Forage And Time Of Year

[MIbassin]

Hey guys,

 

Like the title says, does what the bass eat change all that much throughout the year?

 

Also, what about the size of the forage?

 

The two main baitfish for bass here are bluegill and perch with some other species of panfish and minnows.

 

I know in the southern states or western states it can change due to the combination of shad, trout, panfish etc...

 

I think i will learn how to target the bass around me more effectively if i can learn how they react to the forage in the different seasons and what size they target!!

 

Thanks!

[Raul]

Ir you really want to know then try BR library, there is an article called Whats for lunch, my take is, after doing the same research you are doing now many years ago, that it matters not to know or suppose you know what the Bass are theoretically eating. Lures do that, they lure the fish. You do not see baby spinnerbaits at any time of the year yet, bass strike spinnerbaits even though they are not forage.

[flyingmonkie]

To a certain extent, yes... that's how I would define a reaction strike.

 

But if you're not trying to get an instinctual reaction, then you're trying to fool the fish into biting something that kinda looks real.  And to do this, you need to have some knowledge about what they are eating.  This is why the concept of matching the hatch is so important, and why you see pro's turning over rocks to catch a crawdad before a tournament.  I'm off to read "Whats for Lunch" now, though, thanks for the recommendation Raul.

 

To answer the original question, I would say "it depends".  It depends on where you are and what the forage is.  I'd break things down and research the life cycles of specific bait fish in your area.