Kind of on the flip-side of the same coin, having a complementary bait rigged up as a follow-up bait is almost always a good idea. Say the fish are hitting a swim jig pretty good, but you still have one swipe at it and miss it some times.
Having a light Texas rig on deck in the same basic color scheme as the swim jig is often the most effective way to catch those fish that are boiling on the swim jig and missing it. Fight the urge to throw the jig back in there and instead present the bass with the complementary pitching bait and you’ll often trick them into biting.
To really drive this point home, consider this list of complementary baits and pay attention to the order in which they’re listed: A lipless crankbait and Scrounger, frog and swim jig, topwater and wacky rig, jerkbait and single swimbait, ChatterBait and swim jig, football jig and shaky head, A-Rig and single swimbait, 1/2-ounce spinnerbait and 1/4-ounce spinnerbait, Whopper Plopper and popper, shaky head and Ned rig.
In each of these situations, the second bait is at least slightly less aggressive than the first, making it a great complement to whatever the first bait is that the fish see. The old idea of just throwing a shaky head behind someone or as a clean up bait behind yourself is outdated and greatly limits productivity.
Use the primary bait to help you choose the size and color of the secondary bait, aiming to minimize your presence in the water and the amount of effort or aggression a bass would have to exert to eat it. Doing this will help you develop an arsenal of complementary baits that will greatly increase your productivity on the water.
