Best way to find what the fish are biting??

Hey guys, so I don't know if I'm in some sort of funk or what, but I've been skunked the last 3 or 4 times out. Have been trying everything and just can't seem to get them to bite.

That said, I'm curious if anyone has any suggestions for a method to find out what the fish are biting. Right now, I have 2 rods; 1 for senkos and powerbaits, and another for spinners, cranks, topwater, and a frog.

I typically fish from the shore, so I'll cast out parallel to the shore with a senko of a particular color (usually something light on those bright, sunny days, and something dark when there is overcast or the sun has set). I'll cast the senko or powerbait worm and let it sit for about 30 secs to a minute, then reel it in a little bit and trying to get a few sinking drops before I cast out again. If that doesn't work after about 20 minutes, I'll switch to another color and repeat the process.

While I'm doing this, I'm usually casting to the other side, also somewhat parallel to the shore, with a spinner, crank, etc. Just trying to cover all bases here but I'm not even getting a bite.

I am fishing spots that have already been producing this year, and the conditions are somewhat the same, with the exception of water temperature possibly having changed over the last couple of weeks.

Basically I'm just wondering if my duo-rod efforts are futile, or if the bass have moved down the water column, or if the majority of bass are spawning right now and could give a damn about me.

Try to make sure that you hit all areas of the water column. Have you tried jigs, jerkbaits, or spinnerbaits? Maybe try getting some of those and see if your luck changes, as fish will take all these bait at this time of year. I've also had a lot of luck using spoons. They're simple, but they produce.
P.S. If you locate their beds, the bass should destroy almost anything you throw at them out of aggression to protect their beds.

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Last edited by jcallery89 on Tue May 26, 2015 2:54 pm; edited 1 time in total

Thanks, appreciate the feedback.

I do need to give spoons another shot. I had a few tried and true colors when I first started fishing 10 years ago, but have since lost them getting caught on logs, or letting my friends use it and then in the blink of an eye seeing it caught in a tree or whatever.

That's another issue I've been running into, especially when hunting for the beds. I love using weedless rigs so I can get between the lillies and weeds, and tend to steer away from the cranks and whatnot because I end up spending more time cleaning the weeds off of it then I do actually fishing.

I've always thought I had patience JUST for fishing, but this latest streak is starting to eat away at my soul...

I also heard that using Topwater this early won't work. U can try while the water is calm but the bass haven't been coming up to the top for much. I think if u can find a spot with some good cover u should just rig a weedless senko.

A lot of the ponds have the post spawn blues. They should be getting into their summer patterns soon. I have been catching bass on frogs, spooks and buzz baits for about a month now. Just keep at it.

If you wanna get back into spoons but still wanna stay relatively weedless then look into the Johnson silver minnow. It isn't completely weedless but does a good job of not hooking up too much cabbage.

I also heard that using Topwater this early won't work. U can try while the water is calm but the bass haven't been coming up to the top for much. I think if u can find a spot with some good cover u should just rig a weedless senko.

Jake, caught one on top water yesterday(smithwick prop bait) early in the morning on a prop bait. the fish should be getting more active as it warms up even more.

I've caught a few on a brown {worm color brown} 1.5 curly tail grub with a 1/8 jig ,been catching bass and crappie .