[SirSnookalot]

Majority of my fishing is done from shore, whether it be freshwater, salt beach or ICW I seldom change baits. During my freshwater outings I fish 1 rod with an extra lure in pocket and pack of flukes and a hook or 2 in case the conditions dictate being weedless.

Fishing saltwater from shore there is generally a window of opportunity which may last from a couple of minutes to 60 minutes if you're lucky, usually fish only 1 lure, a few back ups with me in case of cutoffs.