Search Bait? 2024
Brett's_daddy reply :
Okay, so i've heard people talk about using a "search" bait to find where the fish are. My question is two part...first, if you are using a particular bait as a search bait and you get bit what do you do...stick with the bait that is getting bit or switch to something else (non-search bait)? If you DO switch why if you're getting bit on the search bait and what bait would you switch to? Thanks for clearing this up for me!!!
J Francho reply :
I'm actually searching for the location of the fish. Fan casting at the front, are they shallow, deep, or both. Spinnerbaits and rattle traps are my favorite. Once I determine it's one or the other, I'll keep fishing that bait until it stops producing, or is only producing small fish. Then I'll slow down with a jig or plastic. I most often go through this when I don't what is going on, and I have guest(s) in the boat that aren't as proficient at casting. That way I can get them on fish.
scaleface reply :
Search bait is kind of a vague term . I'm searching for fish I hope to make a cast or two that will steer me in the right direction . I might stick with the same bait or change . I'll make that decision when it happens not now .
Catt reply :
Search bait?
This is what I search with 
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snake95 reply :
I've found that when using a searchbait approach, fan casting a reaction-type bait such as a crankbait or a spinnerbait - the lure may get a strike but not get hammered.
I use the location of the strike as a guide to where to target with subsequent casts: that may mean a specific target to try and get the very fish that just hit, or it may also mean using the conditions in the area of the bite as a guide to select subsequent targets nearby (e.g. similar location, depth, structure, etc.).
After reading about strategies for dealing with fish that don't "fully commit" my experience has been that making a little change will turn hits on the searchbait into more agressive strikes. For example, they didn't really want the bluegill crank, but the chartreuse/black back fished in the same location and depth will get nailed; or maybe they will swat at a walking bait going past a brush pile, but nail a senko fluttering down in the same location.
Scarborough817 reply :
lipless chatterbait or spinnerbait
FCPhil reply :
A search bait let's you cover lots of water when you are trying to locate fish. However, they usually draw only the most active fish in an area to bite. In my experience those often are the smaller fish in the area. Once you get a bite or two you can use a different presentation to catch the bigger fish. Last summer I got my PB this way. I was covering water with a lipless crank and got two or three bites back to back in a certain area. After I didn't get any more strikes for a bit I switched to a glide bait and slowly retrieved it back through the same area. First cast and my PB struck. The lipless crank got the smaller fish to bite and showed me the location, the glide bait drew the biggest fish in the school to bite.
I would keep using a search bait until you stopped getting strikes on it in an area, then switch to a different presentation if you think there are still fish there.
Catt reply :
My down/side imaging cover water a lot faster
Outdoor Zack reply :
Another question:
when you are using the search bait idea, do you try to match the bass forage color or go with something with more visibility? Example, if bass are eating bluegill in stained/dirty water, do you go with a bluegill crankbait or do you go to fire tiger or other bright option?
Or am I overthinking it?
FCPhil reply :
In dirty water I use high contrast colors: bright or very dark (black and blue). In clear water I use more natural colors.
One thing I would suggest you try in clear water is translucent baits. Many hard baits can be purchased in colors that are somewhat see through. I feel this actually is best in clear water with pressured fish because it obscures the view somewhat. The bass can tell something is there but it is a little harder to see what it is.
RoLo reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 6:51 AM, Outdoor Zack said:Another question:
when you are using the search bait idea, do you try to match the bass forage color or go with something with more visibility? Example, if bass are eating bluegill in stained/dirty water, do you go with a bluegill crankbait or do you go to fire tiger or other bright option?
Or am I overthinking it?
Yup, overthinking it
> How would you know if bass are eating bluegills?
> Is there anytime when bass won't eat bluegills?
Roger
scaleface reply :
Here a new video by Glenn that will help answer some of your questions .
Catt reply :
If your goal is to practice casting then by all means use this "search" bait technique.
If ya wanna stop fishing & start catching then you will have to...
Understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, and then fish it effectively.
Understand what the predominate prey species in your lake and how that species relates to structure with each season...morning, noon, and night.
Understand that next after location is timing; just because you don't get bite does not mean the bass aren't there or you tied on the wrong lure.
smalljaw67 reply :
I use a square bill and a spinnerbait as search baits. Electronics eliminates the need to use a lure to find fish in deep water but in shallow water it doesn't help a lot because you are seeing only small areas. Also, if you have pressure on your water an active sonar ping will shut the fish down, again, this happens in my home waters because of pressure and water clarity. Search baits help when you are faced with a lot of cover and are trying to find a pattern, like finding a backwater area with stumps, weed beds and boulder flats. The fish may not be actively chasing but a lot of times I can get one to turn on a square bill of boil on a spinnerbait and then I have an idea as to what cover the fish are holding. Sometimes they are just scattered and if they are eating the search bait I'll just stick with it. A lipless cranks works well during the post spawn period in my waters, it covers a lot of water but it also gets them to strike but just like fishing a topwater, which is also a good search bait, I have another rod rigged with a Senko or tube to fish spots that I had a fish react to my lipless crank. I understand electronics eliminates the need because you can see the structure, cover, and the fish but in my home water you won't mark fish because they don't school up in deep water, in the summer the oxygen levels are nonexistent past 15' so the fish ten to stay shallow and that means early on we use a search bait to identify spots the fish are holding and if they aren't really hitting those baits at least we have an idea of the cover they are favoring allowing us to pick those spots apart with a jig or worm.
Catt reply :
I don't care if you're fishing offshore or on the bank, ya fishing structure...that is if ya catching?
Y'all wanna eliminate water fast?
The first part of establishing a pattern is to find productive structure & then fishing it effectively!
A-Jay reply :
I use mapping & electronics to find & select the structure I want to fish
On water I'm familiar with, I'll use the best bait to effectively fish the "cover" I've selected on that structure. The place that I think there may be bass.
On water's I'm not familiar with, I'll use the electronics & mapping to 'search' for seasonally appropriate structure and then use a "search" bait help find cover. Then I'll fish a bait that matches that situation. Sometimes I'll get bit while I'm looking but more often than not, rather than machine gunning cast out in front and beating the water to a froth, alerting would be toads in the net of my presence, I prefer to hopefully find what they are holding in, on or around in advance. Then select a bait that fits that situation.
I'm my mind, the traditional bass fishing methodology of "searching' for bass, is akin to shooting up the woods in front of you while your heading into your stand, hoping to bag that big buck of a life tome - may reduce your chances a little.
YMMV.
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
Up north is a little different. With all respect to @Catt, transitional periods can really mess with you. Spring smallmouth on Oneida, or fall largemouth the bays of Lake Ontario are two situations where searching comes into play for my fishing. These are natural lakes, loaded with prime structural features. Sometime, take a spin around Sodus Bay or Oneida on the Navionics web app, and you'll see what I mean. Where to start? The hot bite in fall might be in the River for Oneida. It might be 5 miles away. Whip out twenty or thirty casts with a bait that covers water, catch an aggressive bass, and start collecting clues and evidence. I've learned my lesson on being married to structure during transitional periods, and even lost my butt in a few fall tournaments, because I was drowning jigs and worms where there weren't any fish. My stubbornness didn't help either.
That said, when you are in a well established summer pattern, know the local bass haunts, then the idea of searching makes little sense. I guess I can see covering water with a "search bait" when fish are scattered on a large flat. But are you really searching? You already know they're on that flat.
This topic got interesting, real quick.
Catt reply :
@J Francho I'm pretty sure @A-Jay is up north
J Francho reply :
Yes he is. He also seems to be on the water more than anyone else. And it doesn't hurt that he's probably better than most average weekend guys, like myself.
d-camarena reply :
My search bait is a keitech swimbait. But honestly i dont understand the term search bait. Arent all lures searchbaits. If searchbaits find bass than why do we even fish other lures?
A-Jay reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 9:37 PM, Catt said:@J Francho I'm pretty sure @A-Jay is up north
On 6/8/2017 at 9:42 PM, J Francho said:Yes he is. He also seems to be on the water more than anyone else. And it doesn't hurt that he's probably better than most average weekend guys, like myself.
I believe J's response here is essentially what I do & would do if I fished the bodies of water he mentioned.
Unless I was on those waters enough to "stay in tune & able to follow the bait, the fish & the bite around" it may be one of the few ways to find a reasonable level of success.
And I am on the water as much as I can - and it does help. (but never seems like enough)
Don't do weekend between Memorial Day & Labor Day.
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
I'll add that I do essentially what A-Jay does when chasing brown fish out in the big lake. I'm looking for alewife - carpets of them in 20-40' of water. find them, and you will find quantity and quality, unlike hunting and pecking through widely scattered bass that are keyed in on gobies. I discovered this a few years ago. It was partially by accident, partially by design. I stopped paying attention to the grid lines from shore to 20', treating that 20' line as my "shoreline." Out in the big lake, there's no search baits, unless you troll. If I don't see bait on the graph, I don't bother dropping a jigging spoon or DS rig.
J Francho reply :
Here's a good example of "structure" on a grand scale. Speaking of scale, look at the bottom right. That's right, you have to travel a football field to get another foot of depth. Yet, this is a spot where I ALWAYS can find smallies.
And back to the point of "searching," I agree with both thoughts on this. There's a time for both or either. I also know what Catt will say, and there are "interesting" structural features in this area that don't show up on the map. Namely, large round boulders. They're laid in the bottom, like cobblestones. Bait fish can hide better, and I think that's why they're there.
Sorry for the turn in discussion...
roadwarrior reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 11:02 PM, J Francho said:If I don't see bait on the graph, I don't bother dropping a jigging spoon or DS rig.
Fishing ledges on the Tennessee River is similar. To stop and play we must have bait
or visible bass. Fishing a void is a complete waste of time.
Choporoz reply :
On 6/9/2017 at 3:04 AM, roadwarrior said:
Fishing ledges on the Tennessee River is similar. To stop and play we must have bait
or visible bass. Fishing a void is a complete waste of time.
Visible bass is where I get hung up on local ledges....As a rookie sonar operator, I tend to think that EVERY arch is a bass....until a couple hours into a skunk, at which time I usually decide that NONE of the arches are bass
Brett's_daddy reply :
On 6/9/2017 at 3:29 AM, Choporoz said:As a rookie sonar operator, I tend to think that EVERY arch is a bass....until a couple hours into a skunk, at which time I usually decide that NONE of the arches are bass
I feel your pain! I have a hard time figuring out my sonar too...I just can't properly read the arches and give up and just look for where i think the bass might be holed up.
Attila reply :
Thanks to @A-Jay and @J Francho for sharing their insights into the northern waters, really helps me understand a lot of the water I fish!
In the Kawartha's I find myself throwing a topwater or jerkbait for bass as a search bait. This season between tournaments I'm going to be experimenting with a spinnerbait as a search bait as well.
Dtrombly reply :
I mainly fish stained water, I typically start off with a spinnerbait as a search bait, I'll continue using it until it stops producing. Then I'll typically start flipping or dragging the bottom
CroakHunter reply :
I've never fished out of a boat that has any kind of electronics besides the trolling motor. My search bait in deep water is a carolina rig. I'm not necessarily searching for fish, but places that hold fish. I'd be spoiled rotten if we had a fish finder on our boats. Shallow I like to throw a chatterbait around "fishy" looking spots and then switch to some sort of jig or plastic if it's not producing how I think it should.
Bucky205 reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 2:21 AM, Brett's_daddy said:Okay, so i've heard people talk about using a "search" bait to find where the fish are. My question is two part...first, if you are using a particular bait as a search bait and you get bit what do you do...stick with the bait that is getting bit or switch to something else (non-search bait)? If you DO switch why if you're getting bit on the search bait and what bait would you switch to? Thanks for clearing this up for me!!!
Simple answer is tournaments, new areas, and changing patterns. Spinnerbaits are effective because they can imitate what a bass eats in a variety of conditions. You can throw it shallow, deep, grass, under docks, jig it, brush, rocks, whatever, and a spinnerbait will catch fish. It can imitate a lot of different hatches that bass feed on. I've even seen shad chase them back to the boat trying to mate with them. We have a lot of submerged structure, and grass here. Something that doesn't hang up is crucal to searching without hanging up a lot.
Tournaments are very popular here, finding active fish and getting at least a limit is important to have any chance of winning. Search baits cover a lot of water in a hurry but don't always catch the bigger fish. If you can find active fish then retie with something enticing to a larger fish your odds of catching larger fish improve. In a tournament here your normally are only allowed to weigh five fish per boat, so size matters. Search baits help you find where active bass are, trying to catch larger fish is why you sometimes change from your search bait.
The average tournament entry here runs anywhere from $30 to $150 a boat, with 100% payback or a portion going to charity. There is usually a tournament within 75 miles daily and multiples on weekends, and very popular. I don't want to sound like a big time tournament fisherman because I'm not, my partner and I fish a lot of the $30s and they are a lot of fun. I would estimate over half the people you see fishing here are either in a tournament or practicing for one. Sorry this was long, just trying to answer your question and explain why a bait that covers a lot of water and different profiles is valuable to people who enjoy tournaments, or even to someone just trying to figure out where the bass are.
Catt reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 7:26 PM, Catt said:Understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, and then fish it effectively.
Understand what the predominate prey species in your lake and how that species relates to structure with each season...morning, noon, and night.
Sounds to me we are back where I started
Bucky205 reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 6:08 AM, Catt said:My down/side imaging cover water a lot faster
I have a Humminbird DI on the bow and an SI GPS at the helm and I can find fish and structure with them. Sonar onits will not usually show fish through thick standing grass Here we need something that will rapidly search through a large areas of thick stuff and find active bass. I've fished LA and know you guys have some heavy cover as well. How are you guys locating the active bass in the heavy stuff? The competition here is crazy. Casey Martin caught a 5 fish limit weighing 40-11 to win Guntersville this year. Here you don't just need to find fish, you need to find big active fish, and it's tough to do.
12poundbass reply :
Like I said last week, I feel sorry for the poor saps that pay for this information. Thanks again Glenn!
Catt reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 1:31 AM, Bucky205 said:I have a Humminbird DI on the bow and an SI GPS at the helm and I can find fish and structure with them. Sonar units will not usually show fish through thick standing grass.
What kind of grass are you talking?
Surface matted?
Bucky205 reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 5:41 AM, Catt said:
What kind of grass are you talking?
Surface matted?
Anything with vertical stems and connected to the bottom and I have trouble, it just looks like a wall on the display. Really any grass in under 3 feet of water and I have trouble picking out fish. Things like alligator weed, and torpedo grass and my si is useless. Hyacinith, I have a decent view as long as I have enough depth under it. My SI is great for deep water structure, I just have trouble seeing under things in shallow water, and the water is usually either to shallow or the grass to thick to make the DI useful because I can't get the boat on top of it. I will do some screenshots this week and post them, if there is a way to pick fish out in shallow vertical grass I haven't figured it out. On the SI I'm looking for the white dashes and I just don't see them. The Helix 7 SI runs out of warranty in August. I talked to them yesterday about them checking the unit and the transducer just to make sure it is functioning at 100%. Another area I struggle with is rip rap, If I have bass holding tight to the rip rap espescialy where it transitions to a soft bottom I have trouble seeing them on the SI.
Catt reply :
@Bucky205 5' or less I don't even turn my depth finders on
Bucky205 reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 11:55 AM, Catt said:@Bucky205 5' or less I don't even turn my depth finders on
Good call on the 5'. I tested it today, sure enough under 5' is where I start having trouble seeing. I thought the grass was causing it. Now I'm thinking depth. Good thing I search that junk with a spinnerbait.
Catt reply :
On 6/11/2017 at 9:22 AM, Bucky205 said:Good call on the 5'. I tested it today, sure enough under 5' is where I start having trouble seeing. I thought the grass was causing it. Now I'm thinking depth. Good thing I search that junk with a spinnerbait.
If I'm fishing 5' or less it's cause I fishing shorelines or a shallow marsh. In those to cases I'll eliminate water by reading the shoreline topography & cover, in marshes I read various types of vegetation knowing what bottom composition they grow in.
RoLo reply :
On 6/8/2017 at 11:17 PM, J Francho said:Here's a good example of "structure" on a grand scale. Speaking of scale, look at the bottom right. That's right, you have to travel a football field to get another foot of depth. Yet, this is a spot where I ALWAYS can find smallies.
John, I think your picture says a thousand words.
The human eye tends to gravitate to the obvious compression points around the 40-ft contour line.
Yet, broad shelves like the one in the lower right corner usually provide the best population dynamics.
You may recall, when Paul Roberts posted a chart and asked everyone where the best spot was located.
In that case too, the best site was related to a broad shelf, and not to any classic 'jump out' spot.
Many years ago I spent two weeks on Bass Islands, Lake Erie (took my bass boat over on the ferry).
The best spot I found was somewhat similar to your chart above. Most boats were scattered offshore
of Middle Bass Island, while we fished a boulder flat in 15 ft of water that produced day-after-day-after-day.
This was pretty much the same point I tried to make in another thread:
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/191757-understanding-how-to-read-water/#comment-2165275
Roger
bigfruits reply :
to me a search bait is reeled in at a med or fast speed and can be fished in shallow or med depths. TM going at a fast walk or jogging speed.
in the past i would have said spinnerbait and lipless. today ill tell you skirtless chatterbait with keitech fat for muddy/stained water and keitech fat on jighead for stained/clear water.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 6/9/2017 at 3:04 AM, roadwarrior said:Fishing a void is a complete waste of time.
I believe this sums it up. 
In my small waters, it really helps to search out concentrations of appropriate sized bluegills. There's cover everywhere, but the feeding is not going on everywhere. And, although there are consistent spots, much of this is transient in both space as well as time.
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