Rookie Help: "When to switch baits..."

[LBES]

So, obviously I'm a newbie to bass fishing... I'm gonna throw some questions out of left field. Please fire away - and thanks in advance for the feedback!

2013 was a interesting year for me... my first "real" bass trip was in March; and I ended up going 0-4 in March. Spent the whole year basically just learning gear and not much time catching fish. I have some idea of what I'll change this next year, but one question that drives me nuts is knowing when to switch baits. I found myself using "confidence" baits too much (I think). And at times, I would spend hours casting the same spinner bait hoping for a different result. I'll definitely change things up next year. I know there's no magic formula, but let me hear your thoughts...

Question: How many casts should I spend on a single bait? 1 bait per hour? 1 bait per 1/2 hour? 1 bait per minute? I've heard guys with 10 cast limits - if they didn't get a hit in 10 "good" presentations they would change baits... are there times when you just know that a jig and pig is the best option, so stick with it for 4 hours?

Bonus Question: If you're catching 1 lbers on a spinner bait, what would you change to maybe catch bigger fish? (I had a buddy say that in this case I should have switched to a similar color swimbait... really? why?)

Thanks for the help - and Happy Thanksgiving!

[rockjiggr]

I have been a 30 year student of the In-Fisherman formula of fishing first formulated by the Lindner brothers of Minnesotta.

F+L+P= Success Fish+Location+Presentation= Success

Understanding this basic formula goes a long way to determining what type of lure and what type of presentation and location will be successful.

The first part is F, the Fish component. You need to know the species you are targeting. Get to know that fish's needs for water type, temperature, depth, forage, spawning,etc. Spend as much time as you can studying all the information you can get your eyes on to understand bass and get to know its seasonal patterns, likes, dislikes, temperaments, and instincts. It does no good to fish for bass using pop-gear in 70' of water in mid summer the way you might fish for kokane. Similarly, you would not use corkies and eggs in fast moving streams for bass either. Bass have their distinct habits and to be successful, you have to understand those habits.

Location- understanding location is a product of understanding the fish itself. Knowing the seasonal needs and habits of bass will then determine what locations they will be using at different seasons. Fishing deep when they are shallow is useless. Also, fishing shallow when they are actually deep is also a waste of effort. You gotta fish for them where they are at.

Presentation- Knowing the fish's habits, physiological needs and locations are necessary, but you also have to understand what is the correct or at least high percentage presentation to use to catch them. Using fast moving lures when fish are in cold water and are lethargic is a low percentage presentation. Sometimes they want things slow and subtle but other times they want it fast and aggressive. Knowledge and understanding will most of the time determine what is the right presentation. Sometimes, however, it cannot be predicted and it comes down to trial and error.

My best advice is to study the fish, study their habits, study the water you fish and determine what are the typical seasonal locations they will inhabit, and then study many different techniques and presentations so that you can match the bait and presentation to the conditions of the fish and the season. Get confident with some basic lures and presentation and stick with them. Get proficient and expert in presenting 3-5 different lures and presentation for each major season/condition and work them hard. When you know that a bait or presentation is the right thing(s) to use in a certain season or set of conditions, stay with it and don't give up. Use each of the 3-5 baits/presentations in every location you fish but stay with them. Kind of like the running game in football, you know it works so you just keep doing it. Eventually you will have success.

[Anglinarcher]

I cannot argue with the FLP method, those boys taught a whole generation how to fish better.

One of the guys that use to work for them was Larry Dahlberg and his claim is to let the fish tell you what they want. If you "know" that fish are in the area and you have fished a half hour without a hit, then you should change something. It may not be the lure but the presentation of that lure. I have fished nothing but a rubber worm all day long, changing the presentation methods, and found that a slow presentation might catch nothing while a jerk and burn would kill them, while the next time it was the other way around. The key is that when you get a hit, notice what you were doing different.

Next, lures are just tools, they get you to a specific location. If you are using spinner baits and getting nothing, then changing to a square bill crank that fishes the same water at about the same speed probably won't work any better. If are catching some fish on the Spinner Bait, the change may increase or decrease the catch rate, but they both fish the same water the same general way. If you use the "become proficient in 3 to 5 lures for each season" method, make sure the lures cover different water, have different sizes, have different triggering methods.

Now, for hardest part, listening to the fish. If you don't get follows, or strikes, the fish are either not there or you are neither attracting them or triggering them. If you get follows, or rolls, but not strikes, you are attracting them but NOT triggering them. The trigger can be a change up on retrieve or a slightly different lure/color/size, etc.

Last, if you are new to the sport, try to locate a friend who can teach you. I have a friend that hatted to bass fish when he started fishing with me. Now he loves it, as well as the Walleye, as well as the trout, as well as the Steelhead, ..... He had been fishing for years, but he had not been exposed to the actual fishing knowledge that comes from fishing with someone that knew what they were doing. I guess that is why they say hiring a guide can be a great way to learn.

[angry john]

I think if your using electronics and know where the fish are, then its just a game of finding out what they want. If you go old school and use search lures to cover water then you will have to set a limit before trying something else. On small ponds i run a confidence bait, either a crank or spinnerbait to locate fish. Then when i find them, depending on where i am, i may shift threw some baits until i think the area is worn out. On the fish will tell you what the good baits to shift to after the first cycle.

[LBES]

Thanks for the replies guys... I know there's no easy answer. And I get that there is a lot of variables, but just thought I'd try to throw out a very detailed question. Maybe there's no "right answer". I was just wondering if most of you guys fish 1-2 baits a day, or 10-12 baits a day. I'll think of another brain teaser and post it up.

[Anglinarcher]

I often fish 10 to 12 baits a day, but my days are 12 hours plus.

[LBES]

I often fish 10 to 12 baits a day, but my days are 12 plus.

Thank you!!! That is the type of answer I was looking for.

[drysuperfly52]

i definatly cant claim to be a bass expert by any means, but when hitting a lake after work and i have only a few hours of water time, i just pick three different styles of presentation and color and have 3 poles ready to go, do few casts at each spot and see if you get any strikes, if not move on. if your getting chasers or some lookies i usually keep with the color but change change the presentaion (spinner bait, rapala, grub) i can usually get a few with this method.

[Anglinarcher]

I think the key goes back to listening to what the fish are telling you. I will give you an example of my typical day at Long Lake, aka Lake Spokane. It is on the Spokane River upstream of the Spokane arm on Roosevelt. Let us assume it is in early June, weeds are starting to grow, but the lily pads are not yet matted and the sub aquatic weeds are not to the top.

First start with deciding on what the target species is. There are more SMB then LMB, but there are some monster LMB. The spawn is over, or getting near the end.

I want to be on the water within minutes of them opening the park gates. I would probably start with top water chuggers right now. The shadows would be long, and if I am lucky there are some clouds. The SMB and LMB can be active so I will hit the shore line cover, under and around the trees, near the pad lines, etc. If I have not had a blow up in 20 to 30 minutes, I am going to grab my 2nd rod, already rigged. Yes, I have as many as 6 rods pre-rigged with different colors, sizes, and types of lures. I hate to loose time changing lures.

If the fish liked the chuggers, or showed some interest, I may stay with it until they stop, or mix up size and color to increase catch size and rates. Assume they ignored them, which is common that time of year. I will probably go to spinner baits now. I can work a little deeper and cover more water. I find that the chuggers this time of year will catch bigger fish, but it is not a "high" percentage offer so I am not willing to stick with it if it is not working.

OK, my color is based on past experience with this lake, water color, bait fish species, etc., but because the chuggers did not work, I am going with a smaller spinner bait. I will try a 1/4 oz on a spinning rod or a 3/8 oz on a baitcaster. If I am getting short strikes I will often quick change to a larger bait, or even to a chatter bait. If they are hitting but not frequent, I will change over to a smaller spinner bait. This will last for a half hour if no hits are had, perhaps a little longer if some fish are showing interest.

One hour in and I have used one chugger, one spinner bait, perhaps a second spinner bait, and perhaps a chatter bait.

Assume no fish have shown up, then they obviously are deeper. If they were following but not hitting, I might start the 2nd hour with a square bill crank bait, but if they are not, then now I might go with a Shad Rap or other medium diving crank. This is a good bait for covering water. Again, fish hits, I determine if I can do better. If I can, then 1.5 hours into the day I am onto lure number 4. By now, assuming no fish, either I am going to a deeper diver or I am going with a slow presentation. I have covered the water enough now to know something about the structure and I know the fish are apparently not hitting strongly. So, for the next half hour I am going to toss a deep diver. Again, the decision matrix, fish, can I do better.... no fish, change up. Assuming no fish, I am now going to a soft plastic fished at the edge of the weed line. Because of the slower presentation, I will probably stick with it for an hour then if required change up the color and or size.

By now, I should have found fish at some point, and knowing what they hit, what cover they were in or around, the color they preferred should all be considered. The bite will not last all day long because the conditions will change. Still, it is now about noon and I have used as few as one lure or as many as 6. Considering the gates open at 6:00 am, that means I have used up to one lure per hour.

OK, noon, and this time of year the sun is probably bright, winds medium to low, water very clear. If I have found a pattern, great. If not, I will probably start skipping under docks with soft baits. This can be difficult and I go through a lot of baits doing this. You tend to tear a lot of soft baits from the hook, so this can mean I am changing up every 15 minutes to maybe an hour. There are almost always a few fish under the docks so I will spend the heat of the day on the docks and under overhanging trees. Lures 7 through 14 used? Maybe. If you say it is only one lure but just different plastic, then call it 7 lures.

If things have worked well, with 7 or so lures used, I have found fish and have had a respectable day. If this is a miserable day, time to dig deep into my bag of tricks. Now I might look for the deepest weeds with my electronics and perhaps jig through it, or Texas Rig a worm in it. Perhaps I will go to a drop shot at deep shelves or steps, or perhaps the edges of deep flats. Each location and method would take perhaps an hour, so, ....... by the way, we have not even factored in the boat ride times, add that to the times between lures.

Now that the day is winding down, I will kind of reverse the process. With one exception, I will probably end the day with a mouse, rat, frog, or buzz bait.

Now, for a completely different type of day. Same place, same time, but now the weather is different. We have dark clouds, serious rain, even lightning, and the fish are feeding on anything. This time I started with the chugger, the SMB and LMB were hungry, and even with the clear water, the rain and clouds make the fish more aggressive. One lure, all day, killed them all day. I would not have changed a lure for anything, except for the fact that I bent up hooks so bad it was either change hooks or lures...... lures was faster.

I do want to comment on electronics. Sure, if the water is dingy, or you are fishing the deepest water your species utilizes in the body of water you fish, you can locate and catch fish. Normally my water is either too clear, too shallow, or the fish are just too spooky. Electronics do well at locating structure, but the fish tend to simply move out of range to see.

One last example.... I have a lake like Sprague. It is shallow, not deeper then 18 feet, mostly water less then 10 feet. The water is pea green by now, water warm, bass few, but numbers growing. In this case covering water is the only secret, no special tricks, no secret colors. This is a slug it out contest.... cast after cast after cast. In this case, I start with a spinner bait, with a large swim bait in reserve. I fish with one or the other all day. Rubber worms seldom cover enough water, top waters are seldom good this time of year on Sprague, crank baits usually mess up with the blue green algae that infest this lake. So, in this case, it is two lures all day, maybe 4 or 6 lures with color changes.

I hope this helps, but now you can see why it is so difficult to answer your question. I can tell you this much......

The more I fish a lake, the faster I find the fish, the fewer the lures I use.

[LBES]

I hope this helps, but now you can see why it is so difficult to answer your question.

THANK YOU!!! The more I hear about the "searching", the more I will be comfortable going away from a confidence bait... 2013, for me, was spent too much staying with the 1-2 baits... like 4-6 hours of 1-2 baits. So, in your example if the fish aren't biting - you may switch up every half hour and/or change structure/cover. I have 6 rods, and adding a couple so I can switch up when needed and not waste the time rigging.

The point about changing the size of bait based on what the fish are telling you is the "magic"... I had a buddy say that if the 1 lbers are hitting the spinner bait, the larger bass might hit a similar color swim bait. Thanks for giving a couple examples, I will definitely consider them in 2014.

Thanks again!

[Anglinarcher]

Back to the "larger" bait. A predator fish can and will take any food they can get in their gut/mouth. An example or two if I may. Last year I found a floater, a 5 pound LMB with 4 each 8 " young bass in the gut with the tails sticking out of the mouth. A 5th fish, a large sculpin, got stuck tail first and killed it.

I have caught 24" brown trout with up to 5 8" rainbow and browns in their throat, plus my ounce swimbait.

Large baits are not always the way to go, but don't be afraid.

[BassDood]

Anglinarcher seems so spot on with his posts. Have to agree with what the fish are telling you. Hard to get at times, and my thought is...time on the water, and what your gut says. There is no tried and true answer IMO. It is bass fishing, as in any fishing, constantly changing. Hard to get away from confidence baits tho. Easy to have those particular "got to" baits or "go to" spots on a given body of water. Sometimes large baits a.k.a. big swimbaits are the key...other times, finesse baits are the key. Seen guys in So Cal lakes catch a 12 lb. bass on a 2 inch reaper/leach lure...but someone else catch a 15 lb. bass on a 12 inch swimbait. It's fishing. Always evolving and changing