If you had to choose a single technique to use all year in clear, inland lakes in Michigan, what would it be (Largemouth primarily)?  I ask because I am familiar with dozens of techniques, but not a "master" at any and I want to prioritize my learning.  Thanks in advance for your advice.

Of all the techniques available to us anywhere in the universe, a t rig plastic has been and will continue to be the single most effective choice you could make. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I agree that the T-Rig would be the most versatile rig, but it's not always the best deal of the day. Yesterday, the crankbait "out performed" the T-Rig by a very large margin. 

1 hour ago, PMac said:

If you had to choose a single technique to use all year in clear, inland lakes in Michigan, what would it be (Largemouth primarily)?  

Seems a fairly tricky proposition electing a Single Technique as an all season deal.

 However my personal submission is a jig.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

57 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Seems a fairly tricky proposition electing a Single Technique as an all season deal.

 However my personal submission is a jig.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

I second this. Its a d**n fish magnet. Can be fished slow or fast. At least you can stop yourself from being bored with a jig. 

I’d go big swimbait as they are highly rewarding to learn and are not widely used in Michigan I would imagine. 

If bite is hard a start "plinking", a drop shot around. Works well in the clear lakes I fish here in Connecticut.

A variation of the simple split shot rig called a slip shot or finesse C-rig will catch bass anywhere anytime. You can use 3" soft plastic reapers to 12" soft platic worms and any soft plastic creature. Versitile, the weight can be 1/16 oz to 1 oz, line can be whatever is your favorite and same with tackle used. The weight can be 1" to 48" above the hook.

Tom

 

I've had plenty of time to question my techniques and methods over the years, and this year I've found that sometimes going back to the first lure I ever learned, has once again proven its time-tested fish catching ability.....

 

The in-line spinner. 

 

Clear or muddy. Warm or cold. Windy or calm. The thing flat out CATCHES fish. Sure, lots of dinks, but that's more than I had been catching prior. 

 

I use a Blue Fox gold/gold/dressed size 2 for spinning gear, a size 4 for casting. 

I have not enough experience to answer this question but it's looking so far like all techniques will be the best single technique after a few more days of entries in this thread.

 

It's like when I was looking, for the first time, to upgrade to a more 'professional' pole. All poles were the best depending on who owned it.

 

In the end, I'll be you end up just making up your own mind depending on what you might have had the most luck with or what you like to throw. 

 

Sometimes I just look at a swimbait or crankbait or whatever in the water and think. Boy that movement looks cool. I think I'll use this awhile. A few weeks ago I used my first chatterbait with a trailer on it. I just loved the undulating motion of the bait and tic-tic-tic feel at the end of my pole. I fished with it for a long stretch. Didn't catch a dang thing. I guess I found it more interesting than the fish did.

So, my recommendation is a chatterbait with a trailer. It may not generate any action but I'll bet you like the action of the lure. Just throw what you think looks good. Forget about what the fish thinks. After all what does he know about fishing...

?

I have only fished inland Michigan for one week but a curly tail grub on a jig head and a weedless stick worm with no sinker were best for me. You guys have a lot of weeds in the water up there! 

My choice would be live bait

 

My universal technique would be the Carolina rig. Catches fish and helps read the bottom for those that don't have sonar.

Jig.

My first instinct would be to say jig, even though I'm not a terrific jig fisherman, but honestly, you can't say that it is a single technique.  Flipping, pitching, punching, swimming, snapping, deadsticking are all different techniques and those are just off the top of my head.

 

If you had asked for a single lure, I would go with jig, but for a single technique I would go with jig and spinner / spinnerbait.

3 minutes ago, billmac said:

but honestly, you can't say that it is a single technique.

Exactly, not to mention the myriad of jig head styles.