Conflicting info in the fishing world

[Catt]

Hatch: to emerge from an egg, chrysalis, or pupa

 

Your lure would be less than an inch in length.

 

Barometric pressure is just one part of an complex equation!

 

How long does it take for a barometric change to effect bass at 5' deep, 10' deep, 15' deep, or 20' deep?

 

I'm quite sure it's not Instantaneously

[the reel ess]

There are many, many variables that come into play. Barometric pressure might suck, but there might be bait in an area that causes fish to turn on no matter what their mood might be.

 

As Bill Dance says, the best time to go fishing is when you can. You learn more when you have to figure something out than you do when they're just jumping into the boat.

[Raul]

I'm super careful about matching baits, my spinnerbait has to realistically match in every single detail a spinnerbait, my cranks mimic cranks and so on.

 

Barometric pressure ? If it's very low it might rain so I carry my raingear, if it's very high the it's most probably going to be very sunny, I worry about carrying enough sun protection, catch fish not skin cancer.

["hamma"]

I believe both situations the op is asking about is relative in terms.

 Match the hatch?in bass fishing? what is the previlant forage and what size are they now, as well as whats the water clarity/color.

 Barometer changes? consider whats been going on with the barometer for the past few weeks, and that will give you a better understanding as to what its effects are today.

 

 Then yet, nothing in fishing is written in stone other than,..."try your luck"

 

 funfishing you can choose your times and places, so fish when you can

 tournies? your not afforded those things,.. so your fishing that day, those hours,.. whether you like it or not, so if you plan on cashing a check? you best find the best fish, and actually fish them into your livewell

[Airman4754]

Oh boy, the color and weather rabbit hole.

 

If the fish have been taking advantage of a specific bait for a period of time then matching the hatch will catch you a ton of fish very easily. Examples would be crawfish coming out of their burrows as winter is ending, the pan fish spawn, bass fry hatch, minnow schooling in the summer, trout planting, etc. That's an easy guaranteed meal for a bass and if you match what they are keying on during that period and make it look even easier you're going to catch a lot of fish. Knowing when those events are happening and what the bait looks like is experienced mixed with time on the water.

 

On the flip side I think color means very little in situations like summer when you're grinding a 10XD through a school of fish, flipping or punching, top water, drop shotting through grass, topping grass with a lipless, etc. Reaction is reaction. If someone throws something at you then you will try to catch or repel it regardless of what color it is.

 

Weather has a definite effect on the masses, meaning the normal 2lb and under fish get less active. True predator fish 4lb and above fit into the "Where does a 500lb gorilla sleep?" category.

[J Francho]

12 hours ago, fissure_man said:

I like “match the hatch,” but maybe these alternatives could work:

 

“simulate the bait?”

“plagiarize the alewives?”

“trace the dace?”

“portray the cray?”

 

Those are great!

[lo n slo]

"gnarffle the garthax" is a favorite of mine

[Airman4754]

2 hours ago, lo n slo said:

"gnarffle the garthax" is a favorite of mine

 

What's a Garthax?

 

I don't know. We used to have really bad seats. These, are great seats!

[IndianaFinesse]

19 hours ago, fissure_man said:

 

I like “match the hatch,” but maybe these alternatives could work:

 

“simulate the bait?”

“plagiarize the alewives?”

“trace the dace?”

“portray the cray?”

 

As far as strange idioms go, at least “match the hatch” comes from the realm of fishing.  I’d say we should just “bite the bullet” and accept it, since I don’t think the phrase is going anywhere and “there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”   

 

To the OP, the topic of lure color is “a hot potato” around here, and debates can spiral out of control “at the drop of a hat.”  Perhaps it’s best to “let sleeping dogs lie.” 

 

Contradictory angler theories about bass behavior are “a dime a dozen,” and should always be “taken with a pinch of salt.”  The problem is that it’s so easy to “bark up the wrong tree” when we know so little about what we’re theorizing around.  Until we get some answers “straight from the horse’s mouth,” I don’t know if the “cat” will ever fully “come out of the bag.”

 

Luckily, bass aren’t “the sharpest tools in the shed”, and on most days it seems like there are plenty of different ways to “put the puzzle together.” 

 

 

That's hilarious.

[jimf]

On 2/7/2017 at 3:42 PM, J Francho said:

"Match the hatch" is a phrase I truly dislike when referring to bass fishing.  I associate the phrase to trout fishing during a major bug hatch.  Trout can get crazy selective, and if you can't emulate that hatch, you aren't getting bit. 

Agree with the phrase as it is used to bass fishing.  I've spent *alot* of time poking around small spring creeks trout fishing, and "Match the hatch" is a phrase that makes total sense when you see clouds of mayflies being gobbled up on the surface by trout.  The phrase doesn't connect with me bass fishing.  

 

I do agree that trout can get crazy selective, but I observed that color has very little if anything to do with the bite.   1)Presentation, 2)size, and 3) shape in that order were what I considered important.  I think the same thing is true with bass fishing, and I follow these simple guidelines when trying to figure out the bite.   I focus heavily on presentation - location in the water column, quiet entry, right action etc...    Color is very simple for me, and I don't fret over it much.  

 

 

 

 

[J Francho]

2 minutes ago, jimf said:

1)Presentation, 2)size, and 3) shape in that order were what I considered important.

 

Yep.  Another word we use in bass fishing for #3 is "profile," which I think gets over looked.

[jboutfishn]

On 2/7/2017 at 3:33 PM, flyfisher said:

What does a Royal coachman match?

 

Nothing, it is a stimulator.

[everythingthatswims]

Most people say March and April are the best big bass months. I catch my biggest fish between May and August.

 

The High School National Championship on Kentucky Lake was won by two kids from Colorado throwing floating jerkbaits on spinning rods with braid to 20lb mono leaders, they were catching huge smallmouth in less than 5 feet of 85-90 degree water.

 

I came within 12 ounces of them throwing a spinnerbait in the same areas catching largemouth. Most of my fish were in 3' and I never caught one deeper than 7'.

 

"Ledge fishing capitol of the country!"

[jr231]

Lol right. Mine come in June... Mid day... When "it's too hot to fish" 

[kadas]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 3:19 PM, Darren. said:

I learned that sometimes it matters, other times it doesn't.

 

How's that for a non-committal answer? 

 

I've been out on days the barometric pressure readings 

said you won't catch a single bass -- but I slayed them.

And other days when it said I should absolutely haul them

in, I didn't.

 

Color? I've settled on "natural" colors like blacks, watermelons,

green pumpkins and variants. They've all been great colors

at most times.

 

As far as "match the hatch" ... well, I guess I don't always 

do that extremely well. 

I am in total agreement with Darren. I think it is good to pay some attention to these things but I generally just go fishing whenever I can no matter the barometric pressure and I generally use darker hues because of my water clarity.  Sometimes all the info can be fine but sometimes you need to just go fishing and make adjustments according to what the bass tell you

[clh121787]

Match the hatch with a Chartrues black and yellow h&h spinner bait. Gets email everyou time 

[Dinky]

I can certainly identify with Dink's complaint because I used to get very frustrated reading all those experts' tips and advice. 

After a while I was very confused.

 

Then when the Elite's first announced the use of Marshals instead of co-anglers I signed up and have Marshaled at probably 25 Elite Tournaments, including three Classics. I also have fished as a co- angler in Southern, Central and Northern Opens. Since a win in one of those by an Elite gets him an automatic berth into the Classic, many of them sign up for the Opens. As a result I have actually fished with about half a dozen if them.

 

The pont is that I am no longer confused by these so called "contradictions", because they actually aren't contradictions at all.

They are more like "adjustments" or tweaks sometimes that may - or may not prove successful at a specific point in time and place.

 

Example. Elite Tournament on Lake Oneida. Marshal for Randy Howell.

During practice Randy has discovered smallies staged on the edges of a deep submerged stream/river with a current. Seems no one else had found it during practice because we were alone the entire day.

After several hits on a swim bait and a few misses, Randy had two in the live well. The third fish spit up a good sized baitfish on the deck and Randy noted it varied in size and color a little from his lure.

He changed lures to match the hatch and culled the rest of the day.

 

Example. I've read and heard 'experts' say that you should chose a particular lure or technique and stick with it all day. Be patient. As long as you have correctly read where the fish are in their cycle you will succeed.

But I cannot tell you how many times I've Marshaled for an Elite who had 12 rigs on deck and pulled out four more during the day. 

Sometimes these guys did poorly. But more often than not they ended up with a good weight, not only for the day, but for the tournament.

Ive also actually fished with an Elite, Chris Lane, in a Southern Open, who fished with one single bait the entire day. Don't even ask if he was successful.

 

None of the successful pros can afford to be one dimensional. They all have to be able to do whatever it takes to catch fish. 

Everthing you read or hear can be helpful at some point. 

The trick is to know when to use it. 

That takes practice. And that is work. Hard work. 

 

Dinky

 

[roadwarrior]

GREAT post!

 

[jr231]

I'm the only one who wonders how Chris lane did 

[jimf]

I think you hit the nail on the head Dinky - adjust.    I was watching a tourney show a couple of weeks ago, cold front, bright blue skies, early season ... one guy just refused to change his pattern of fishing deep on the main lake points.  He kept with his convictions that this was the right pattern, and I'm guessing usually it probably is.   His convictions didn't put fish in the boat, and a guy that went back into the coves and fished 2-3' of water all day just tore it up.   I think you have to let all of these variables guide you, but be willing to adjust through the day - including throwing the entire chunk of advice out the window at times.

 

Moon phases ... there is another one.

 

edit to say that even though I say this, I'm stubborn as a mule.  Which might be why the pros are pros and I'm not.

[scaleface]

Bill Dance always says to use the lightest weight you con getaway with on a Texas rig .Larry Nixon states a heavy weight with a faster drop triggers more strikes most days . Both are legendary worm  fishermen . 

[RoLo]

On 2/7/2017 at 10:41 PM, Bucky205 said:

I'm not really sure when Brush Hogs hatch.

 

The Brush Hog hatch follows on the heels of the Structure Bug hatch.

 

[Bucky205]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Bill Dance always says to use the lightest weight you con getaway with on a Texas rig .Larry Nixon states a heavy weight with a faster drop triggers more strikes most days . Both are legendary worm  fishermen . 

 

A lot of times I will throw a Senko, or Zoom trick wacky rigged with no weight and just let it fall.  It can be useful determining how deep the fish are holding. People say they they fall at about 1' second.  IMO.. it is closer to 2' second.

[RoLo]

4 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

I'm the only one who wonders how Chris lane did 

 

Nope

[TOXIC]

Let me give you my attitude as a guide.  I looked at every day I put my boat in the water as a 500 piece puzzle.  I was paid to put clients on fish.......every time I launched the boat.  The more pieces of that puzzle I could put together, the better chances I had for a successful outing.  I'll admit some days the fish win.  I took in to account everything that has been said plus a lot more.