Popper or Spook if the water is still.  Buzzbait or Whopper Plopper if it's not.  I always check the topwater bite first, except during the colder months.  Next I'm looking at shallow crankbaits and spinnerbaits.  I progressively go deeper as the day goes on.  

Time of year dependant because of water temp. Cold water (ice out and late fall) I usually start with a jerk bait or lipless and switch to a jig or Ned. Warming water(spring prespawn to early summer)usually buzz bait or spinnerbait\swim jig and again go Ned or jig. Hot water(dog days until early fall) ill start with a popper or swim jig\chatterbait\spinnerbait and switch to wacky worm\ Texas rig or Ned. Some years I throw crankbaits alot in hot weather but my ponds are so shallow I can't even fish them very effectively... So instead I've been throwing a 1\4oz red eye on heavy line and doing on.

First, I throw down a cup of Joe.

Next I throw the truck in drive.

Then I throw the boat in gear.

After that, everything is pretty fluid.

A-Jay

 

It’s seasonal thing for me and that is my priority to determine, next is depth the baitfish and bass are active in. 

My year around lures of choice are jigs and worms, where and how I present them changes hourly most outings.

Location and bass activity determine my lure choices, no set or predetermined places to start.

Tom

For me it’s been the year of a Texas rig, was supposed to be the year for jigs but hey it’s a start. Last year it was crank baits.

I start with frog, Then Jig then weighted T ring then wacky and weightless T rig and cranks and findlly if nothing, Ill cry out loud and get mt spinning set uo and I do drop shots ///;-D

The answer is totally dependent on the body of water and targeted species.  We have very diverse options to fish.  I will however start with a reaction bait to see if the mood of the fish is active or not.  That will most often be either a crankbait or a spinnerbait.

I buy lures so often that my first casts are always something newly purchased I’m wanting to mess around with.

If I’m familiar with the water I usually throw a spinner just to kinda break the ice. If I’ve never fished it, I usually do a Trig worm just to feel it out. If I lose a hook and worm no big deal. 

7 minutes ago, Smells like fish said:

I buy lures so often that my first casts are always something newly purchased I’m wanting to mess around with.

Me too. ☝️I sometimes know I’m sacrificing catching something by playing around with new lures, but I have fun anyway.

 

I always start with a Texas Rig or Flipping Jig to start the day. 

Depends on time of year, and where I'm fishing. On smaller lakes and ponds, I start with a 1/2 oz spinnerbait keeping it just under the surface on ponds, and small lakes. For most of the bigger lakes, either a jig or a worm.

Sometimes I'll toss a 7" glide bait, or swimbait.

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

First, I throw down a cup of Joe.

Next I throw the truck in drive.

Then I throw the boat in gear.

After that, everything is pretty fluid.

A-Jay

 

i hope you launch the boat first, or that fluid thing you mentioned could be its engine. ?

Seasonal, conditional, and lake dependant what I start with. Could be alot of things. That said, I almost always have a TRD Bug on a 1/8 football head and a T rigged beaver style bait rigged and on deck, ice out to ice over. Usually 2 or 3 beavers with different weights.

Buzzbait works great all year here.  

Real early and real late in the season it's a Spinnerbait, but from mid April until about the end of Oct. It's a buzzbait. 

Usually the wrong thing  

For me it's based on season mainly but my go to is a texas rigged game hawg in the early spring to start of summer.  After that mainly a shaky head 5 inch finesse worm green pumpkin.

On 8/15/2021 at 11:57 PM, Catt said:

 

 

Everyone goes for the early morning shallow water bite, that same early morning bite happens in deepwater offshore.

True. But they don’t eat a frog out there quite as good! 

2 hours ago, clh121787 said:

True. But they don’t eat a frog out there quite as good! 

 

Yeah but the ones out there are bigger & easier to catch because there's less people chasing em.

I watch for top water action as I’m heading we’re I want to start fishing for the day. If I see any, I’ll throw top water as the sun comes up. 
Then I switch to ribbon tail Texas rigged and working the bank

If I’m fishing the evening, first thing I’m throwing is throwing back a beer. 

Sometimes it depends upon the body of water I am fishing, the location on that body of water, season, weather, etc.

 

But most of the time it comes down to a hunch or whatever I feel like throwing. If that doesn't work, then I get methodical and start running through any baits that I brought with me.

Starting off shallow with topwaters, buzzbait/spinnerbait and frog. As the sun gets up I'll usually switch over to a lipless crank and a worm. I keep a jig rod and a frog rod rigged up all the time and use them as needed. In colder season I'll change the frog to a T rig for pitching. 

On 8/16/2021 at 12:31 PM, A-Jay said:

First, I throw down a cup of Joe.

Next I throw the truck in drive.

Then I throw the boat in gear.

After that, everything is pretty fluid.

A-Jay

 

That’s what I was thinking. I rarely have a plan other than a location to launch. From there I drive around and toss whatever lure comes to mind. I usually don’t even know where I’m going to stop driving the boat, I drive around and wait for ideas while looking. If I’m with others I always let them pick where to fish, I’ve learned some awesome spots that I normally overlook that way