I'm a known bass enthusiast and not a snob. Well, I truly love catching on artificial lures over bait. It's actually strange I don't have a fly rod. My absolute favorite is catching with unconventional methods IE: Cat, walleye and trout on topwater or plastic worms. Big browns back in the Hills love black Texas rigged worms at night as I'm sure they would in the race. Strange I've never tried it.
IME, browns in rivers settle at the back of the hole toward dusk and want a #5 ShadRap. After dark is when worms are the ticket. Walleye on top is best during the spawn when they're concentrated at a barrier with minimal current. Cat has always been in ponds down south casting parallel to the bank. When the mosquitoes get bad it's time for topwater (pertaining to all species). The shallow Rapala ShadRap is an excellent topwater bait and the most versatile crankbait ever conceived IMHO.
Zen. Visualize a bird dropping a fish with a broken swim bladder and wanting to escape to cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1ggFD6g-k