David, sage advice, as always. I have found it to be very true in my bass fishing in the Delta.
I remember one day last year, I was stubbornly fishing topwater with my favorite deer hair bug for 2 - 3 hours with nothing to show for it. Switched to an olive woolly bugger and caught four within the hour.
Another time, I noticed one of the Delta pumps turned on and water started coming in through one of the pipes, stirring up the bottom. This attracted baitfish which in turn drew the bass. You could see them boiling the surface as they chased minnows out of the water. After a couple dozen casts with the popper and nada, I switched to a subsurface baitfish pattern (Clouser) and immediately started getting hits and catching them until the pump switched off and everything scattered.
Another time, I noticed some bass were hunkered down among boulders just below a spillway, gobbling any baitfish that got caught in the current and thrown over the spillway. Again, nothing with the popper. Switched to a baitfish pattern (again, a Clouser) and enjoyed fine action for the next hour, hour and a half.
Another time, I was fishing an inlet where I was sure there were bass chasing baitfish around the inlet. Only had deer hair poppers with me and they wouldn't hit it on top. So, I changed tactics and made the popper "swim" underwater with long sweeps of the rod tip. Hooked up immediately.
I tend to be stubborn about sticking with deer hair bugs, since I enjoy the topwater hit so much. But sometimes, I have had to be flexible or go home skunked. As an aside, I have found it particularly rewarding on those occasions when I've paid attention to something going on, adapted my tactics to it, and then found success. Doesn't get much better than that. So true what you've said David.
-- Mike
Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life.
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