NACIMIENTO LAKE
missing then you may need to change colors or go to a smaller profile. Each bite you get will “tell “ you something, meaning the fish are “talking” to you.
Pay attention to what bait you were using and how you were working that bait when you get one of those spotted bass in the three pound range. Was it different from what you were doing when you got a pound and a half to two pound fish? If so, repeat what worked. Something I usually do is look into the bass’s mouth after I remove the hook. There have been many times when I have seen the claws of a crawdad protruding out of the fish’s throat or sometimes the tail of a shad, baby bass or panfish. This can help you choose the most productive bait to imitate the forage the fish is currently feeding on. Again, improving your chances of success.
Each lake you fish will have certain tendencies and a little research can pay dividends if you are coming to a lake you don’t have much experience on. So get on Westernbass.com and check out past issues of this
22
online magazine, read the articles and then go to the Reports page of the website and see what has been posted there.
Some of this information may be general; but you can get something that will get you on the bite quicker when you start fishing the lake. When you get off the water at the end of the day write down the details in a journal because when you review what you write over a few trips you will notice trends that may point to the beginning of a pattern.
Developing a pattern allows you to keep your bait in the right zone to get more bites and therefore catch more fish and eventually bigger fish. A “pattern” will be the combination of elements that give you the best chance to be on fish with every cast or at least be in the zone where the chance of catching a bass is at its highest.
To have the highest rate of success is really a numbers game. The more casts you make, the more chance you have of catching a bass. The more efficient you are in the boat the more time you will have to make more casts. The more organized you are in your space the more time you will save when having to retie or change baits and the more casts you can make. The more you do this the better you will be able to consistently be successful whether you are a weekend angler or a serious tournament angler.
Lowrance pro Ken Sauret is a lifetime Central Coast native. He has twice qualified for the FLW EverStart Championship and just fished his way to a top-5 finish in the 2011 WON Bass Western Classic. You can find more details about him on his website kensbassfishing.weebly.com