I get asked a lot about how to work our lures, and this is
another one of those questions that doesn’t really have a single answer, so
firstly, I'm going to do my best to break it down and explain how I think about
it and secondly, I'm going to give some examples of what works for me,

 

Let's not overcomplicate things, there are basically only
like 2 ways you can retrieve a lure, you can reel it straight in or you can
“work it” with a series of twitches & pauses, that’s it.

 

I personally am not a huge fan of reeling straight in or the
“jigging action” where the lure is constantly bouncing wildly up and down,
that's not to say that these retrieves don't work, just my personal preference,
I try to keep it natural, working horizontally within a 6-10” section of the
water column, even if I’m fishing deeper and letting it sink, I won’t pop it up
out of that zone.

 

I try to fish as small a zone as possible so that when I get
a bite, I have a fairly good idea where that fish came from and I can retarget
that zone on subsequent casts and if I get more bites, it allows me to quickly
build a pattern for the day,

 

You can also do this using the jigging action by paying
attention to where the fish hits the lure, it might be at the top of the pop or
the bottom of the fall, etc.

 

This is super easy with a "reel it straight in"
retrieve as you simply need to pay attention to how fast you're reeling and
then match that once you start getting bites,

 

Anyway, you get the idea!

 

Just start with whatever retrieve you want, then slow it
down, speed it up, pause longer, add shorter pauses, more erratic twitches,
more lazy pulls etc. etc. until it starts working, then keep doing whatever you
were doing.

 

Something else to keep in mind is how much the jighead you
decide to use affects the retrieve you're going for, IE: if you're trying to
work a lure erratically on the surface, it's gonna be hard to do if you've got
a big 'ole 1 ounce jighead tied on (if you're curious about it, I've got
another post on  jighead selection here)

 

I don’t think any one retrieve is better than the other,
what the fish are into varies, it’s your job to figure out what they
want, the most important thing is to just pay freakin attention!

 

Another thing I think is super important to pay attention
to, is how the fish strikes your lure, did it just crush it and jerk
the rod out of your hand? Did it just kinda start to drag and feel heavy on
you? Were there several taps and missed hooksets before it finally committed?
This can tell you a lot about how eager, or not, the fish are to eat your lure.

 

If they’re just crushing it, chances are they're actively
feeding, which means there's probably some natural bait in the area and it
might be a good idea to make your retrieve a little livelier to give them
something to focus on chasing down (this also might warrant a brighter color selection)

 

If they’re hitting sluggishly and seem resistant towards
biting, maybe you tone it down your retrieve (and/or color) a bit to give them
a little easier, harder to pass up target.

 

Make sense?

 

So, as promised, here are a few examples of how I personally
do it, it would be impossible for me to account for every scenario that you may
encounter so just keep in mind that the general approach is trying different
stuff until you figure out what works, remember, don't over complicate it.

 

I approach this similarly to color selection, I’ll start out with my standby
retrieve, that's worked well for me, it's made up of a fairly erratic series of
small, quick twitches and pauses of varying lengths at a normal-ish(for me)
pace and then I'll adjust it if needed,

 

For instance, I might speed it up a bit(with a light
jighead) to keep the lure up out of the grass if I’m fishing shallow,

 

If it’s a little deeper, I might start off quicker and then
slow it down to work different zones of the water column, lengthening the
pauses to let the lure get down a little further before I start my next series
of twitches until I hone in on the depth they're hanging out in

 

Something else I pay attention too is the bait, for
instance, if I see a lot of mullet on the surface, I’ll start off letting my
lure sink down a bit beneath them and working it erratically with longer pauses
mixed in so that it stands out as like a stunned straggler that can be easily
picked off by predators.

 

Structure, if you have it, can also play a part, if you have
say a ledge and you’re throwing your lure up shallow working it through the
shallow water and then off that edge into deeper water, you might try letting
your lure sink down passed that ledge as oftentimes predators are waiting there
to ambush natural bait coming out of the shallow water(bonus points if you also
have a current pulling water over that ledge)

 

Maybe you even have some structure paired with current, like
an oyster bar with a point sticking out across the current that creates a
little dead zone where predators can hang out waiting for bait to be brought
over the top of the bar by the current, it would probably be a good idea to set
up down current of that bar and toss your lure up over the oysters, working it
quickly to keep it from getting stuck, then letting it drop as soon as it gets
over that dead zone behind the bar, hopefully it drops down right in a large
fish's face!

 

In another scenario you may be sight casting where you can
literally see how the fish reacts to your retrieve(and color), you might throw
ahead of a school of fish and barely move your lure or even just let it sit
while they swim up and hopefully one just kinda sweeps it up nice and easy, or
you may try throwing past a fish and then ripping the lure right up in front of
it to get it to just react and bite, obviously if one of these approaches
doesn’t work, try the other one (that’s kinda the whole idea here)

 

Another factor affecting your retrieve can be the species
you're targeting, for instance, if I am targeting flounder, a flat fish that
lives on the bottom and ambushes prey, I’ll use a little heavier jig head and
skip the lure across the bottom with quick little twitches, maybe even pop it
up off the bottom a few times and let it sink back down if they’re feeding
aggressively, since I've found flounder seem to enjoy chasing a bait up off the
bottom when they're pissed off,

 

The beauty of fishing, is of course, me sitting here talking
like I know something, then going out skipping a muddy bottom for flounder with
a little Mini Money and this 7lb trout thumping it instead,
lol.. you just. never. know.

 

I could go on and on about this, just keep in mind that the
whole point is to just test different stuff, pay attention to what the fish are
telling you, find something that works, do more of that, build up your
confidence and hone your instincts so that next time you go out you’ll be
better(hopefully).

 

Thanks again for hangin out,

 

-M.

 

P.S. - If you haven't already, Color Selection, Size Selection, Jighead Selection are all important too and I just so
happen to also have some blog posts written about them, enjoy!