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Versatility is a virtue when fishing
Versatile anglers catch more fish more consistently than those who get hung up on one or two tactics.
Those who know my affinity for shallow water bass may chuckle when I recommend versatility. Really? Really. The reality is success sometimes requires a change of presentations to salvage a fishing day.
I do tend to gravitate to skinny water with a flipping stick in my hand and my eyes riveted on shallow cover. But I have saved many a day by adjusting my game plan to capitalize on the conditions dictating how and why fish are doing what they are doing.
A good case in point happened during a spring outing this year. We were rigged for pitching jigs and Texas-rigged plastics for largemouth bass, but I had a hunch the weather was going to throw a curveball.
Versatility is a virtue for fishers who want to grow in their enjoyment of the sport. We ended our day with dozens of largemouths thanks to employing a backup plan. Instead of inching our baits through the vegetation, we ripped bladed jigs through the greenery and ignited too many aggressive strikes to count.
Another tactical change-up helped me put extra smallmouth bass in the boat in June on Lake Erie.
The day started under a mellow sun and light breeze, perfect for dragging tube jigs and drop-shot rigs over the rocky bottom. I landed five keeper smallies and a half-dozen short fish before the action slowed.
I opened the rod locker to ponder my next move and spied my 7-foot cranking rod to which I’d tied a parrot-colored deep-diving crankbait. My first cast with the chartreuse, blue and orange bait resulted in a jarring hit and a high-flying 4-pound bronzeback.
Two months later, versatility saved the day for me on an early autumn outing on Mosquito Creek Reservoir.
The transition from summer to fall conditions was just beginning and the fish were not much impressed with my presentations. I had two bass and missed a couple others when I decided to dig out a heavy stick with braided line.
The largemouths were interested in the surface lures I tried initially, but not so much that they hooked up. I dug around for my box of soft-plastic “toad” baits and tied on a screw-lock hook.
Almost immediately, the bass responded. I made 10 casts and boated two solid largemouths. I fished the rig for another couple of hours and hooked 10 more keeper bass.
One of my last trips this fall further underscored the value of versatility. The sky was gray, the sun peaking only occasionally through the thick overcast. The bass were not too keen about picking up the jig I dragged through the cover.
Sensing something different was required, I fired a diving plug and dragged it down the berm of a concrete boat ramp. A 3-pound smallie gobbled the lure and bulldogged around the bow of the BassCat.
Two casts later, a spunky largemouth tried to outdo the smallmouth.
Don’t be a one-trick pony on your next fishing trip. Go ahead and change tactics if your original plan fizzles.