C&R makes it tougher to catch the next time?

[Bergen Angler]

Here's my experience.

If I don't set the hook hard enough and lose small mouth bass, I can usually cast the same lure and catch the same small mouth again. Once I catch & release the small mouth, he/she won't bite the same lure again.

If I lose a large mouth, he/she usually doesn't bite the same lure again.

Last year, when I had a 10+ day, I was using a lipless crank bait. A few other anglers saw it and they all start throwing the lipless crank bait. A few days later, they were not biting the lipless crankbait. However, they were going crazy with green pumpkin tube jig.

[Lard Almighty]

I've fished some small ponds with a certain lure and hammered the bass one year, only to come back the next year with the same lure and not do as well. On the other side of the coin, I've seen a couple of instances where a bass would break the line, and a short time later would get caught on the same lure with the broken off lure hanging out of its mouth.

I think bass are a lot like people: some of them just never learn.