Bait progression during a day of fishing?

What does a typical day look like for y'all as far a bait progression throughout a day of fishing.

Scenario: Your day starts at 6 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. with the most typical hot summer partly cloudy days.

I think this might be interesting to see the different approaches to bass fishing.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this type of thinking. There is not really a progression to go through during a day of fishing. There is what is going on in front of you at that moment and you should fish according to that premise.

I think you can still have a plan going into the morning... as far as the rest of the day it depends on the areas i try to fish. Partly cloudy morning i would probably have topwater/SqBill/Chatterbait/Jig tied on and ready to go, could easily add in TRig but i just dont fish it that much. These baits are for if i plan to start shallow in the morning as i want to search water and use the jig to hit cover. After that it really just depends on what i learned in the morning, usually this time of the year i end up out deep during the day so having Deep Divers/C-Rigs/Big jigs/Drop Shot ready would get me started. I try not to stray too far away from what i have confidence in, unless i figure something out or receive information.

I learned long ago, fish only bite under certain conditions. And, only they know what those conditions are at that moment.

In the heat of the summer I think I'd have to agree with epic. Spring or fall may be different and lake with grass may also play differently in summer months, but once it gets hot, those fish find a deep home and they don't move too much.

Good question!

I start out throwing a 5 inch hollow belly swim bait shallow. If nothing happening, I paddle out to 5 to 10 foot depths and throw it there. If there are stumps around I throw it there no matter what depth it is. If its not too windy I'll paddle out to the 20 to 25 foot depths and throw it there. If still nothing I'll paddle back shallow and start all over. If nothing the second round through, I'll stick that swim bait on a carolina rig. If I'm getting pizzed I'll make a couple of casts with a spinner bait or deep diving crank bait. If I get bit on either of these other two baits, I'll start throwing the swim bait again to see if they will hit it. Its been slow this year.

My progression typically starts with rigging up 15 or so rods with different baits from T-rigs, poppers, spinner baits, swim baits, lipless cranks, deep divers, etc., all different rigs so I don't have to tie on a lure while on the water. Then when i hit the water i throw the popper for about 20-30 minutes and then the t-rig the rest of the day. And when I get home I think about how next trip I am going to commit to one of those other lures and not just throw the t-rig all day.

story of my life...except i throw frogs for an hour

8 rods start with topwater typically, or maybe a bigger swimmer depending on the lake. Then spinnerbait or jig, then trig, then sqaure bill to just find a bite... generaly you find a little somthing and that throws ypu down a rabbit hole haha

This time of year; at sunrise, I like to travel across the lake from a ramp to a main lake point scanning as I go.

Depending on what I see on the water and on the graph will tell me where to start.

I'd like to start with early morning topwater and get bit on that all day; but sometimes you'll see lots of bait fish and aggressive bass activity on your graph at 25ft first thing in the morning.

Difficult to predict day to day even on the same lake; but they usually are deep by mid day this time of year.

Fish are always biting somewhere on every body of water.
As far as a progression of baits, I've never gave it a thought really. I have an idea of where I think the fish are at and use whatever to try and catch them. If that doesn't work I move and try other stuff

That is me to a T... Except it's a Popper, frog or Spook.

The only thing is that every hour or so that I don't get a bite, I will pick up a jig or something I don't fish with and throw like 3 casts and think to myself "this lure sucks" and go back to the T-rig.

if they aint biting a T-Rig ...then they aint biting!...could be the moon...wait no its the wind...no its them temperature....

Pretty much sums it up lol

I break the day down into 3 sections:
- Early morning top water with a spook.
- Move to mid range at 5 to 10 ft. follow the fish back to where they live.
- At 11:00 move to deep water where they live. Work the ledges with heavy cover on top.

Two men in the boat always helps to develop a pattern once you move form the shallows.
- Keep the boat on the magic contour depth of 20 ft.. Follow that contour in and out around points looking for irregular features.
- Man in front casting to the shallow water on the points, sides of the points, inside bends of creeks and slopes.
- Man in the back drags a Crig. on the 20 ft. contour. His depth changes with ever turn of the boat as the line is way out the back of the boat. It is dragged down the sides of points, across the points and parallel with heavy cover that may extend out to the 20 ft. drop.

This time of year, usually something similar to this:
1. Buzzbait
2. Spook
3. Swimjig
4. Squarebill or mid crank
5. Deep diving crank (6xd, 8xd, 10xd)
6. C-rig

Of course this varies a lot on the shallow baits depending on the cover in the area. #3 could also be a wacky rigged senko or a t-rig.

And if the deep water is really rocky and I'm breaking off too many c-rigs, I'll switch to a drop shot.

My progression is to go from spot to spot and locate fish that will bite.