I've gotten used to fishing for a few bites rather than numbers, but rather than downsize I concentrate more on precise, repeated presentations to a given target, especially during cold front conditions.  Many times it'll be my fifth or sixth cast to the same side of a stump or dock post that gets the bite and it's rarely a resounding thump, so I need to be concentrating 100% or go fishless. It's not uncommon to go four hours without a bite, but I'm out there for the challenge as much as the fun, so I stick with it.

Cut R or a BB Cricket 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Mojo rigging a curly tail grub has saved the day a few times for me.

not a lure but i have two retrieves that clean up year round, even on the tough days.  i nicknamed them:

 

1- picking out a backlashing even though you don't have one.

2- bed fishing when there are no beds.

 

they are simple and self explanatory yet incredibly hard to put into practice.  they are definitely worth the effort, for quantity and quality fish.

For many many years it has been a Producto 4" Tournament Worm on a 1/8 oz  Charlie Brewer Pro Series Snagless Slider.  Last couple years I started experimenting with drop-shotting 3" Slug Go's and other small minnow imitators and it's working real well.

I'm amazed more people havnt said asenko but if I really can't get a bite then I'm switching to a jerk bait it's a confidence bait for me. Plus I can fish it a million ways fast slow shallow deep suspending floating ok guess it's not a million but u get my point 

Watermelon/Red Flake 5" weightless t-rigged Senko or Jig with craw trailer

Well, not news to anyone who knows me, but I'll

throw the same stuff on a tough day as a good day.

I pretty much do "finesse" all the time.

 

Senkos/knock-offs wacky rigged

Trick and Finesse worms wacky/TX/mojo rigged

Various soft plastics drop shot rigged

On cant buy a bite days i am going with a weightless plastic.  A 4" cane thumper in watermelon red flake or black blue, and a small 4" lizard.  Last bait is a 4" swim bait in the shad shape like the keitech easy shad.  I dont fish much smaller than this except in extreme cases i have 3" easy shads for crappie that i will try.

Usually if I cant buy a bite , I'm fishing in the wrong places .

The yum warning shot nose hooked on a drop shot rig was my #1 "tuff day" bait last year, I also like wacky rigging small 3" and 4 " um dingers on a drop shot, as well as scaled down craws/creature baits, like the small pit boss, or 3" chigger craw.

 

I also reach for a 4" yum dinger, or finesse worm on a 1/16th oz wacky jig on tuff days.

 

Shaky heads with a finesse worm are also a staple.

 

If they are not biting well, all three of these options are on my boat deck.

 

Then you have those bizzaro tuff days when they won't bite "normal" sized moving baits, nor finesse soft plastic presentations, but for some reason are willing to chase small cranks like KVD 1.0's and 3xd's or the small frogs like the little booyah pad crasher.

A fishing guide who lives in our community is often under the gun to produce 'something'.

One of Frank's tough-day favorites is a 4" Centipede on a 1/16 oz jighead.

 

Roger

4" finesse worm on 1/8 oz. jig head. I have caught everything from big bluegills to a 45" muskie. I should probably fish it more, but I really don't like fishing with spinning gear.

On 2/9/2017 at 5:20 AM, papajoe222 said:

I concentrate more on precise, repeated presentations to a given target, especially during cold front conditions.  Many times it'll be my fifth or sixth cast to the same side of a stump or dock post that gets the bite and it's rarely a resounding thump, so I need to be concentrating 100% or go fishless. 

 

How often do we all do this?  I know I don't . 

We pull up to a spot, give it a few casts and move on. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

Menace on a ball head jig.

Weightless 4-5 inch senko,  zoom fluke, or t-rigged trick worm.

WeightLess senko or Ned rig 

Fat Ika

Weightless Senko, or a dropshot in super clear water. 

These baits that work real well when the fishing is tough . They work even better when the fishing is good .

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

These baits that work real well when the fishing is tough . They work even better when the fishing is good .

 

Maybe.  I find the "slow day" bites come from EXTREMELY slow presentations, or physically demanding presentations.  Things that come to mind are drowning a senko in 25 FOW, or chucking an umbrella rig all day for five or six good bites.  I like those days when you can throw an "easy" bait - walking bait or popper, spinnerbait, Texas Rigged worm or craw, mid diving crank...but yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right.  Though I'll probably never know if a Carolina Rig is good on a slow or a fast day!

Texas rigged plastic rodent or beaver. Weightless Zoom super fluke. Drop shot jackall I-shad. Those 3 usually get bit on a tough day. If it is cold and dirty water all bets are off as usually don't much of anything.

What if the reason youre not catching fish is because the water turned to mud ?  Or the surface temp is 96 degrees ?  Or the water is extremely clear ?  Or weeds are too thick ? Or half the Bass master elite field is fishing your spot ? ....

3 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Or half the Bass master elite field is fishing your spot ?

 

This is actually funny.  Many years ago, on Smith Mountain Lake, this very thing happened.  You'd think at a place that big, you could get away from it all....nope.  Even after the cut, pros all over the "good spots."  LOL, I guess that's why they're "good spots."

I always go back to a 6" black worm when the fishing is slow under any water conditions.