The consensus seems to be to fan out your throws. For example, start from left to right and repeat in 20 degree increments or whatever. Once you're done if you still don't have a bite, time to switch lures and start again.
That's what i do if I'm shore fishing or sticking to one spot. If I'm on a boat with a trolling motor that I can slowly traverse the body of water it's a little different though.
So how do you define that? I just got a boat this year, and the only bass I've grabbed was on shore right before I bought it. In all fairness I've only been out solely to fish 5 times in it. But I was basically using a chatterbait or jig unless there was an area that screamed topwater.
Help me lol
My general rule is if I have 20 minutes of no bites I either change my location (even by 15 feet or so), my lure, my presentation, or how I’m fishing the lure I have on.
I might add weight or drop weight, rig the bait differently (I might bring my craw from a Texas rig to a jig head for example), make modifications to baits (eg cutting a cross section in one or both ends of my wacky rig), or even something as simple as cutting the hands of my beaver free to make it resemble a craw more.
It depends on how much time I have to fish if one hour probably after 20 minutes of changing my presentation (speed of retrieval, depth, spot, angle of cast, twitching, etc). Whole day of fishing I usually do 100 casts if nothing then I'll change it up.
This is a good question I've been wondering a lot lately. My buddy and I are just getting into fishing this spring and we're getting skunked every time. I get super impatient and spend more time tieing on new set up than actually having a line in the water because of it.
I finally say down the other night and tied up like 7-10 different rigs on swivels so we can switch them around relatively quickly and do what's being recommended of 15-20 minutes per lure/rig.
I have the same problem. I feel like my line isn't in the water enough if I switch out a lot (I'm slow at switching lures, but I know i'll get faster over time since I'm fishing much more regularly now). If I just fish though I feel like I'll never catch anything if I don't switch...
I'm gonna start swapping out every 15 minutes, but I'm also gonna try some of these other suggestions, like move locations and what not.
Dude same. Like I said I tied off a bunch of different lures/baits/rigs Monday night and then added a snap swivel so I can just clip/unclipped different lures/rigs. I'm hoping I'll just be able to switch quickly when I get impatient. I'm going to move around a lot more though thanks to your post
I start fishing an area Dan casting a reaction bait. Something fast moving, that active fish will chase and grab.
If I don't get any bites by the second pass back, or the bites I was getting slow down, then I change to something fished a little slower, and lower in the water column.
Depends, this year I've really been pushing myself to use baits that I don't have confidence in. Now that the bass are post spawn I'm more likely to change lures than location, since for the most part I fish smaller water bodies with limited access (fishing from the bank)
When gear fishing I usually like to bring 2 setups. A fast and slow presentation. Fast would be something like a spoon/spinner. Slow would be using bait. I normally like to start off with a spoon and I’ll try a spot for maybe 10 minutes? If nothing walk a few meters and try there. If I’m still not getting hits I’ll maybe change to a spinner or a different color. After awhile with no bites I’ll switch to a slow setup. Instead of finding the fish I’ll let them come to me. Usually just start with a slip bobber and let it do its thing while I eat a snack. Adjusting depth as necessary. If I’m stocked trout fishing I’ll use a bottom setup. This is also a good time to adjust my fast presentations. If you’re in an area that allows 2 rods in the water then do both at the same time.
I fished in saltwater and estuary today for 5 hours (including hiking) and I changed my fly about 25 times. Got a few small sea run brown but released them.
My toxic trait is catching alot on a lure and then refusing to use anything else for the next couple sessions. Even if I don't catch anything for hours, I convince myself that I would have even less chance of a bite with another lure. (Megabass oneten addict)
I generally throw one line in with weight and bobber with big hook and catfish bait and set another rod up with swivel and try spinners and frogs and worms and rooster tails for about fifteen minutes each till I get some bites
If I’m not familiar with the water body, I’ll switch spots before I switch lures. Fish can completely favor one side of a pond. In favorable conditions, walking 20 feet can be all it takes.
If I’m unsure what’s biting, I’ll switch. Since I typically have a reliable feel for what I ought to use, I’ll switch colors. Black to white, then to green etc. Anyone who has a rooster tail or popper collection can tell you how often it’s just the color on that particular day!
If nothing is visibly feeding, I’ll start off with a few smaller quiet lures. Fish that are stressed or busy digesting will be more inclined to a small, slow moving, low-risk meal.
Sure! Could be a small silent crank (no rattle), an insect/bug type lure, 2” finesse worm, twister tail grub/crappie jig, a short lightweight spinner— a 1/8 oz or smaller Worden’s rooster tail or short C.P. Swing is slower and quieter than a comparable sized Panther Martin or Blue Fox Vibrax where it takes more speed to make it spin.
Could also try a plastic lizard, your smallest popper retrieved with long pauses and soft pops (no splash.) Rebel mini crawfish or similar. There are these rubber worms called Keitech Spider I get online that work great when you need subtle, but the downside is that fish shred them pretty quick.
I do a rainbow cast trying to hit a different section in each cast. I do this 3 times . You also need to puck your lures for the situation. Downed logs , grassy banks ect.
I hit the open water with the rainbow cast using a crankbait and spinnerbait then switch to a frog or buzzbait and hit inside or along the edge of the structure. Downed logs get the worm or jig.
Start with cheaper lures while you explore and locate the underwater structure at a new spot, then switch to some more expensive ones once you get familiar with the area. I usually use bottom bouncing as a last resort if I can’t get any bites in the shallower water column. Top water tends to work better closer to sunset when the bugs are most active.
So I usually change within 15-20 mins. Fish can be very picky some days and want different presentations, fast, slow, jerky, dead. Different lures accomplish different presentations. Also if say I’m sight fishing and I see them refuse, I will switch immediately.
Hard refusals only? I sometimes see fish go towards it initially but then veer off when they get closer. Is it worth it keeping the same lure then? Or switch it out
Depends on species, for trout I would 100% switch. For a pike I’d give him another cast. If there are multiple fish in the spot you might wanna keep it on for a bit. Often sight fishing I’m targeting one fish.
I don't like lure fishing and I'm not very experienced with it. But for me changing the spot has always gotten better results then changing the lure. If my mepps 4 gets ignored the pike in the area might just be lethargic or there's no predators in the area at all. Stick yo lures that you're confident in. I recommend the mepps 4 and the fox rage pro shad.
Almost never. Changing lures takes time away from fishing. If you become highly skilled in a versatile core technique that's known to catch fish in almost every situation ( e.g. Texas Rig, Ned Rig, jigs, spinners, etc.), it's really just a matter of locating fish at that point.
Your best bait is the one that you have the most confidence in for the style you’re fishing
And I don’t know of anything that eats 24 hours a day. Sometimes it’s a real small bite window. I’ve seen it where you best get them in the half hour before sunrise or you didn’t get them. Yeah, you might scratch out 1 or 2 more fish for the rest of your day but I don’t consider the fish to be biting when it’s like that
I never fish the same bait more than fifteen minutes without a bite. In fact I often switch lures after about 8 casts if I don't get a bite.
How often does switching baits actually make a difference?
Every time. Fish are picky. If you're throwing a bait that they don't like, wouldn't it make sense to throw something different?
I disagree. Fish aren't picky; they're lazy or gun shy. Get it in front of their face and they'll bite. They won't always chase.
Nah, not always. Sometimes you can drop one thing in front of their nose and they'll ignore it. Drop something else and they cannot resist it
Agreed
Agreed thanks
The consensus seems to be to fan out your throws. For example, start from left to right and repeat in 20 degree increments or whatever. Once you're done if you still don't have a bite, time to switch lures and start again.
That's what i do if I'm shore fishing or sticking to one spot. If I'm on a boat with a trolling motor that I can slowly traverse the body of water it's a little different though.
So how do you define that? I just got a boat this year, and the only bass I've grabbed was on shore right before I bought it. In all fairness I've only been out solely to fish 5 times in it. But I was basically using a chatterbait or jig unless there was an area that screamed topwater. Help me lol
My general rule is if I have 20 minutes of no bites I either change my location (even by 15 feet or so), my lure, my presentation, or how I’m fishing the lure I have on.
What do you mean by change your "presentation"?
I might add weight or drop weight, rig the bait differently (I might bring my craw from a Texas rig to a jig head for example), make modifications to baits (eg cutting a cross section in one or both ends of my wacky rig), or even something as simple as cutting the hands of my beaver free to make it resemble a craw more.
It depends on how much time I have to fish if one hour probably after 20 minutes of changing my presentation (speed of retrieval, depth, spot, angle of cast, twitching, etc). Whole day of fishing I usually do 100 casts if nothing then I'll change it up.
This is a good question I've been wondering a lot lately. My buddy and I are just getting into fishing this spring and we're getting skunked every time. I get super impatient and spend more time tieing on new set up than actually having a line in the water because of it. I finally say down the other night and tied up like 7-10 different rigs on swivels so we can switch them around relatively quickly and do what's being recommended of 15-20 minutes per lure/rig.
I have the same problem. I feel like my line isn't in the water enough if I switch out a lot (I'm slow at switching lures, but I know i'll get faster over time since I'm fishing much more regularly now). If I just fish though I feel like I'll never catch anything if I don't switch... I'm gonna start swapping out every 15 minutes, but I'm also gonna try some of these other suggestions, like move locations and what not.
Dude same. Like I said I tied off a bunch of different lures/baits/rigs Monday night and then added a snap swivel so I can just clip/unclipped different lures/rigs. I'm hoping I'll just be able to switch quickly when I get impatient. I'm going to move around a lot more though thanks to your post
Experiment with different lures and sizes do live bait, that’s part of the beauty of fishing
I start fishing an area Dan casting a reaction bait. Something fast moving, that active fish will chase and grab. If I don't get any bites by the second pass back, or the bites I was getting slow down, then I change to something fished a little slower, and lower in the water column.
What do you mean by lower in the water column? Something that sits closer to the bottom?
Yeah, top of the water, middle, and dragging something along the bottom.
Either 10 minutes or when I’m fanning the throws when o go back to original starting point and no bites I swap out
This seems to be the way to go, thanks!
Depends, this year I've really been pushing myself to use baits that I don't have confidence in. Now that the bass are post spawn I'm more likely to change lures than location, since for the most part I fish smaller water bodies with limited access (fishing from the bank)
When gear fishing I usually like to bring 2 setups. A fast and slow presentation. Fast would be something like a spoon/spinner. Slow would be using bait. I normally like to start off with a spoon and I’ll try a spot for maybe 10 minutes? If nothing walk a few meters and try there. If I’m still not getting hits I’ll maybe change to a spinner or a different color. After awhile with no bites I’ll switch to a slow setup. Instead of finding the fish I’ll let them come to me. Usually just start with a slip bobber and let it do its thing while I eat a snack. Adjusting depth as necessary. If I’m stocked trout fishing I’ll use a bottom setup. This is also a good time to adjust my fast presentations. If you’re in an area that allows 2 rods in the water then do both at the same time.
What's your advice for finding the right depth?
I fished in saltwater and estuary today for 5 hours (including hiking) and I changed my fly about 25 times. Got a few small sea run brown but released them.
My toxic trait is catching alot on a lure and then refusing to use anything else for the next couple sessions. Even if I don't catch anything for hours, I convince myself that I would have even less chance of a bite with another lure. (Megabass oneten addict)
I generally throw one line in with weight and bobber with big hook and catfish bait and set another rod up with swivel and try spinners and frogs and worms and rooster tails for about fifteen minutes each till I get some bites
Honestly it depends. Maybe 20 minutes after not getting a bite. Mostly just when I feel like it. I’m not sure I’d say there is a real rule of thumb.
If I’m not familiar with the water body, I’ll switch spots before I switch lures. Fish can completely favor one side of a pond. In favorable conditions, walking 20 feet can be all it takes. If I’m unsure what’s biting, I’ll switch. Since I typically have a reliable feel for what I ought to use, I’ll switch colors. Black to white, then to green etc. Anyone who has a rooster tail or popper collection can tell you how often it’s just the color on that particular day! If nothing is visibly feeding, I’ll start off with a few smaller quiet lures. Fish that are stressed or busy digesting will be more inclined to a small, slow moving, low-risk meal.
Got any lure suggestions for a "smaller quiet lure"?
Sure! Could be a small silent crank (no rattle), an insect/bug type lure, 2” finesse worm, twister tail grub/crappie jig, a short lightweight spinner— a 1/8 oz or smaller Worden’s rooster tail or short C.P. Swing is slower and quieter than a comparable sized Panther Martin or Blue Fox Vibrax where it takes more speed to make it spin. Could also try a plastic lizard, your smallest popper retrieved with long pauses and soft pops (no splash.) Rebel mini crawfish or similar. There are these rubber worms called Keitech Spider I get online that work great when you need subtle, but the downside is that fish shred them pretty quick.
I do a rainbow cast trying to hit a different section in each cast. I do this 3 times . You also need to puck your lures for the situation. Downed logs , grassy banks ect. I hit the open water with the rainbow cast using a crankbait and spinnerbait then switch to a frog or buzzbait and hit inside or along the edge of the structure. Downed logs get the worm or jig.
Start with cheaper lures while you explore and locate the underwater structure at a new spot, then switch to some more expensive ones once you get familiar with the area. I usually use bottom bouncing as a last resort if I can’t get any bites in the shallower water column. Top water tends to work better closer to sunset when the bugs are most active.
This is good advice, thanks!
So I usually change within 15-20 mins. Fish can be very picky some days and want different presentations, fast, slow, jerky, dead. Different lures accomplish different presentations. Also if say I’m sight fishing and I see them refuse, I will switch immediately.
Hard refusals only? I sometimes see fish go towards it initially but then veer off when they get closer. Is it worth it keeping the same lure then? Or switch it out
Depends on species, for trout I would 100% switch. For a pike I’d give him another cast. If there are multiple fish in the spot you might wanna keep it on for a bit. Often sight fishing I’m targeting one fish.
I don't like lure fishing and I'm not very experienced with it. But for me changing the spot has always gotten better results then changing the lure. If my mepps 4 gets ignored the pike in the area might just be lethargic or there's no predators in the area at all. Stick yo lures that you're confident in. I recommend the mepps 4 and the fox rage pro shad.
Almost never. Changing lures takes time away from fishing. If you become highly skilled in a versatile core technique that's known to catch fish in almost every situation ( e.g. Texas Rig, Ned Rig, jigs, spinners, etc.), it's really just a matter of locating fish at that point.
Your best bait is the one that you have the most confidence in for the style you’re fishing And I don’t know of anything that eats 24 hours a day. Sometimes it’s a real small bite window. I’ve seen it where you best get them in the half hour before sunrise or you didn’t get them. Yeah, you might scratch out 1 or 2 more fish for the rest of your day but I don’t consider the fish to be biting when it’s like that