Do you have a bait that u usually like to start out with? For example mine is a green fluke. If no bites after 20 min or so I'll change up.

Spinnerbait, usually white or white/chartreuse

Depends on the time of year and what I believe the fish will be keying in on.  Spring/Fall or shad spawn....A-Rig, Summer with sunny days, throw a green pumpkin creature bait with a punchskirt into the thickest grass I can find, or run a hollowbelly frog across the tops when it's overcast. Winter where I live, pick up the 8" swimbait from Dec to Feb and nothing else.

During the summer, I always start off with a popper on calm mornings.

If I start out along a bank or in grass or pads it's a frog first...Always

If I start in more open water a chatterbait.

Then go from there

Mike

Spinnerbait, usually white or white/chartreuse

Not always a spinnerbait, and trust me, I do like my spinnerbaits, but some type of moving bait. I want to see if the fish are active before I switch to a slower presentation.

Always start out with a chatterbait.

Bps topnocker it's like a spook. I make a very long cast from shore.

A frog if I'm out early, otherwise a spinnerbait is always a good starting point.

Spinner bait or a jig..

Nope..................I'll decide when I get there and see whats going on.

Depends on the time of year, the time of day, the water conditions, the weather, and my mood. Today, the first thing I picked up was a jerk bait. That won't happen mid summer. Also, sometimes I feel like playing, and not going "textbook."

Generally, though, I'm going to start with a moving bait before something slower.

Yellow twister tails on a jig almost always or a silver minnow crank bait

I always start out with some form of search bait. With it I can eliminate a lot of variables, even if I don't catch any fish with it. IMO, there is no better bait for this purpose than a spinnerbait.  Not only can you cover the majority of the water column with one, you can determine the activity level of the fish.  The other option comes into play if the water is calm to dead still in which case, I'll switch to a crank that will reach the bottom.

Other baits will catch fish, but my main objective to start with is eliminating water.  You can get bit on worms or tubes or jigs or whatever, and when one of those is your confidence bait it's hard to put them aside.  Spinnerbaits and cranks will not only get you bit, they'll tell you a whole lot more.

When starting at daylight i like a spook or pop'r. If its been raining and water dirty or windy i pickup a chatterbait.

Always start out with a swim jig.

Jigs are my favorite lure to use and usually will one rigged along with a worm rod. Depending on the seasonal period, weather conditions and what I see while launching the boat and metering around looking bait and bass before I make any lure selection to start with.

Tom

Sexy Dawg during early mornings.

I usually start out with either a square bill, a spinnerbait, or a frog. That'd be during the summer months anyway. 

Square bill

Jigs are my favorite lure to use and Always have one rigged along with a worm rod. Depending on the seasonal period, weather conditions and what I see while launching the boat and metering around looking bait and bass before I make any lure selection to start with.

Tom

 

X2 ~ This ^^^^^^^^^^

 

I fixed that for you Tom.

 

A-Jay

Spinnerbait

I mean you always have to fish the conditions yata yata but if I'm out early enough I always start with top water frog or spook. If they are biting the top water, you can start the day out with some awesome strikes and a lot of fun! I do love fishing a frog when it gets hot enough, usually always can pick off a few fish to start the day. 

Since I often start out before sunrise, I usually start with a buzzbait or rage shad. Then I move to quieter topwaters like a popper or walking bait. If the topwaters aren't working or the water is too cold for them I almost always start with a spinnerbait.

I like to start with a search type bait to cover a lot of water and try to determine what the fish are doing.  I throw baits like a  crankbait, rat L trap, swim jig, spinnerbait to determine if the fish are chasing and if so where the bites are coming at in the water column.  If I have no takers I move to T-rigged plastics and jigs to see if I can catch a fish vertically, if not I go to finesse presentations with drop shot, shakey head, finesse jig.   I typically will not start with a top water bait unless there are some signs of bait fish jumping or fish busting them on top.

 

Just my progression, it has worked for me over the years, but I am always looking to learn.