Summer 2023
THE SIMPLE LIFE
The life of a bass could not be simpler. As both a fisheries biologist and seasoned tournament angler, I have come to realize that bass are always doing one of three things. They are either eating, resting, or spawning. Your ability to catch bass depends on understanding which of these three states the bass are in, and then adjusting accordingly.
Have you ever been excited to catch fish, and came home wondering how fishing could be so tough?
To add insult to injury when pulling your boat out of the water another angler is bragging about all the fish they caught. What did they know that you didn’t?
We often focus on finding the “secret” lure, or the magic spot, or other details like the pattern for the day. When deciding where and how to fish a lot of thoughts come into mind. Over the years, the thought that produces the most bass for me is none of the above. Instead, it has been… Eat, Rest, or Spawn?
EAT
When conditions are good bass will instinctively go on the feed. This is the easiest time to catch bass. Find where their food is located, and you will likely find the bass. Put a lure within eyesight, or where
bass can feel the water displaced by the lure on their sensitive lateral line, prepare to get bit.
As predators, bass hunt their meal. When hungry their senses go on full alert, and they focus on searching areas occupied by prey, or they pick a key location where prey are likely to pass by, and then ambush the prey.
Some bass are lone wolves, and others hunt in packs. Either way when eating their attitude is all about consuming as many calories as possible. For any predator to be successful, they must consume more calories than they expend to catch their prey. Consequently, when bass are hungry, and you make your lure easy for bass to eat, you will likely be successful.
Feeding bass may be caught from the surface to the bottom, and anywhere in-between. Strive to present your lure at the depth where the bass are located, or just above that depth. Matching the hatch gives the bass a target it expects to see and eat. It is often the best option when bass are harvesting a particular prey. When prey are scarce or diverse and bass are hungry, any lure that looks appealing or unique can be a great choice.
Bass that feed in packs can be especially willing to strike your lure once you get the pack excited. Catching the first bass on a fast-moving lure such as a crankbait, jerkbait, swimbait, spinnerbait, buzzbait,
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