Should I try a lighter or heavier jig head?

Sometimes it just wasn't meant to be

I had them last week grabbing the tail of the worm and hold on for dear life until I got it up to the water surface and they'd let go. I honestly think they were messing with me...haha.

Should I try changing scents?

And should I try shortening the bait even more?

On 6/6/2012 at 4:16 PM, Gangley said:

Fish dont miss shakey heads. It's not like a shakey head is fished so fast that bass cant catch them or miss them. If you "missed" a fish, odds are the fish didnt like your presentation or didnt like the lure and didn't commit to eating it completely. Change presentation and if that doesnt work change the lure. If neither work, move on.

How should I fish an area that I'm stuck in? Got a bite on a shaky head 2 hours ago no action since, it doesnt help that the weeds are horrible I cant crank, I can barely use jigs without getting caked in weeds

On 6/7/2012 at 11:26 AM, Bobby Uhrig said:

Excuse me but if you caught 25 fish- two things -jump for joy and call me to go with you

Seriously, if you were having a tough day and missing fish, I'd consider doing something different.  If you're missing hooking up on one of ten bites, just keep fishing. 

On the other hand if after 25 fish, things changed and then you weren't hooking up, change something. Personally, I'd downsize to a Ned, or go to a fast, bottom contact presentation looking for a reaction.  Using 6lb. line, I'd opt for a 1/4oz. blade bait stroked off the bottom.

3 hours ago, TitanBeats said:

How should I fish an area that I'm stuck in? Got a bite on a shaky head 2 hours ago no action since, it doesnt help that the weeds are horrible I cant crank, I can barely use jigs without getting caked in weeds

That feller hasn’t been on BR since 2013, but if I may add my 2 cents as someone who fishes lakes with crazy amounts of vegetation, shakey heads are really limited to fishing sparse or no weed areas due to head shape, to get down in thicker weeds a little more without getting too hung up try a slider head with your worms, my favorite is the owner ultrahead (pic below). Comes through the jungle really well, when it hangs up just a little pop usually clears it off. If you’re still unable to fish effectively you’ll probably have to resort to a punch rig, or a heavy jig or Texas rig.

On 6/6/2012 at 3:16 PM, Gangley said:

Fish dont miss shakey heads. It's not like a shakey head is fished so fast that bass cant catch them or miss them. If you "missed" a fish, odds are the fish didnt like your presentation or didnt like the lure and didn't commit to eating it completely. Change presentation and if that doesnt work change the lure. If neither work, move on.

75% of my shaky head bites are on the fall especially when fished right on cover. I do retrieve the cast in the event of a miss rather quickly.

On 6/6/2012 at 7:58 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

With a bait that size I set the shook immediately upon feeling anything.

☝️This

On 6/14/2021 at 5:33 AM, Biglittle8 said:

☝️This

 

On 6/13/2021 at 1:19 PM, Bassjam2000 said:

That feller hasn’t been on BR since 2013, but if I may add my 2 cents as someone who fishes lakes with crazy amounts of vegetation, shakey heads are really limited to fishing sparse or no weed areas due to head shape, to get down in thicker weeds a little more without getting too hung up try a slider head with your worms, my favorite is the owner ultrahead (pic below). Comes through the jungle really well, when it hangs up just a little pop usually clears it off. If you’re still unable to fish effectively you’ll probably have to resort to a punch rig, or a heavy jig or Texas rig.

Man it sounds live everyone else had so much more versatility in waterways even other bank fisherman, I'm sitting here only able to fish a single point on a small lake and then the entire shoreline of a Great Lake but then others have entire ponds with bass (idk whats up with Ontario but these ponds hold nothing but minnows and the occasional panfish)