Which lure first?

[jason_h1]

Hi. Often when I come to an area that seems fishy, I'll go over it with a couple different lures. I usually carry 2 rods, one rigged with something more "aggressive," like a buzz bait or rattletrap, and the other rigged with some Texas rigged rubber. Last night I noticed that I usually go with the more aggresive lure first then go back over the area with the slower one. Do any of you guys think it may be more productive fishing the more passive and quieter lure first? I guess I'm thinking of spooky fish getting spookier. I don't know. Any thoughts?

[Hanover_Yakker]

Hate to say this but........

It depends

If you are fishing a highly pressured body of water, then the approach may require something more subtle and down sized. If you are fishing crystal clear water like some northern lakes, the smallmouth can see you coming from 30 yards away on some days, so the whole approach needs to be refined right down to your line size (ie: 6lb flourocarbon!!). If you are fishing murky water with little to no risk of the fish seeing or being alerted to your presence from a distance (assuming you have a stealthy presence on the water), then you do want a more active bait like a spinnerbait or shallow running square-billed crankbait. Possibly even a Zara Spook or Frog bait, then you can switch to a suspending style bait like a weightless fluke or LC Pointer and follow it up with a shakey head or jig-n-craw and lastly the stick bait but always remember to work the outermost target area first to avoid "turning off" or "spooking" any weary fish that might be holding further back in the target zone.

[Plasticpirogue]

No, I think you are on the right track. I typically will try to pick off the aggressive fish first (typically with a spinnerbait) and then if that doesn't work I will slow down and carefully fish the area with more subtle finesse techniques.

And the point that Hanover Yakker just made about fishing the outer edges of a target are RIGHT ON POINT. Worst thing you could do is to make your first cast directly into the dead center of a piece of structure.....you should finish in the heart of the target, not start there.

[jfrancho]

Cover and structure dictate lure choice. I prefer to start with a moving bait, and move from shallow to deep in unknown territory, preferably a bait that I can stay in contact with the bottom or the cover. I may not catch anything, but I'll get a clearer picture of the area. Crankbaits, vibe baits, spinners, spooks, buzzers, all fit that criteria in one way or another. Once I've pinpointed likely fish holding situations, I'll use a more precise approach, usually a jig or Texas rigged plastic. Sometimes, fish are so active, there's no need to slow down.

[gdub16]

So at what point do you switch it up? How long to keep with a search and or finesse presentation till you try something different. The how long till move your location.

JFrancho you mention Structure and cover for structure like a point or secondary point how to approach them assuming you do not have sonar and or FF not knowing how deep and or where drop off begins?

Sorry Jason didn't mean to hijack your thread it is question have been struggling with. There are so many different options and variations between plastics, different lures it hard to get a good starting point where you haven't much success and or found the that bait your comfortable or just plain old experience when to throw what.

Cheers

Greg

[jfrancho]

I generally keep fishing that bait until I catch or something tells me I have to slow down. That moment you change, decide to move, or do something different is what separates big time pros from shmos like you and me. Seriously, that's the difference. If I knew a hard fast answer, I'd be on the water right now, instead of at "work" lol.

Points....I'm not much of a point fisherman, unless there is some wind. I generally start casting into the wind. I'm more interested what's between a main lake point and a secondary point, especially post spawn.

If you're not using a graph or have a map of the lake, then a jig or Carolina rig will give you all the info you need to know about depth and bottom composition.

[jason_h1]

You guys make some good points. Thanks. I guess I agree more or less with the idea of picking off the more aggressive fish first. Also the idea of, if your catching them, no need to slow down. Thanks again.