# How long on a lure



## Alexculley

How long should I fish a lure until switching. Same thing for a spot. I feel like I spent to much time in a spot on one lure.


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## RNeiswander

Details on the lure,the spot and the situation?


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## Alexculley

Well I don't really have details. Let say you go to a pond and you see a drop off three feet out. Then to the right you see some branches sticking out of the water. I would stay on it for like an hour just casting to it cause it's structure gas to have a fish right?


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## Talonman

My view is if you know the fish are there via electronics, or by sight, stick it out for longer than one normally might fish one spot.

They still could just not be biting, and moving on would still be correct.
You would then come back later in the day to see if the action heats up there.

If in search mode, give er 15 minutes or so if the spot looks good, then move on.


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## Alexculley

Talonman said:


> My view is if you know the fish are there via electronics, or by sight, stick it out for longer than one normally might fish one spot.
> 
> They still could just not be biting, and moving on would still be correct.
> 
> If in search mode, give er 15 minutes or so if the spot looks good, then move on.


I don't normally see them. I just figure the should be there. Then I say maybe I am throwing the wrong thing but don't want to tie something else on to early.


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## Talonman

That is a good point too.

Using a bait that they just don't want changes everything.

I guess trying a few different baits while you are there, would also be wise.


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## HappySnag

easy to swich loores,main line to barell swiwel and 2" leader with smoll quick snap,use one rod for searching for fish,noubody know,when they bait ,everything is gess work,just put time on search with one lure,10 min,15 min,20 min,and fallow that, if you catch fish,just do the same think.you may cach ,one fish,or catch fish few hours,or cach fish few days in same spot,i was looking for same ansers,noubody can give them to me,that is teling me, you have to create plan,and put time to that and it will work.

snag


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## Alexculley

I have been just walking around the pond one lure at a time. Not catching much but learning the snags.


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## jshbuckeye

I tend to move quicker then change in lures if im on the bank, fish my way back changeing lures and tactics. in a boat I will change lures or poles readily and then to the next spot


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## buckeyebowman

It's not always easy to tell, and, many times, it depends on what mood you're in. Do you want to move along quickly with whatever lure you've chosen, looking for those fish that are willing to bite? Or, do you want to pick a "spot" that looks good and work it with everything you've got? Both methods are valid. A lot of guys use the first method until they hit an area that gives up several fish. Then they slow down and fish it thoroughly. Others stick with the original method because they like fishing "new" water. I once saw a buddy throw the same spinnerbait at the same submerged stump at least a dozen times in a row. I think now that he must have caught a glimpse of the bass. Anyway, he eventually caught the bass that lived there, a 4 pounder. Maybe experiment the next time you're out and see what happens.


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## Northern1

I think there are a couple ways to look at this. I know some guys that will do about 5 casts in an area, and move on if they do not get a bite. Many times if there are fish actively feeding an an area, they will bite. If they are not feeding, you are probably casting right over them and around them, possibly bumping right into them, but they are not in feeding mode at that point. 

I think there is a happy medium to that approach. Example: If I want to throw big joshys that day, I will try a couple of different approaches with different colors. So, i'll throw a lime red steady retrieve toward the bottom for a few casts, up top for active feeding fish for a few casts, and then maybe i'll bounce it with lift and rise for a few casts, and then let it sit for a few casts. If no fish on lime red, i'll go to sparkle chartreuse, then solar flare. (or whatever colors, it doesnt matter, but those are my go to's ) After about 25 casts in that area and nothing, I will try a vibe for a few casts and possibly a stick bait for a few casts as well with different presentations. They might want to hit a different bait. So thats probably 20-30 minutes per area before moving. Area meaning a 50 yard perimeter either way for me. So I fish Indian Lake. That area might be the spillway. So then maybe I move to Moundwood and try the same program. Nothing at Moundwood, go to Oldfield. Nothing there, Lakeview. Etc. Etc. So a trip goes for about 3 hours. If you find the fish, note the patterns that exist. What did you catch them on, and what presentation, what was the weather, what was the baro pressure, etc, etc. You will notice what patterns begin to exist. 

Another big key is to put in the time to find which spots hold fish and which have the potential of holding fish and which dont so you are not wasting your time in an ultimately unproductive area. 

Good Luck this year!


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## JignPig Guide

Alexculley said:


> How long should I fish a lure until switching. Same thing for a spot. I feel like I spent to much time in a spot on one lure.


This is a fair question Alexculley.

Sometimes there are just no active fish in the area. And it doesn't matter what lure is chosen.

Otherwise:

1 - Probe the water horizontally, with whatever lures that you are confident with. (Key word is... horizontally.) surface lures / shallow runners / medium runners / bottom bangers Always change the cadence of retrieve until you find the speed they will react to.

2 - Probe the water vertically, (key word vertically) with whatever predominant vertical presentation lures you are confident in. Example - JignPigs, rubber worms, Carolina rigs, drop-shots, creature baits, spoons.

For what it's worth... Sometimes they'll knock the hell out of a spinnerbait and nothing else. Other times they'll only hit a slowly drug JignPig or creature bait as it is barely crawling on the lake floor. Get the picture? 

If you've checked a spot out with everything you've got and you're not gettin' bit, it's time to move on. There are no active fish in the area.


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## countdogula

I would say ten minutes tops. If the fish are there and the approach is correct, they will bite. IF both of the above are not true, then they won't. I remember the last time I went fishing with my dad and my brother, we were working the banks for trout on a crowded lake, and would cast in between groups of fisherman who were just tossing their bait out and letting it sit. We would roll up and cast, catch a fish and move on. They always asked what bait we were using and it was almost always the same bait that those guys were using, but it turned out that the fish were biting the bait on the descent only, and at a very shallow depth. If what you are doing doesn't get fish, waiting longer doesn't generally make things better.


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## All Eyes

JignPig Guide said:


> This is a fair question Alexculley.
> 
> Sometimes there are just no active fish in the area. And it doesn't matter what lure is chosen.
> 
> Otherwise:
> 
> 1 - Probe the water horizontally, with whatever lures that you are confident with. (Key word is... horizontally.) surface lures / shallow runners / medium runners / bottom bangers Always change the cadence of retrieve until you find the speed they will react to.
> 
> 2 - Probe the water vertically, (key word vertically) with whatever predominant vertical presentation lures you are confident in. Example - JignPigs, rubber worms, Carolina rigs, drop-shots, creature baits, spoons.
> 
> 
> 
> For what it's worth... Sometimes they'll knock the hell out of a spinnerbait and nothing else. Other times they'll only hit a slowly drug JignPig or creature bait as it is barely crawling on the lake floor. Get the picture?
> 
> If you've checked a spot out with everything you've got and you're not gettin' bit, it's time to move on. There are no active fish in the area.


Great advice here!!! That sums it up pretty well. 
Another thing to consider if you are pond fishing from shore is that fish can get spooked easily. They see you much better than you might think. A stealthy approach with light line, looser drag, and long casts can make a big difference.


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## darkseid69

personally go with your gut instinct. Confidence is big in making it work i think. I sometimes get skunked just because i like a lure im using when something else may be hot. I usually have a kind of lure tree in my head starting by type then size then color. All the while possibly with a bobber going with some kind of bluegill rig or jig.


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## avantifishski

It really doesn't matter what you like or how u wanna fish, on the other hand it Does matter what the fish want or what they are relating to.depth time of year..when all else fails get a purple worm and throw it...
Sent from my MILESTONE3 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## jaximus

for each particular body of water that i frequently fish, i have a tackle tray. to make that tray i methodically approach a given body of water with a search bait. my favorite search bait is a rapala husky jerk size 8, in silver/black. its a confidence bait and every species under the sun will hit that thing. you can steadily reel it, fast pumps, slow twitch, long pause, etc. it does pretty much everything all in one bait varying between casts or within casts. fast/slow, whatever. reaction strikes, hunger strikes, protecting nests. 

this one bait allows you to find how the fish want the bait on a particular body of water/day/season. they play with a variable you find they want within that bait. let the fish tell you what they want. 

short bites? downsize. swallowing it way deep? go bigger. they want it fast? spinners/lipless. they want it slow? jerk baits/weightless plastics. they want it deep? jigs/big lip lures. they like a certain color? play with the previous options in that color. 

more to your question... if i feel a spot 'should' have fish, i give it 5 casts unless i see fish, if i get a follow, or a bite.. in 5 casts on a lure you should be able to try fast/slow, shallow/deep, jerky/smooth, hit bottom/suspended. 

also, there are 2 ends of this question that people often overlook. people concern themselves with changing TO catch a fish, when they ARENT catching fish. you also have to be willing to change lures to TRY to CONTINUE catching fish. 

in a river near my house, fish will bite a lure of any color.. as long as that color is chartreuse. its gotta be chartreuse or you dont catch fish. i start with a fire tiger husky jerk, and have a 4 lure rotation, changing lures at 5 fish. the narrow wobble not overly deep running rapala husky jerk 08 in firetiger, a deeper running wider wobble cotton cordell big-O in milktreuse that hits bottom, a 4" ringworm in chartreuse fished on a 1/8 oz jig that crawls along, and a strike king mini king in chartreuse that thumps along quickly. when fishing spinners randomly pump the tip of the rod so the blades break cadence, it usually produces a strike very shortly thereafter

you cant be afraid to change lures when you ARE catching fish because you dont want a lure that is working to go 'stale' find a pattern that works by playing around when the fish ARE biting.

thats the biggest mistake i see people make when fishing, they dont utilize active fish to create a pattern and they miss their opportunity to find what will help them next time


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## HappySnag

jaximus 
this is best explanation,very good plan,
if you have plan,you can fallow that,and you can modify that.

thanks snag


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## CarpetBagger

Till you see other lures catching fish...

Not a fishing lure on the market that magically makes fish appear...If they arent there you cant catch them...However when you are casting or trolling multiple lures of different colors or sizes and one start to well out produce the other...its time to change it up...


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## bassfisher0869

one rule of thumb i go by is if i am sure that there are fish there i will keep throwing that lure there or around the spot. fish attack when they feel scared even if they are not hungry. try using different actions bobbing the lure hitting it off the bottom reel slower of faster. i have also found that when the fish are not active when it is hot i make my lure make as much noise as i can by dragging it off the bottom or reeling it really fast across the water. if you can get their attention they may bite better for you.


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