Sometimes, all you need to do to get that big catch is simply to change the fishing lure you are using at a particular time.
However, knowing the time to switch lures can be quite challenging.
In this article, you will find tips on when and how often you should switch your lures.
Here Is How Often you should switch lures
There is no fixed time for you to change your lures. How often you decide to switch them will depend on several factors like your preference, a change in the weather condition, or how long you have had a particular lure in water without getting any bite.
How Long Should You Wait Before Changing Lures?
If the fishes are not biting on your lure, you may be thinking of how long to wait before changing the lure to another one.
The truth is that there is no exact time for you to wait before you change your lures.
While some anglers will change theirs after every ten or more casts without the fish biting, some will choose to stick to the same lure no matter how long it takes for it to catch a fish.
However, you have to be patient and give your lure enough time in the water before attempting to change it.
How Do You Know If You Need To Use Another Lure?
Often, you don’t only have to decide how many lures you will need, but also when you need those lures.
There are some signs you need to pay attention to. These signs will indicate when you need to use another lure and the type of lure that will be more suitable.
Some of these signs are listed below
- You are fishing in a spot holding fish, but they are not biting your lure
If you find yourself in a situation where there are a lot of fish swimming in a spot, but they’ve refused to bite your lure, you may just need to change that lure.
It could just be that you are using the wrong lure for their species.
If the fish are selective eaters, then you would want to switch up to another lure that imitates the appearance and size of their natural prey fish.
On the other hand, if you are confident that the type of lure you are using is catch-guaranteed for your target species, it could just be that the fish are not in the mood to eat the lure in their sight.
Sometimes, the mood of the fish change. They can be inactive and not just be in the mood to bite the kind of lure you are offering them.
In that case, you can change to another lure that has high reflection, vibration, color, and other features that will attract the fish to strike.
- The weather condition when you are fishing
Another thing that can indicate when you need to use another lure is the weather condition at a particular time. For instance,
- When it is sunny
When the day gets sunny, it can bother the fish and cause them to move down to the depth of the water. This can make fishing frustrating at times, but switching to the correct lure can be a game-changer for you.
The best lures to use when it is sunny imitate natural prey and have natural, bright colors like silver.
- When it is rainy
One of the best lures to use with this weather condition is topwater baits. When it rains, the dropping of water on the surface causes a movement that attracts many fish species to go up the surface out of curiosity.
A topwater fishing lure floating just at the surface at that time is more likely to attract bites.
Also, you can change to other lures like spinnerbaits, swim jigs, and chatterbaits. They work pretty well to fish bass when it is rainy.
- When it is windy
For bass fishing on windy days, you may want to consider switching to spinnerbaits.
One of the advantages of using spinnerbaits when it gets windy is that they can go a lot deeper in the wind than many other baits.
Other lures to try when it is windy are jerkbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits, and chatterbaits.
- The depth of the water
The depth of the water will determine what color of lure you should switch to.
You should avoid using a red-colored lure when fishing deep since red will hardly be visible in deep depth.
Instead, switch to lures with colors like blue. Blue tends to retain its colors the longest before eventually turning black underwater compared to other colors.
- The clarity of the water
Whether the water is very clear or murky is also a great indication of whether you are using the wrong lure.
- When the water is clear
If you are fishing in water that is clear and you’ve been using lures with colors like red or orange, switch to a more natural-looking color like brown, silver, or grey.
This is because natural colors can easily be seen in clear waters. They also imitate the color of natural prey in the water.
- When the water is murky
When you start fishing in water that is murky, muddy, or looks dirty, then it is time to switch up lures to the ones that will be more suitable in the condition of the water.
While you don’t necessarily have to change the lure type, you should switch to brighter colors like red, orange, or chartreuse.
Brighter colors help increase the visibility of your lure when the water is not clear.
- Changing fishing location
If you recently changed the location where you usually fish, it is a good indication that you should change your fishing lure to another one that will perform better in the new location.
Do your research beforehand and ask other fishers about what type of lures work better for the fish there.
Most importantly, experiment yourself, and you will find out which lure is better and when to change to it.
Should You Change The Spot When Lure Isn’t Working?
You should change the spot when the lure isn’t working.
If you have tried changing lures to suit the weather condition, the color, and the depth of the water, as well as the target fish in a location, you may just have to change the spot.
When to change the spot will, however, depend on you.
Again, some anglers will choose to remain in the same spot while changing lures over and over again. On the other hand, some will change lures a few times and then decide that it is high time they changed spots.
The lures are not the problem in some cases. It could just be that the spot is not holding fish.
After all, there is the saying in fishing that 90% of fish live in 10% of water. So changing spots may lead you to a part of this 10%.
If you are confident in the spot you are and believe that fish will come, you don’t have to leave. You can be a little more patient, and the fish would eventually come.
Takeaway
When it comes to fishing, it is more than just getting expensive lures and casting them into the water. You may need to change your lures or even change the spot.
Some signs can indicate that you need to do this. Some of these signs have been highlighted in this article, such as a change in the weather condition.
These signs, coupled with your personal experience, will help you determine when and how often you need to change your fishing lures.
Sources:
shopkarls.com/blog/change-bass-lures