I got off work @ 5 and hit the river by 5:30. I tried all my favorite spots with about everything in my tackle box. A friend of mine joined me that I haven't fishind with before. He turned over some rocks and pulled out a few crawdads. Baited a hook with a piece of one and borrowed a float from me. Within a half hour he caught a bluegill, a catfish, a rock bass, and a smallie. Also pulled a snake out from under a big rock just to look at it. I caught nothing, but learned a lot. I'm thinking i should lighten my tackle box for my next river attempt.

;D That is a great story. I'd have rather been in your buddy's shoes too. With a float and bait working for you, you actually have time to go chase a snake.

Fishing lures is a bit different than pitching out a piece of bait under a float (not that that cannot be sophisticated too). If you want to fish with lures, the simplest advice I can give:

-Pick the appropriate sized lure for the fish you are after (you mentioned fish with different mouth sizes).

-Pay attention to the depth your lures are at. If you are fishing too high and the fish are near bottom or cover, you are too far away from them. Don't fish lures expecting the fish to find your lure, get it to the fish -and that often means very close to them.

-Pay attention to the forward speed of your lures. Fish may not be willing to chase. Sometimes high speed works like a charm. But remember both are related to depth control, so get your lures to the fish first, then play with speed. Often a varied speed triggers strikes.

Changing lures doesn't help unless the change allows you to cover one of the above mentioned things.