Outdoor writer/broadcaster Wade Bourne has covered sportfishing for more than 30 years in national magazines, radio and TV.

It’s a mistake many average-skilled anglers make. When they’re not getting any bites, they begin changing lures randomly, searching for the “magic bait” for that particular day and set of fishing conditions.

However, falling victim to “lure changing syndrome” actually distracts an angler from job #1: finding fish’s location. Certainly, locating fish is more difficult than catching them. Anglers must be as efficient as they can, covering water systematically and quickly, to discover where fish are concentrated (and hopefully feeding). Then, once they find them, they can switch their attention to learning the best way to catch them.

Such a search for fish frequently involves moving from one spot to another quickly. In doing so, you should stick with one bait that’s a proven winner for catching fish in similar conditions. For instance, a plastic worm is a good bet for summer bass. Anglers can work a plastic worm with a high degree of confidence that if they pull it through a school of fish, one is likely to strike it, and thus the school is located. Then the experimenting with other lures can begin to see if a crankbait, spinnerbait or some other lure is more efficient at coaxing strikes than the plastic worm.

The point is, changing and trying lures in a hit-or-miss fashion rarely increases an angler’s success. Instead of depending on this approach, stick with one proven bait and work it in many likely spots to find fish. Then, once they’re located, you can begin refining your presentation to keep the bites coming.