Did I goof in my last bass tournament? I think so!!?

[fishmaster911]

I was a co-angler. The boater found a pattern using a pop-r. I fished a spinnerbait, thinking I would be the shad that falls to the bottom, waiting for the bigger bass to eat me up. It did not work. Was my theory wrong? I did not catch any fish with that method. Should both anglers on the boat use an identical type of bait if it is working? Example...pop-r with pop-r, buzzbait with buzzbait?

[Flattyking]

You should both use different baits and/or styles/colors until you find the bite. When you find out what they're hitting, you should be using the same bait...unless they're all dinks.

[Fisherman22]

IF one angler is on a pattern and catching fish the other angler better be wise and mimic the same pattern.A pop-r is a surface bait with no flash, where as a spinner bait is a fast moving bait with flash. You could have tried a buzz bait, or something like a sammy, or even a soft plastic fluke. But if he is catching fish and you want to learn (reason you are a co-angler) better start paying attention to what the angler is doing especially if they are catching fish and you are not.

[Fisherman22]

If his action was on top you should also stay in that 1 foot zone. I would have used a floating worm rigged wacky style. As a non- boater you have to really be on your game ,some boaters won`t give you the time of day , Think and fish smart.

[Fisherman22]

One of the features of the Pop-R is its ability to fish it in the strike zone for an extended period. If the angler was working his topwater still or very slowly you might have had better success with a slower moving bait like a weightless Fin-S Fish or Senko wacky rig that you could have worked slowly (or even deadsticked) around submerged or emergent brush/cover. One of my favorite ways of bass fishing is definitely topwater but I ALWAYS have a soft plastic rigged and ready to throw for short striking fish (the 3X series Craw worm by Strike King or a Gene Larew Salt Craw are ALWAYS found rigged and ready on my boat). If the angler was catching most of his better fish on a faster cadence retrieve, then a Jerkbait (hard bait like a Long A) would certainly have been worth exploring. Twich twitch pause and alter your retreive until the fish show you what speed and action they want.While fishing with a partner I seldom fish the same bait as the other person.....that is unless they have been slaying 'em or I'm just being hard-headed. You theory seems sound, but that's fishing. Keep on fishing!

[Flattyking]

(points up) What He said.(teasin) Hot Top-water bite during T? How 'bout Devils-Horse or Slug-o type worm. Or 1/8 OZ Rattle Trap, Yo-Yo-ed. And what they said, (points up). (lol)