Westernbass Magazine August 2011, Page 11

Westernbass Magazine August 2011, Page 11

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(outside of small municipal reservoirs) are not known for particularly big bass—so the fish populations are generally approached with small baits. Without fertile conditions, the forage base in such waters is made up of small creatures that won’t sustain the whole bass population. as evidence, you could argue that places

like lake Mead, lake Havasu before the extensive

habitat work, lake Nacimiento, lake oroville or even

lake Shasta may have collectively perpetuated this

kind of thinking.

What intense tournament fishing has told us,

however, is that more imposing lures, full-size Super

Spooks, Vixens, buzzbaits and the like provide much

greater drawing power—calling fish from greater

distances in clear conditions than baits maybe half

the size. and since the idea of such baits is to draw a

reaction and commitment from bass from an area, the

fish typically don’t hesitate, but rather slash or crush

the offering.

other splashless tricks.

and then there is a lesson i learned from dee Thomas while fishing with him at the U.S. open back in the 1980’s. although we were often sitting in very shallow water, sometimes only 12 inches or less, he unabashedly cast to any dark pocket that he could reach.

More recently he explained. talking about his earliest tule-dipping/flipping days he revealed, “if there were no houses around, i would park my boat. and i found if the fish was in the sun and i was in the shade, i could walk right up to them. But if i was in the sun and they were in the sun they would see me coming; and if i was in the shade and they were in the shade, they would see me coming.” Thus he concluded, “i could get them as long as i fished the shade pockets” and obviously, long casts were not necessary.

MYTH #2 You Have To Make long casTs

Here’s a myth that is almost like a trick question. What if the rule was: You need to make it as hard as possible to present a lure and set the hook? You probably wouldn’t give it any credence, right?

But some bass fishermen automatically stay far away from their respective targets on any clear water lake, and almost automatically reduce their chances of capitalizing on many of their bites. Now here’s a myth that was born back in the day when a 6-foot rod was a long one. When bass anglers determined that they were too close with their 5 ½ footers, they assumed the extra, 15 to 20 feet of distance was the reason their catches improved.

But today, rods of 7 to 8 feet in length are common. a normal cast today is a cannon shot by 1970’s standards. in fact, guessing what anybody means by saying “long cast” differs from boat to boat out there. of course, there are situations where staying off is appropriate. Sun angles, surface conditions, lure type and activity level of the fish might suggest that not casting shadows, or dropping tungsten bombs would better work in your favor. But even most of these conditions can be overcome by changing approach angles or skipping baits or using

Issue 3  August 2011

MYTH #3 You MusT use fluorocarbon line

in driving in the earliest morning hours with little traffic, have you ever approached a series of signal lights that are spaced close together and all are showing red? But as you approach the first of the signals, up ahead you see a light or lights turn green and you (or maybe another driver) start to accelerate?

That is the perfect example of target fixation. You know what you want—to keep driving through—so your mind closes out any distractions and your eye fixates only on the green.

The predator bass does the same thing. When it locks in on a certain bait or target, it doesn’t care if you’re using 4-pound fluoro or kite string. of course, the real issue is, how does the line contribute to a lure presentation that the fish really locks on. anyone who has chased breaking fish in a busy, clear water reservoir knows there are times when there doesn’t seem to be anything in your box that can get the fish to break concentration on its intended target and hit your bait.

By the same token, as both rick Clunn with topwater and Bill Siemantel with swimbaits have repeatedly espoused, the line size (or type) is not

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