Speed it up, slow it down, twitch it...burn it baby

Each year, and totally by accident, I key in on one thing during my fishing season.  It could be a specific plug, a specific spot, a certain tide, etc... but this year, retrieve speed seems to be the biggest factor in getting fish to eat.  The first thing I used to do if I was not getting bites was to change up my offering (different color, profile, etc) but now, the first thing I do is slow it up.  Many of the spots I fish in Montauk I've fished a hundred times so I'm usually targeting very specific structure and because I'm so familiar with the spots, I sometimes find myself rushing the process.  Slowing my retrieve has worked more times than not this year.  If simply slowing down does not work, I'll add a twitch every few cranks.  If fish are following but not eating, that simple little movement may trigger them to go for it.  A little more subtle, but often times very effective is to give your offering a few quick cranks...that simple little change can make all he difference.  If I find myself getting lots of bumps but am not able to get the fish to commit, I will often times speed things up, and for me, that seems to work. (and as pointed out by @SFLFishing Varying/changing the retrieve speed also changes the lure depth which can be crucial to finding fish in deeper water.) I  think because I have more confidence in what I'm throwing these days I'm less likely to switch my offering without having played with my retrieve first.