Reaction Vs Hunger

[Squirmin Wormin]

what's the difference and how can you tell for sure?

[Squirmin Wormin]

let me be more specific , when a fish strikes,was it hunger or reaction?

[Jigfishn10]

Wouldn't you think they're all reaction bites, they differ in what type of stimulus it took to incite the reaction.

[fishguy613]

the other day i could hardly get them to hit a dropshot, fluke etc but caught close to 10 in half an hour banging a squarebill into rocks. every strike came immediately after i felt the bait deflect off cover, reaction strikes

[Raul]

Does it matter ? What matters is that they strike, of course, you can ask them once you have them out of the water.

[Stumphunter]

I would have to say for example you mark fish on a fish finder under baitfish and they are busting shad. I throw a flutter spoon and get bit. Yes they was reacting to my bait, but the where in a feeding mode.  

 

Far as a reaction i would say for example: I am working water around strucker, using a square bill crankbait. I make a cast and start reeling it in, and immediately after my bait hits a piece of structure, and deflects off that piece of structure i get bit. I would call that a reaction.

 

Normally when conditions are tough and bites are hard to come by, i would say most of my bites are reaction bites.

When everything is working no matter what you throw they are hungry and feeding. 

[F14A-B]

Truthfully, in almost all cases, I really think they are one in the same, there are cases as in high pressure systems/ aka bluebird days where fish are affected and turn off and typically relate closely to various types of cover, both hard and soft depending on time of year... That's when I believe that reaction is really prominent, you have to put it in their face, and sometimes get bit...small baits, but also bigger jigs/ pigs.. It's both or not... Fish gotta eat, and that's really the bottom line....uv affects prey species driving them for cover as well.. Whole Books have been wrote on the subject. There are best times to fish, and really tough times to fish... I fish when it's more favorable to me, based on over 3 decades... I don't have to fish those tough days because, I am not a tournament fisher anymore and haven't for years... Plus I just don't like the springtime high pressure affect... You can get bit, but you're going to struggle and you still are Likely to 0 out. That's my experience with LMB ..... You're results may vary.....consider the Pressure and pay attention to it record you're results and you will see a common denominator

[Catt]

If some one tells me the know the difference I look at em kinda goofy!

[roadwarrior]

Sometimes it seems pretty convincing that the bass are feeding. I recently had a big

day on Pickwick fishing Siebert Outdoors 3/8 Big O jigs with a Rage Craw trailer (PB&J).

The key was a slow drift on the bottom. Most of the fish I caught telegraphed their bite

by picking at the claws. This was definitely a "feeding" bite. 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/141661-pickwick-719-720/

 

An obvious example of a reaction bite is when nothing is happening and you literally hit 

a fish in the head!

[Lund Explorer]

I look at the question in a slightly different way, and wouldn't use the exact same words.  Here's the way I approach the question.

 

Hunger - To me this means that the bass are in an Active Mood and are Feeding.  Quite often, I'm going to get either a visual clue such as shad busting or perhaps seeing pads moving from quite a ways off as the fish approaches my offering.  I might also be catching these fish using moving baits such as crankbaits or spinnerbaits.  It could also be based on location, such as on the outside of a weedline regardless of what I'm throwing.  Feeding fish have a much larger strike window than those fish who are Reaction fish.

 

Reaction - This is what I learned from In-Fisherman to call Neutral fish.  They are not actively feeding, but will eat a bait that falls into their smaller strike window.  These bass may be fish that have already eaten recently during an active feeding period.  They could also be bass that are hunkered down after the passage of a cold front waiting for conditions to improve.  These fish could very well be located in the same area of the actively hungry fish, but just aren't as aggressive.  Often times, I've found these post cold front fish to be hanging inside weed lines, and will only eat something that lands right in front of them and sits there begging to be eaten.

 

In other words, throw those fast moving baits that cover a lot of water for active feeding fish that are hungry, and then slow down to pick off those fish that will react to an easy meal.