05-08-2016, 08:43 PM
If you own those lures you must have an idea when and where to use them. The breakdown of when and where to use them is dependent on many factors, none of which you've shared such as:
average depth, water clarity, weed types and density, water temperature, hard or soft bottom, size of pond or lake, bottom types such as drop offs from flat areas, points of land, wetland flats, etc.
Lures are tools, some with limitations, some more versatile.
Limitation examples include:
retrieve speed range - some must be retrieved within a certain range (IE crankbaits); other can be worked very slow or fast.
lure action by design - all lures exhibit an action unique to a lure's design and composition. Some crankbaits have a wide wobble, some very narrow. Lip size and width determine which. Fish may hit one or the other. Soft plastics have different unique actions based on plastic softness and design. How you rig them can enhance their effectiveness (as was mentioned in a previous reply).
Color is important up to a point but less of a factor than the above. A few will do for most lures and at times one color is all you need in a particular lure. All color does is created a visual target, make action parts stand out as they move and add to the stimulus you are casting to provoke a strike. Fish don't know natural from supernatural when it comes to colors, so if you think fish strike a lure because it believes it to be a particular prey species based on color, forget it. When it comes to color, try a few and find which do better than others. Most lure types in certain colors work all of the time. Don't go crazy.
Presentation is a major factor for most lure types. Erratic retrieves for many lures seem to work best falong with very slow to medium slow speeds of retrieve. Add weight to a plastic worm to increase drop speed; decrease it to slow the drop on bottom. Senkos are different than other stick worms in drop rate - they usually fall faster due to composition. You work different surface lures differently. Poppers are worked different than Zara Spooks; top water, soft plastic frogs and creature baits different yet.
YouTube has videos of different lures used to catch bass, but it would also be nice to start out with crossover lures that catch many different species - ones that are exceptionally easy to use and very successful numbers wise - for example, the ball head jig and soft plastic bait combo such as a Mr Twister Grub or Sassy Shad. They catch pretty much all freshwater species and utilize everything mentioned above.
Lures are tools to search the water for fish that can be provoked by them. Sonar is of little use finding fish you'll actually catch in shallow waters; fish are to the side, front or back of the boat, which brings up another question:
are you fishing from shore or from a boat ? Location, location, location. No point in casting to fish-less areas or at the wrong depth in the water column using the wrong lures or presentation. Doubtful you'll be catching bass on surface when they are near bottom in 15'.
The above only scratches the surface but it is a start, starting with the basics. The rest is up to you, keeping in mind that your learning curve soars after fishing with others that catch fish on lures you want to build up confidence in. Fishing tournaments greatly improved my skill set and forced me to believe by watching another catch a fish using a lure I wanted to learn about.
Fishing success is in the details and the only way to know them is from personal experience and discovery. Other than that, no advice can take their place.
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average depth, water clarity, weed types and density, water temperature, hard or soft bottom, size of pond or lake, bottom types such as drop offs from flat areas, points of land, wetland flats, etc.
Lures are tools, some with limitations, some more versatile.
Limitation examples include:
retrieve speed range - some must be retrieved within a certain range (IE crankbaits); other can be worked very slow or fast.
lure action by design - all lures exhibit an action unique to a lure's design and composition. Some crankbaits have a wide wobble, some very narrow. Lip size and width determine which. Fish may hit one or the other. Soft plastics have different unique actions based on plastic softness and design. How you rig them can enhance their effectiveness (as was mentioned in a previous reply).
Color is important up to a point but less of a factor than the above. A few will do for most lures and at times one color is all you need in a particular lure. All color does is created a visual target, make action parts stand out as they move and add to the stimulus you are casting to provoke a strike. Fish don't know natural from supernatural when it comes to colors, so if you think fish strike a lure because it believes it to be a particular prey species based on color, forget it. When it comes to color, try a few and find which do better than others. Most lure types in certain colors work all of the time. Don't go crazy.
Presentation is a major factor for most lure types. Erratic retrieves for many lures seem to work best falong with very slow to medium slow speeds of retrieve. Add weight to a plastic worm to increase drop speed; decrease it to slow the drop on bottom. Senkos are different than other stick worms in drop rate - they usually fall faster due to composition. You work different surface lures differently. Poppers are worked different than Zara Spooks; top water, soft plastic frogs and creature baits different yet.
YouTube has videos of different lures used to catch bass, but it would also be nice to start out with crossover lures that catch many different species - ones that are exceptionally easy to use and very successful numbers wise - for example, the ball head jig and soft plastic bait combo such as a Mr Twister Grub or Sassy Shad. They catch pretty much all freshwater species and utilize everything mentioned above.
Lures are tools to search the water for fish that can be provoked by them. Sonar is of little use finding fish you'll actually catch in shallow waters; fish are to the side, front or back of the boat, which brings up another question:
are you fishing from shore or from a boat ? Location, location, location. No point in casting to fish-less areas or at the wrong depth in the water column using the wrong lures or presentation. Doubtful you'll be catching bass on surface when they are near bottom in 15'.
The above only scratches the surface but it is a start, starting with the basics. The rest is up to you, keeping in mind that your learning curve soars after fishing with others that catch fish on lures you want to build up confidence in. Fishing tournaments greatly improved my skill set and forced me to believe by watching another catch a fish using a lure I wanted to learn about.
Fishing success is in the details and the only way to know them is from personal experience and discovery. Other than that, no advice can take their place.
[signature]