CraigBaugher

I was thinking of a tournament Format that would work for the everyday angler with very little time to fish Then it hit me... "SPEED BASS" This could be a draw or buddy system, but I would prefer the Buddy or Team so that Father & Son could fish together. Tournament Format: All teams would launch, and the first team to return with 5 keeper fish would win 1st, the next team 2nd, the next team 3rd, etc. This format is not how big of fish you can catch, rather, how fast you can limit out. At the end of the scheduled time (be it 3-hours or 8-hours) all those without a 5-fish limit would return and then the remaining teams would compete for the remaining positions by weight. So in this format, you could win with 5 one-pound bass and you could win the tournament in as little as 15-minutes. So what to do guys think about, SPEED BASS?

No... I'd keep it... :

Seth is that you

6-8-lb flurocarbon, 2/8 braid

Depending on clarity, but I would put my boat on the 20-foot depth line and track it around seeing where it was leading me -- the structure, the cover, the objects in the water, and transitions. Then, it would depend on the time of year and region. But even if it was spawn, I would spend time following the 20-foot breakline, and where it came close to a shallow flat, scan the break for transitions, and then follow the transitions into the flat. That would give me the probable migration route and the ability to track them on and off the flat in the even a cold front occurred during the week. Even if it wasn't spwan, I would do the same thing, but track even to deeper water -- up to 40-50 feet if clear, folowing transitions.

What type of angler are you? LURE: 1. GENERALIST - an individual that uses a wide variety of lures, know them well, but a master of none 2. SPECIALIST - an individual that uses mainly two or three lures, knowing everything about them and the master of their use. WATER: 1. GENERALIST - an individual that fishes all depth zones, know them well, but a master of none. 2. SPECIALIST DEEP - an individual that fishes deep water, depths greater than 15-feet, and are a master of fishing the structure, presentations at those depths. 3. SPECIALIST MIDWAY - an individual that fishes midway, depths between 8 & 16 feet, and are master of structure and presentations at those depths. 4. SPECIALIST SHALLOW - an individual that fishes shallow water, depths from 1 to 8-feet, and are a master of the structure, presentations at those depths. ANGLER: 1. FINESSE - an individual specializing in lighter line, subtle presentations 2. POWER - an individual specializing in flipping & pitching big baits, with big rods 3. RUN & GUN - an individual specializing in fishing fast moving lures while continuous moving from spot to spot, target to target. When I got into fishing, I was told I needed to be a specialist. So while I learned how to use a wide variety of lures, I concentrated on the tubebait and jig-n-pig. I was also taught to stay off shore, so I fish primarily in water between 8 & 15-feet, so I guess I would be considered a midway specialist as well. I'm also a Finesse angler by nature, even when fishing the jig-n-pig. I know today, they teach everybody is to be adaptive generalist, and while I believe that is a good thing, as much as I try, I find myself in 12-feet of water, using my spinning rod, light line, and either a tubebait or small jig-n-pig. What type of angler are you?

I should have reworded it, because this is the P in the formula of L + P + T or Location + Presentation + Time/Territory = Pattern. So it should be "Success Presentation Formula"

I agree! I feel action/sound in often more important. That is way the weight is right close.

A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART! Teasing!!! I say confidence RULES! 30/70 skill/confidence

The Lindners created it, I assigned value to it. PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS FORMULA 1. DEPTH 43%: The MOST CRITAL factor: To catch a fish your lure MUST be at the right depth. Probability 43% -- Meaning if this is the only factor you get right, you have a 43% chance of catching a fish. 2. SPEED 25%: The 2nd MOST CRITICAL factor: To trigger a strike your lure needs to be moving at the SPEED the fish want at that moment. So if you have the right speed you have a 25% chance of catching a fish. Get 1 & 2 right, you have a 68% of catching a fish. 3. SIZE 15%: To trigger a strike with a particular lure, the size MUST be right. For a crankbait that might be one size, for a tubebait another, a worm another. But whatever the lure is to be representing, it needs to match the hatch, less the water is dirty, than it needs to be bigger. Get it right 15%, it 2 & 3 you have 40% , Get 1 & 3 you have a 58%, and if you get 1, 2, & 3 right, you have a 83% chance of catching a fish. 4. SOUND/ACTION 12%: The Lindners seperate these two, but I says you cannot, because Action which involves the movement (wiggle, wobble, shake) that motion creates sound. Get the right sound 12%, 3 & 4 = 27%, 4 & 2=37%, 1, 2, 3, & 4 = 95% chance. 5. COLOR 3%: I weigh color low, because I believe it only comes into play 3% of the time. As long as you are using a color that can be seen for the conditions (natural in clear, bright in muddy, black & white anytime), your good, and I will prove it anytime anybody can fish with me. I'll catch a fish on pink, throw yelllow catch fish, green, catch fish. Color doesn't matter 97% 6. SMELL 1.5%: I personally can't think of a time it matters, but for the benefit of the doubt. 7. TASTE 0.5%: Again, if a fish can taste it, its on my hook anyways. OK, that is my formula. You don't have to agree with, but you do need to justify your reasoning if you would change the weighting scale. So, do you agree or what is your formula?

NO. I assume most anglers will miss the fish altogether. 10% will catch a couple, and only 1% could really put a hurt on it. That means I have a 99% of doing well, and 90% chance I will do OK.

First, we know without a doubt bass see color, as every study conducted in the past 8-years have clearly proven. Berkley (fishing not the University) has funded a number of studies, with the most recent for its Crystal Line. Now while this study was to be limited to how bass see various shades of white, those conducting the study expanded it to include color more for establishing a base. Nevertheless, it was indicated that from this test that bass can see subtle differences in hues and that they can do this at night as well (or should I say, LOW LIGHT) conditions. Second, http://fishingbass.home.comcast.net/images/colorband.jpg the color grid, is based on 1-foot increments. So each box = 1-foot. In crystal clear water color is visible to 300-feet. From this illustration, Green, Blue, and Voilets can be seen the longest. The color red fades out in 15-feet and its the first to wash out to BLACK. Chartreuse is only good to 34-feet before it is totally turns black. But in muddy water, those 1-Foot boxes = 1/4" roughly speaking thrid, Strike Zone distance changes based on activity. A active bass MOVING/Cruising will strike a lure up to 30-feet. NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! Because it is cruising, it focus is STRAIGHT AHEAD +/- 3-feet. SO its attact CONE is 6-feet wide. An Active Bass moving slowly will attack upto 12-15-feet with a 20° attack cone. An Active Bass sitting still strike zone is roughly 6-8-feet, but has 320° attack Cone. Netrual bass are half the distance of an active bass. A Negative bass, is half that, or roughly 18" 180° cone. ANYTHING coming from behind a Negative bass will SPOOK IT! Foruth, and this is BIG!!! YA'LL NEED TO WRITE AND THANK BERKLEY PRODUCTS FOR ALL THE MONEY THEY INVEST IN FRESHWATER RESEARCH!!! Because 99% of all fishing related companies DO NOT!!! Berkley Pure Fishing USA 1900 18th Street Spirit Lake, IA 51360 Tel: 1.800.237.5539 Email: berkley@purefishing.com

I wrote a small post on this on my website. http://fishingbass.home.comcast.net/whatbasssee.html

Cold front tatics change throughout the year, water types, and regions, as do most fishing tatics. However, think this way and you will have a clue. Winter deepwater main lake strucuture, Spring deepwater secondary points and shoreline fast breaks, Summer deepwater deepwater main to secondary to shallow water (cool water) weeds holding tight to cover. Fall secondaries and cove channels, then back to winter. Simplistic, oh yeah. Its just a basic guide. Slow presentations with jigs working best in cool to cold water, suspending cranks in warmer water, and spinnerbaits yo-yo'd in the fall are all good. Just a quick answer

Boys and girls, if you include a location, you might be amazed at what I can find out about a particular body of water. You know, all bodies of water are different, and food sources determine where the bass's eye are looking for it. If a body of water has little to no swimming prey, the fish are focusing on the bottom. Largemouth are typically UP eater, meaning they typically are feeding on objects eye level or higher (+/- 3-feet typically). They can pick things off the bottom, but they have to twist, or be tilted tail up, head down. If they are feeding typically off the bottom and they are staging and tilting up this way, their eyes are no longer viewing the surface, and if they are not use to swimming prey and the sound of swimming prey escaping -- they are not associating surface water distrubance with food. Just a theory at this point, because I don't know the body of water you are talking about. But bass are curious and if you created enough disturbance in one spot long enough, they will come up to check it out. If it was me, I would focus on a high probability spot (point droping into deepwater, or fast tapering shore break, over or around rock or weeds) and just make two or three dozen casts with a devil horse or Pop-R over the same target. The bass will come check it out, they may not bite, but they will come check it out. This would be the time when scent could help and I'm not a scent person. But if they are use to feed craw, I would scent it with craw and hang tight working one spot to draw the first strike.