When you can't get a bite but you know they are there...

Do you tend to throw your confidence baits till you get bit or do you start changing up colors, weights, and lures? Is the lure selection and/or color of the bait on a particular day that important?



Here is my experience.

This is on one lake in particular that fish more than any other because, well there just isn't much variety here in west Texas... In the past, anytime I couldn't catch a fish, I would start throwing the kitchen sink at them. I would switch colors like it is going out of style and start changing the weight on my t-rig constantly. I would usually have a myriad of different lures tied and I start switching rods/baits every 10 minutes.

Lately, I have started to notice that when the bite is tough, if I will just spend some time throwing my confidence baits I get a bite eventually. I haven't skunked once this year and I think it's because I have stopped switching baits constantly and just fished hard with baits I am confident in. On days that I really have struggled with catching numbers, in hindsight, I realized that I have spent a lot of time fishing multiple lures/colors. Am I on the right path here?

sounds like you are...when it gets tuff I bust out a spinning rod and a small worm and grind it out...usually can get some bites on that little worm...

I feel like you are on the right track. It has been my experience that subtle changes make all the difference. For example I love fishing a jig. Black blue is my go to bait and I can typically hit a lake in East TX and catch 5 good solid fish with one. But some times I feel I am on good fish and can not get them to bight so I flop over to a green pumpkin jig. I have experimented in the past going down a the shore flipping my black blue jig and nothing. Then turn around with the green pumpkin and put 15 lbs in the boat on that same shore line. Same with football jigs out deep. Plus keeping it simple makes tackle shopping a lot easier. Just my 2 cents....

Somewhere on every lake you can catch a good stringer of Bass on your basic baits:
Spinner Bait - Jig - Worm - Senko - Finesse - and ETC... That is common on huge tournaments when the top 5 stringers coming in were all caught on something different and at different depths.

Somewhere on the lake you can do this shallow. You can do it mid range and you can do it deep. I work a lake until I have 3 spots at each of these levels . Sometimes this takes a year of fishing just one lake to locate these 9 spots. After that you will always catch good fish on at least one of them every day.

Running through a lot of colors, sizes and rigs is not my thing. Stay with your confidence baits and locate the fish that will bite at each of these depths. I start shallow at first light, move to mid range then to deeper water where they live and rest. The heavier cove that each of your spots has on it the more forgiving the bite will be especially in the deeper water.

I pick up a flippin jig and slow down. Usually works.

Dropshot or jig

I'm surprised there haven't been more comments on this topic. Is this like super secret or something? Lol

I really feel like there is actually a method to this madness the more I'm out on the water. I'm only 26 and I live 2 hours from the nearest lake so time on the water is not abundant for me.

It's fishing, man. You keep experimenting until you solve the puzzle or get tired of trying. If you limit yourself to one methodology you'll never progress to your full potential as an angler. Some "confidence lures" of today were someone's off-the-wall idea of yesterday. For me, the best reward is finding success with something out of my wheelhouse & putting a new trick in my bag.

I definitely agree with that but I also think there are some that are way more efficient anglers than others.

And figuring out that puzzle is definitely part of the allure to this sport.

Flick Shake

Weightless senko ftw

Good responses here to go with. I would add that you need to examine where are they in the water column as well. Are they suspended at 15ft? Are they tight to cover? These are the things you notice with TOW. if they are suspended, then you need something that will flutter down or wiggle across their face to entice a bite. If holding to cover, you have to get really good at pinpoint pitches and flipping. Only by making the offer so tempting will you entice them to bite. Also, when they turn off you are wise to downsize everything. JM2C

After 50 yrs. of chasing these green trout, here's my advice and you can take it for what it's worth.
#1- leave the big motor turned off, never caught a bass going 60mph
#2- find an area that has bass appeal, a point with cover and deep water close by would be one. A John Hope funnel point would be another, a creek bend, all these have bass appeal and you can find them in just about all areas of a lake.
#3- Once you've located the area then you use a lure that fits the area, whether is a crank bait (large or small) plastic (large or small) top water or bottom water. Suspended fish are the hardest but can be caught with the right presentation and lure. I find when the water is flat and high skies I choose small baits, light line and lower my expectations. Even Rick Clunn gets skunked.
#4- Enjoy the outdoors, there are many many people that would trade places with you.

For me its a fluke. If I know fish are there and can't catch them I start throwing that and can grind out a few bites. Except on Fork. Its weird. Every lake I have ever fished I have caught at least one fish on a fluke but not Fork.