wrong presentation?

[Maniak]

so, ive been having some bad luck the last couple times ive gone fishing. i was at the lake for a little yesterday throwing a small buzz bait (booyah pond magic). i saw numerous fish jumping but i didnt get a single bite.

here is a pic of it



the other times ive used this lure in small ponds it seems to work but once i catch one fish i wont get another bite with it. im trying to figure out what im doing wrong. i wanted to try dropshotting at the lake but i didnt have any of my gear since it was last minute and i used my buddies stuff.

ill also add i am just starting the switch from live bait to lures. im still trying to figure out what presentation to work where.. ive yet to find a combo that produces the same way live bait will

[lilmule]

Just because it has a well known name brand on it doesnt make it a great bait.
note like the $1 dollar walmart buzzbait no front bead,also a cheaper blade thats with both holes on same side,wire does not go thru the center.I crimp my rivets solid so wont turn then tune in front of a fan for three days and nights till its an irritating sound,
Still no guarantees some days they just refuse to hit topwater much yet will something just under,varying the retrieve does help make it spit and pop every now an then.
Resorting to drop shot or shakey heads gets one a lot more bites but mostly short fish,just my opinion.
When finicky yes desert when hungry a meal
Flukes and senkos generally come to mind when a top bite isnt quite there.
Mine anyway.
I have one just like it same color and all but with a replaced blade,and mods,its still a so/so
My hart buzzbait I got at walley world out does it on ky lake,not everywhere but on ky it does.

[Raul]

Numerous fish jumping means numerous fish jumping, not necessarily mean many BASS jumping. There´s a bunch of species of fish that jump and not all are bass that will take your bait.

Also: i wanted to try dropshotting at the lake but i didnt have any of my gear since it was last minute and i used my buddies stuff.

This puzzles me greatly, you were fishing with your buddie´s stuff, he don´t have a few sinkers, hooks & a few soft platic baits ? all you need to dropshot is a sinker, a hook, a soft plastic bait and knowing how to tie a dropshot rig. Nothing special or fancy gear you need for that.

[bamabassman]

do you have a trailer hook on ? some times it helps. others it don't.

[Maniak]

Originally Posted by Raul

Numerous fish jumping means numerous fish jumping, not necessarily mean many BASS jumping. There´s a bunch of species of fish that jump and not all are bass that will take your bait.

Also: i wanted to try dropshotting at the lake but i didnt have any of my gear since it was last minute and i used my buddies stuff.

This puzzles me greatly, you were fishing with your buddie´s stuff, he don´t have a few sinkers, hooks & a few soft platic baits ? all you need to dropshot is a sinker, a hook, a soft plastic bait and knowing how to tie a dropshot rig. Nothing special or fancy gear you need for that.

all i had were his bag of hardbaits

[Maniak]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

do you have a trailer hook on ? some times it helps. others it don't.

nope, no trailer hook

[keithdog]

It has been my experience that when bass are jumping and not striking a buzzer, they are looking for something that is more subtle. For me, a popper worked on the surface works when a buzzer won't.

[Tavery5]

There could be a number of reasons why your buzzbait did not draw a strike. Because you have had luck at other smaller lakes does not guarantee any sucsess. Things like depth, clarity, structure, cover, forage, water temp and a host of other variables can combine to determine if a particular lure is going to be effective in a given situation. Two lakes only a few miles apart may have very different things going on with both of them based on some of the variables previously mentioned. Best advice I can give you is, take in as much information as possible and base your lure choices off of that.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

There could be a number of reasons why your buzzbait did not draw a strike. Because you have had luck at other smaller lakes does not guarantee any sucsess. Things like depth, clarity, structure, cover, forage, water temp and a host of other variables can combine to determine if a particular lure is going to be effective in a given situation. Two lakes only a few miles apart may have very different things going on with both of them based on some of the variables previously mentioned. Best advice I can give you is, take in as much information as possible and base your lure choices off of that.

I agree with this.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

Two lakes only a few miles apart may have very different things going on with both of them based on some of the variables previously mentioned.

This is so true. There are two lakes I fish most often. They are only about 1/4 mile apart, but the two lakes are totally different. One has a mainly mud/muck bottom with no shad, the other has a mostly sand bottom, and contains shad. One the water is murkey most of the time, the other it's clear. The first lake I have never ever caught anything on a Jitterbug while the other lake I have caught many bass on a Jitterbug. Tavery is right. Depending on the lake, the variables can be many and often will effect what and how a bass will strike a lure.

[Dogmatic]

+1 on trailer hook, but, like others said, try a more subtle presentation, and if you do have a blow up on topwater, it's always good to have a soft plastic(creature bait) to toss back to where the strke was.