I like that you have tried to work around their defenses. Just shows that you’re paying attention. What you describe is normal in many species. Pull up to a brush pile for crappie and the first fish you catch will be the biggest, most aggressive fish on that pile. Successive fish, while they may also be big, weren’t as aggressive. At some point you will notice the fish getting smaller and if you stay long enough, longer between bites. Time to move to another pile. Changing bait may change this a little or get a few more fish, the process is about the same.
Creativity is just intelligence fooling around