According to bass pro Dave Wolak (right), however, "When a bass strikes and misses, it tells you that fish is aggressive and ready to bite. Plus, the bass gives away its position. That's critical information you didn't have a moment earlier, but you've got to act on it immediately to have your best chance of getting another strike.
"My best success," continued Wolak, "has come when I throw a completely different type of lure, preferably something that sinks and looks as if it may have been injured by the first strike. The second strike I'm looking for is purely by instinct, but I want the bass to see my lure falling to make sure he does strike again. Some pros I know say they don't want the bass to see their second lure, so they use either a moving bait or a fast retrieve, but I do just the opposite."
Wolak's second-chance strategy is to use a different lure with a completely different action. He usually wants a slow-falling bait the bass can see to help trigger a reaction strike. It's not unusual for him to have as many as six or eight rods rigged with tubes, finesse jigs, wacky worms, and other similar lures--all intended for use as follow-up baits.
"Bass may change which lures they're hitting from one day to the next, or even from one hour to the next," said Wolak. "That's why I have so many lures ready to cast. If they don't hit the first one, I have several more I still can try without losing precious time."
Among the second-chance lure combinations Wolak uses are the following:
* Topwater chugger/wacky worm
* Crankbait/jig
* Buzzbait/spinnerbait
* Surface frog/shaky-head worm or different frog
* Plastic worm/swimming jig
The majority of Wolak's second-chance baits are single-hook lures because they offer a better chance of getting a good hookset, but this isn't always the case. The most unusual one-two combination he ever used came during the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Santee Cooper when spawning bass just were going on the beds. He'd never fished these lakes before and, because he missed all but one day of practice, he started by pitching a tube at fish he could see. When that didn't work, he changed to a wacky worm, and then a shaky head, but he still was only getting half-hearted interest.
Out of desperation, and because he was out of finesse lures, Wolak tied on an 8-inch Osprey swimbait and heaved it out, dragging it slowly into a bed. A 7-pounder instantly hit the lure, and Wolak ended up catching all his fish the rest of the week on the big lure.
"That swimbait broke all the rules," said Wolak. "A second-chance lure is one that's usually smaller, quieter and less intrusive. Simply changing the size or color of a lure sometimes may be all that's needed. This is especially true with both diving and lipless crankbaits, such as switching from a 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap, with all its rattles, to a Pradco One-Knocker, with its heavy single rattle. Sound can be an important element to consider when bass are hitting and missing fast-moving lures. Changing from a noise-maker to a silent runner may work, too."
The type of strike Wolak gets, even though the bass misses, also can tell him what kind of follow-up lure to use. For example, a hard, very aggressive strike may not require a lure change at all--just a different retrieve speed. When he gets a smashing hit, Wolak usually casts back immediately and slows his retrieve, rather than speeding it up.
Time of year and the primary forage choice during that time also helps Wolak choose his second-chance lures. During the summer shad spawn, when bass are hovering very close to small baitfish, he knows his follow-up lure still needs to look like those baitfish. On other lakes, his lure may need to resemble a crawfish or goby. Overall, though, his follow-up lure-color choices lean more toward natural hues, such as green pumpkin and watermelon.
"Bass miss lures for a lot of different reasons," noted Wolak, "but giving them an immediate second chance with a different lure or presentation works throughout the spring, summer and fall months. The only reason I think they don't hit follow-ups during winter is simply because the fish are not as active.
"You certainly can't depend on finding fish in an active feeding mood every time you're on the water," concluded Wolak, "so you have to generate a spontaneous reaction, an opportunity the bass can't turn down, and you can make it happen almost every time with a good second-chance presentation."
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