I have caught my biggest bass jigging with a Gulp! minnow on a jig fished around submerged structure! Yesterday I threw some Gulp! 3" shiner minnows parallel to the bank in between crankbait tosses, no luck though. Jigging is just my comfort zone from years of very active saltwater fishing. Caught tons of fish with that method and I almost stubbornly try to apply it to any type of water or target species. Unfortunately for me, sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. I should do more like you said and try to think like a fish instead of having a predetermined method and sticking to it no matter what.