Scott Rook's first series of casts of the day didn't result in a fish. The next few, this time with a different lure, came up empty, also. So he tied on a third bait and made several more attempts, all of which resulted in nothing more than a stronger desire to catch the first bass of the day. Despite the lack of success on three different lures and numerous casts, however, the Arkansas pro was confident he would find fish in the brushpile he was working. So, he picked up yet another lure, a War Eagle spinnerbait, and pulled it over the top of the submerged cover. Three casts later, Rook, who was fishing a local tournament on the Arkansas River, had three keepers in his livewell.
Making quick, pinpoint casts with a single lure and then hurrying on to the next piece of cover is a proven tactic under some circumstances, but fishing pressure, weather or other factors may force you to slow down and fish with a more thorough approach and a higher level of intensity. As Rook learned on his first stop of the day during that tournament on the Arkansas, it may take more than a few casts with several types of lures to catch the fish you know are there. In fact, the country's top pros aren't intimidated by the thought of spending hours in one small area, particularly if they are confident that fish are also in that same area. It pays to pound the cover.
"I don't know how many times I caught fish after I made many, many casts to a single dock or a laydown or a brushpile. Sometimes you'll catch a bass on the first cast or two, but just as often, you've got to really work a piece of cover in order to catch the fish," he says.