If you spend any amount of time on the water, you know that there are different feeding windows where fish are really active. Then there are times that fish are neutral and other times that fish are just straight up negative. So what do you do when fish are neutral to negative?

Here are my top thoughts as it relates to triggering fish to bite that aren’t super interested:

1. Learn to fish a hair jig. Probably one of the best baits in catching fussy or highly pressured fish.

2. Make sure the fish are actually smallmouth. My Garmin Livescope is huge in seeing fish and identifying if they are smallmouth bass or maybe rock bass or other fish.

3. it’s also huge to notice where the fish are located in the water column. I have found that neutral to negative fish often suspend in the water column. These fish are catchable, but not if you’re fishing under them.

4. Mop a hair jig in their face. Don’t overwork the bait. I often deadstick it and the bite feels a lot like a bluegill peck. Set the hook hard and get ready to reel fast as the fish often shoot up off the bottom.

If you can catch fish when they’re tough, it will make you a better fisherman overall and will result in more fish when the bite is on! If this article is a help, leave a quick comment and until next time - tight lines!