W2F Blog

The planets aligned this week and I was able to spend a full 6 hours on the water. That's a lot by my time-strapped standards. So when you have very little time to fish, being efficient with your time on the water is extremely important. Part of that means you need to rule out the baits that aren't going to be a factor before you hit the water based on seasonal conditions. Water temperature, water clarity, mood of the fish, activity of the forage, and more can give you a pretty good handle on what to throw when.

But still we find folks that throw frogs when the water is below 50 degrees, slow baits when the bass need a reaction bait to make them strike, and things of that nature. So we thought we'd put together a baits grid for beginners.

Now some folks will read this and think to themselves they've caught fish on a certain bait in colder water or have a pattern where one bait really shines when its warm. Of course, there are always exceptions. And a big part of fishing is understanding that going against the grain can sometimes pay big dividends.

Anglers should, however, realize certain baits are more effective at certain times of the year and that's what we're getting at here. We want to help you make better choices and maximize your time finding fish when your time on the water is limited.

We developed the Wired2Fish Bass Fishing Bait Selector by water temperature and water clarity. See if this helps you with some general ideas of when to throw what baits. Obviously experimentation is the key to fishing. So don't think these are the only baits, but it will give you a starting point and you can expand from there.