Too many choices

[Basscat]

Spinnerbaits, swimming jigs, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, squarebill crankbaits, what's the best way to determine which technique to use?

[Dylan33]

Trial and error?

They all have a place, it's just a matter of finding what is working that day on that particular body of water.

[RK]

F + L + P man. F + L + P...

F - What, based on what you know about the fish's nature, is it likely to be doing given the conditions/season/forage, etc.? L - Where, given what you know about F, are they likely to be? P - given F and L, what lure style best matches the fish's likely mood, is able to reach the right depth, speed, etc., and handle any cover you are going to encounter? Of the possible options, which one is the most efficient at covering water?

There's obviously a lot of detail left out there, and I know some will dismiss the idea of using a formula, but it's less a formula than a thought process you use to organize whatever information you can gather on the water, past experiences, gut feelings, whatever... It works, and the best fishermen I know (and I know some very very good ones) think this way. For me, it's almost unconscious - it's just how my head works when I pick up a fishing rod.

[Search Function]

Spinnerbaits, swimming jigs, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, squarebill crankbaits, what's the best way to determine which technique to use?

With these baits there is a lot of situations where I would think they all would work. You would have to use each one to find out if one is better than the others.

[Cecil]

Move south and umbrella rig them all at once!

[Hester]

I usually cut my choices in half right away.

Vertual vs horizontal presentation.

Then I pick up a jig and go fishing.

[delmuts]

+ 1 with RK.

I've just never seen it in a formula before!!

[dan z]

Its all what the fish wants on that particular day cold fronts I would go with a slower wide wobble. Warm front I would try fast and tight wobbles. Stable conditions I like swim baits that I can fish fast and slow on the same retrieve find what they like if they smash it on the stop they're willing to chase. So speed kills. They all have a time and place trial and error will conquer.

[Superduty]

Start with an educated guess based upon past experiences and current conditions. Don't be afraid to change. Believe it or not, (at least for me) sometimes it is extremely difficult to quit doing what isn't working.

[Deitz Dittrich]

For me, I look at where I think the fishes exact location is, and how much do I think they will be willing to chase a lure depending on the mood of the fish because of the weather... From there I decide what will be the easiest lure to get them out of where they are.

[RK]

+ 1 with RK.

I've just never seen it in a formula before!!

I certainly can't claim credit for it - this is the old In-Fisherman formula that Al and Ron Lindner came up with 3 decades or so ago. It's how I learned to fish, and, like I said, I go through it without even really thinking of it as a formula anymore. It really is just how my head works.

Most of the best fishermen I know do this. Some of them will deny it, but when you pin them down and make them explain how they go about finding fish, and figuring out how to catch them, they do...

You think about pros talking about 'developing a pattern' (Roland Martin's pattern fishing was a variation on this around the same time) or highly sophisticated methodologies for breaking down a body of water like Rick Clunn has talked about...when you boil them down to the essentials, they're all F + L + P.

It's nothing more than a way to organize your information and thought process, but it works. It's a lot more effective than tying on the new hot lure and hoping for the best. Do it - really do it - and you will catch more fish. Period.