know what to throw??

[Rooster]

How do know what type of lure to throw in certain situations? Ex. How do you know weather to throw an exude, a mirrodine, a spoon or a jig? Do I throw a weightless exude on the edge of a mangrove or do I throw a mirrodine, or mabe a spoon? How do you all make the decision on what lure to throw and what situation to throw It in?

[MrSpectaculous]

Bring multiple rods with a lure for different parts of the water column.

[tbray]

If I know fish are there, i first throw a mirrolure (7m, Mirominnow or Mirrodine)....no hits, go deeper jerk bait or slow sinker to get in the zone. No hits, I go to a bait that will bump the bottom- jerk bait or 52M mirrolure (depending on the grass in the area - ML catch too much so i go weedless).

If I am scouting- I almost exclusively use a gold weedless johnson spoon with a swivel tied directly to it (spro barrell). Worked slow just above the grassy bottom.

This has worked for me - but i spent alot of time developing a confidence in all these lures. There was a time when none of the above worked at all for me-

Tie a loop knot and make which ever lure you use dance in the water.

[Blindmullet]

Tie a loop knot and make which ever lure you use dance in the water.

[tbray]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxCEkhGbfM

[Erick]

That is a good question.

Fishing for areas that I think will hold reds, more open water (2 to 3 feet deep) out on the flats, I will throw a gold spoon or an Exude. How do I choose? Depends on what I have tied on at the moment. If nothing on that lure, then I would switch to the other. If stronger currents/tidal flow then I would use the heavier option.

If fishing up against mangroves either on edge of flats or creeks, then I have started going to the MirrODine. Plus I also like the DOA shrimp in this situation. Although an Exude/Jerk Bait works well here also. I know a spoon produces, but I rarely use it in this situation.

I also like topwaters out on the flats and up against the mangroves, especially when fishing for trout or snook. Reds do hit them, and aggressively, but it is usually by chance for me.

The spoon or topwater is my choice when trying to cover a lot of ground searching for fish.

If I am fishing a flats with grass and lots of sand holes, then I like throwing the jerk bait in that situation. Followed by a gold spoon...again if I think reds will be around.

If fishing for trout, I like topwaters (shallower water 3 ft or less) and jigs (3 feet or greater) that I can bump along the bottom. DOA shrimp also works well in that situation.

And again, it comes from practice and confidence. Confidence developes when you catch fish on a certain lure in a certain situation consistently. So trial and error is part of that process.

[Blindmullet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxCEkhGbfM

Thats my favorite SNL skit of all time!!!!! Funny you posted that!

[John]

First thing I look at is the conditions of the day, and how i think the fish will be acting.

For example I was fishing last Saturday just as a front was going through with some chilly winds.

We were out on the flats and drifting with the wind at our backs.
There were lots of grass with the occasional deeper sand hole, and after driftin over a couple of these and spooking out some fish it was obvious these were the spots to pay attention to.

The wind was very stiff and even witha drift anchor we were moving at quite a clip.
I chose to throw a MirroMinnow to start, as we were fishing in clear water and it was generally a foot or less. After a while ot was obvoius the minno was not being effective, the time need to let it drop and twitching pause style retireve was creating too much slack in the line and was just not making ti a workable presentation.
So I knew I had to switch, but to what, well i knew I wanted something that I could straight retrieve without too much twitching to prevent the slack line, and I wanted something that could get down quick, to enable me to keep in touch with the lure, but at the same time, not grab all the grass as it was being worked, also the water was very clear so i wanted a natural looking bait.
I changed out to a shallow running, Tsunami swim shad in bunker (mullet) color. I cast to the edges of the sand holes and got hits straight away, and on about the 5th cast I hooked up with a low slot Redfish.
I was fishing with company and we jsut kept on drifting, after crossing a channel to the next flat, the shallow water was noticeably cloudier and much warmer too, as we drifted the wind laid down a little also. I saw much more activity on the top of the water, mullet jumping, bait skipping and the occasional bust.
I switched straigt to a Topwater, Top Dog Jr, adn got an instant blow up, and quickly landed a 22" Snook. Several more blow ups but no hook ups and then we drifted out of the acticity.

I only caught the two fish, but both came after making a conscious decision to change lures to suit how the water conditions were acting.


Obviously there are too many different scenarios to mention them all, but use your eyes and look at what's going on around you, let the conditions dictate your approach and dont be to stubborn to react to whats happening.
Having mulitiple rods set up is a distinct advantage as you can switch tactics much quicker, so you're more likely to do so.

I like to have 3 or 4 rods set up, and generally they will be rigged thus to cover the water column.

Topwater

Jerk Bait or Crank Bait or Mirro Minnow (sub surface)

Swim bait or Jig (Deeper water)

Spoon or Spinner bait or Jig (Deep or shallow)

[Redboner]

I agree with John, it is best to have your rods pre-rigged with different lures to cover the conditions. I also agree with Tbray that they should be confidence lures you are comfortable with. I personally only carry 3 rods, one with a spoon ( I prefer Capt Mikes Weedless Willow), one with a jeork bait (easy to switch colors and to other soft plastic styles) and one with a mirrolure (which one depends on the conditions...I like a topwater early and on very calm days and a mirrodine or mirrominnow other times). I find more fish with the spoon on windy days or when the water is not so clear. I also like to have the spoon handy in case I spook a school of reds. Sometimes I get lucky and one just can't resist.

[AKA Rod]

There is alot of good infermation here,thanks(I learn something every time I read this forum)

[seeinred]

I keep it simple and only use a couple different lures.

1. Topwater when conditions are right (dusk,dawn, overcast, etc)
2. Exude on 1/16 oz jighead or mustad power lock depending on the grass in the area.

[BearsFan]

1. Topwater when conditions are right (dusk,dawn, overcast, etc)

I am a believer that topwaters work all day long, rain or shine, calm or chop.

[Terrapin]

The best fisherman I know uses only 2 lures. A weedless spoon and a jerkbait. He catches more fish than any person I have ever met.

[Trootin]

I think you need three rods to cover the water coulmn. One with topwater, one with a weedless worm hook(weighted/unweighted), and a rod with a jighead to fish around the bottom.

[seeinred]

1. Topwater when conditions are right (dusk,dawn, overcast, etc)

I am a believer that topwaters work all day long, rain or shine, calm or chop.

I do too, but there is no question about it that they produce better in low light scenarios. I have caught my nicest trout, redfish, and snook all in the same day all on topwater after 11 am.

[Hornetbear]

The best fisherman I know uses only 2 lures. A weedless spoon and a jerkbait. He catches more fish than any person I have ever met.

Thank you, Terp. I really don't use a spoon that much.