Do Bass Feed Every Day?

[FishChaser1]

I've noticed that after an intense feeding it's harder to catch bass the next few days.

[Brian Needham]

there will be at least one bass feeding while you are fishing. it is your job to find it and feed it.

[F14A-B]

I' ve read over the years that schools of Bass feed on 48 hr cycles... However I couldn't say.. That's a good question.. There's some guys on here that can really fill a page up with theory's and/ or facts!

[Raul]

In "cold" blooded creatures the methabolic rate depends on the environmental temperature, warmer means higher methabolic rate = more calories needed, also, warmer temperatures accelerates digestion so the stomach empties faster. So a bass will eat with more frequency  or less frequency depending upon the environmental temperature.

 

On the other hand the question is not about how often a bass eats but how often will a bass hit a lure, the answer is -----> throughout the years I´ve caught literally hundreds of fish not only with a full stomach but even with half of the prey still in the mouth.

[geo g]

I doubt it, but it could be possible.

[Catch and Grease]

I'm sure any bass on any day would bite a bait fish that swam right past its face....

[Brian Needham]

and another thing we have to consider......bass don't move up, spawn, move out, yadda yadda all at the same time so why would anyone expect them to eat at the same time.

 

I personally like to have lunch at 11am ....... many people like it at noon....but I know several people that don't eat until 1pm. 

same for dinner and don't even get started on breakfast.

[tntitans21399]

I saw a picture once where a guy caught a bass and saw a frog inside its mouth. So they will feed even right after feeding.

[Loop_Dad]

I know you were asking about feeing, but from fisherman's point of view, you have to remember they bite for more than one reason...hanger is one, but they also bite out of reaction just because something passed by and bite because they are mad etc.

[WRB]

Bass are active looking for prey about 10-20% of the time every 24 hour period, depending on water temperature and prey availability. Feeding cycles varies and average about every 4 years, again depending on need to eat. Bass are individuals and will group together to take advantage of some prey types like schooled bait fish.

Big misconception is the belief you can force feed any bass the lure of your choice. If the bass is inactive, it will not strike your lure or eat prey, if the same bass is active and looking for prey it may strike your lure.

It's all about timing.

Tom

[PondHopper96]

A long time ago when I was only 4-5 my sister caught a bass with a mouse in it's mouth so id say anytime they feel like it! Lol

[slimshad]

I eat everyday, my dog eats everyday, Most animals eat everyday, etc.  I think Bass eat everyday also.  Might not be when your on the water but I would still think they would eat everyday.  Just my opinion tho.  No facts to back it up.  I don't talk to them alot.  I yell at them on the weekends tho!

[Glenn]

Yup, they do...or at least try.  They are designed by nature to eat every day.  Available forage is the gatekeeper, not appetite or metabolism.

 

Watch this video for more detailed information. It explains why giant bass grow to trophy size.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

[einscodek]

I've noticed that after an intense feeding it's harder to catch bass the next few days.

The only times I've seen bites shutdown are after a stormy cold front.

Bass need to eat and other fish dont want to be eaten.

I don't think its so easy to chase down a bluegill or baitfish..they are pretty alert and shifty.

Bass need to ambush and school to take out prey and its not a given .. given a chance to eat easily and stuff "for a rainy day" I would assume survival strategy dictates it.

[Brian Needham]

Yup, they do...or at least try.  They are designed by nature to eat every day.  Available forage is the gatekeeper, not appetite or metabolism.

 

Watch this video for more detailed information. It explains why giant bass grow to trophy size.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

 

a serious fisherman can not watch this video too many times.

[FrankW]

We all know that Bass strike or pick up a lure for other reasons than feeding. They are easier to catch when they are feeding but lots of fish are caught when they are not feeding. Lots of bass are caught during spawning picking up a bait and moving it away from the nest. We usually catch at least one bass a day by hitting it on the head. Spinner baits and other reaction baits catch bass when they are not actively feeding. Even when Big Bass are feeding they may hold up in their favorite cover and wait for food to pass by. Just because Bass are on a feeding cycle they may not be any easier to catch.

I am not sure what the OP means about "After Intense Feeding". The only time I have seen an intense feeding is during schooling and that doesn't happen all year long. We can see in big tournaments that fish can be caught every day and may have nothing to do with feeding frenzies or feeding cycles. During a tournament fish are caught at different parts of the lake/river at different times of the day and they bite different lures. Some spots hold up to lots of fish for four days and other spots may only last a day or two. Catching Bass is a complicated thing and I am not sure in my mind that your chances are less after a day that you caught a bunch of fish. Catching a bunch of fish doesn't necessarily indicate intense feeding.

Frank

[F14A-B]

a serious fisherman can not watch this video too many times.

Geez... I wonder if Big O would tell us where that underwater hump is on fork? Lol.. Hummmm

[bigbill]

Bass are opportunists. They eat anything that's easy prey.

[FishChaser1]

Seeing some very contradictory opinions on this subject 

[RoLo]

A healthy bass will feed everyday, but not during the winter in northerly latitudes

One large minnow can sustain a bass for many days during the winter.

When living up north I used to ice-fish, but never seen ONE bass on the ice (mostly pike, pickerel & yellow perch)

 

Roger

[WRB]

I usually add the disclaimer regarding spawning bass, they are not eating, they nest guarding and totally different scenario.

One of the things about fishing gin clear water lakes is you can observe bass and watch them in their natural habitats. You see bass suspended with various baitfish milling around them without any fear or alarm, the bass have no interest at the moment. When you run a lure in front of them, they usually ignore it or may swim away, no interest. Hook a live bait, drop it on their nose, no interest. The bass is inactive.

Come back an hour later, the baitfish are gone, the bass is moving around or looking alert and instantly responds to the same lure it ignored an hour earlier. That is the difference between active and inactive bass.

What turns on a bass to feed or become active is unknown to me, I do know you can't provoke them into striking when they inactive and spent a lot of years trying. The territorial theory may be true sometimes, those times are rare. When a big bass is active smaller fish get the message or don't survive very long and that is the key to catching them.

Fish long enough and you will catch bass with prey sticking out of it's throat, when they feed they feed, when they don't they don't. More bass look at your lure than you know, they don't disappear out of the lake, just have zero interest at that moment.

Tom

[Brian Needham]

Seeing some very contradictory opinions on this subject 

yep, some are right other are wrong, lol

[Paul Roberts]

Yup, they do...or at least try.  They are designed by nature to eat every day.  Available forage is the gatekeeper, not appetite or metabolism.

This sums it up pretty well. Metabolism becomes more of a factor during cold water periods in that fish cannot process as much food as they can in warm water, thus affecting how often they might possibly feed. But available (and vulnerable) prey is the greatest limitation. Food rules.

[hoyt-tec2011]

i used to have a largemouth in an aquarium. i know not the best thing (it was a very large tank and the bass was maybe 5 inches) but i would go through about fifty feeders every three days.  day or night when i threw those bad boys in there and he would have ten gone in seconds.  wake up the next morning half were gone and so on and so on.  I know this isnt their natural environment but i really did learn a lot from having that little guy for the month i had him.  If im going off of that i would say he slowed down when he got full but he would still suck them up and spit them out if they got close so even if they arent feeding they are going to be aggressive if you get the right bait close enough to him.

[Josh Smith]

Bass will eat any time.  It's just at certain times they eat more readily.

 

Active bass search for food.

 

Neutral bass will take food if the opportunity presents itself.

 

Negative bass will eat if goaded into it.

 

From what I understand, most bass or neutral or negative most of the time.  When they're active, you can pretty much catch them on a bare hook reeled throught the water.  The rest of the time, you really need to drop the lure in front of their noses.

 

This does not take into account spawning males, who will not eat.  The only way to catch them is to fish the nest and I refuse to do that.  Dropped a worm on a nest once to see what would happen as I had visual down near White River at a fishery after the fish kill in the White River.  I caught the male bass alright, but felt bad about it.

 

But yes, they feed constantly.  Their strike reflex is similar to that of you slapping a mosquito biting you.  You might be faster or slower at certain times, but you will slap the mosquito eventually.

 

Josh