"The basic strategy of fishing is to present a lure at the right depth and at the right speed in order to trigger a bite." The question always arises how do I pick the right lure or crank bait for the current conditions. One thing I try to always do is examine the 4 key factors that affect the bass. The four key factors being weather conditions, water temperature, clarity and the depth of active fish. You see cold warm and warm water presents different obstacles for a bass and in order to get a bite you must understand how it affects the fish. In cold water bass have a tendency to like crank baits with a tight-wiggle where in warm water they seem to respond to baits with a wide wiggle. Water clarity always affects color; stained water the bass respond better to bright colors where clear water forces you to match the water color more than any other time of year. Weather conditions can have major effect on how bass respond, high pressure slows them down and low pressure causes them to feed more. Wind creates oxygen and pushes the bait around; both affect the bite and tell you where active fish might be located. It creates activity among the bass and fast moving baits like spinner baits become good choices when it's windy.
There are also times when fish activity is more related to the tops of structure, or to the bottom, this has a big effect on what you might use to fish that day. It might also affect the weight of your bait and whether you fish deep or shallow or use a big trailer on a jig or a small one. Whether you might chose a fast dropping bait or a slow one, or a deep running crank bait or not. These factors all give you keys to the selection process and tell you what baits you need to be fishing with. Keep these factors in mind and maybe they will help you make better lure selections.