Fishing techniques thread. Learn me something

Depending on the time of year, I’m either fishing Dularge for trout and reds, chasing sac a lait and Bass In the Atchafalaya spillway, or going after the Mangroves in Fourchon in July and August. With the river hopefully beginning to fall and spillway fishing on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about perch jerking and bass fishing. I’ll admit, when I freshwater fish, I don’t really have a rhyme to my reason. I enjoy the hell out of it and do fairly well, but I don’t have a great understanding on what colors to use in muddy/ clear water. I just go out there and try everything I got until I start catching. For bass, I stick to 4 baits. Silver crank bait, red shad worm, dark blue creature bait, and chatter bait. But as far as what color bait to use in different water temps/clarity or what weather turns fish on and off, I couldn’t even begin to give any valuable input. I just fish when I am able to, and try my main baits until I start catching or sometimes don’t catch. As far as trout go, I mainly stick with 5 main baits: Rat-L-Trap, matrix shad (all colors), Norton Sand Eel Jr’s, and H&H shrimp (cheaper DOA), and Tsunami swimbaits. Not trying to steal secret baits or what not, just want to hear what you guys have learned throughout all those years on the water.

I’ll go first:

One thing I have noticed is Mangrove fishing is much better when the water is murky. Much easier to catch big numbers on one rig instead of 3 to 4 on a rig then move to another when the water is too clean. And no need to free line the bait. I actually prefer to fish the down current side of the rig. I’m greenish/ murky water we are able to chum the fish way off the rig on the down current side. Not as many pop offs in the rig

Another is find a crankbait that scrapes the bottom of wherever you are fishing. I catch far more fish on the crankbait when I feel it hitting the bottom. The turbulence triggers the strike

And don’t sleep on the Rat-L-Trap for trout at the rigs. Fish it up top and night and during the day slow roll that SOB on the bottom. It works especially well later in the summer when it’s hot and the fish are lethargic. And give the Norton Sand Eel’s a try in the winter when fishing dead end canals or deeper water for trout. Bounce them slowly off the bottom. Glow with chartreuse tail works best in cleaner water and purple and chartreuse tail have worked better for me in muddier water.
When fishing the birds for trout and catching a bunch of dink, undersized fish, put on a Tsunami SwimbaIt. The bigger trout always seem to find those swimbaits

No better bait for redfish than a spinnerbait with a black and chartreuse plastic. Nothing even compares in my opinion, regardless of water clarity