If I'm actually searching the water then I don't know the spot I'm fishing that well, or it's simply a spot where the bottom is so random casting at anything in particular is pointless.
If it's a spot I've never fished before I'll often fire a bucktail out there to see what the bottom is actually doing. It's a great tool to learn the spot and search for fish at the same time. You'll feel the rocks, bumps, ledges, etc, that might be down there with a bucktail. Some Newport and Narragansett spots, if you've never fished them before, can definitely benefit from a quick feeling out with a bucktail. Sometimes I just keep fishing the bucktail instead...
Point Judith, as a contrast, is a place where there's some structure worth targetting but overall it's a spot where simple fan casting casting is very effective. It's mostly a big boulderfield not counting some minor changes in the bottom. I'm not married to any plug or
tin in particular for a spot like PJ, other then that it needs to ride fairly high up to avoid hanging.