How Do I Know What The Hatch Is?

[toddwchandler]

When I read about lure color selection, I often see the phrase "Match the hatch" used.  This may sound like a dumb question, but how do I know what the "hatch" is?   I see small bait fish jumping around from time to time and sometimes see small fish scurrying around near the bank.  That being said, I have no idea what color they are or what they are.   I know that on bigger bodies of water, you can do some reading and learn what bait fish are in that particular lake.  The problem for me is that I am fishing a decent size neighborhood lake/pond that is not publicly accessible, so there isn't a lot of info to be had.   Do I need to try to net some of these little fish to get a look at them?   

[Angry John]

Most of the time you see what the bass pukes up or has in the back of its mouth and use that as a guide.  Always worked for me.

[Scott F]

The "hatch" refers to insect hatches that fly fishermen try to mimic when fly fishing for trout.

[RoLo]

Predators are opportunistic feeders because unlike people, they don't have the luxury of choice.

As a result, a bass's next meal may bear no semblance to its last meal.

For instance, the odds are high that the next bass you catch on a spinnerbait,

will have nothing in its stomach that vaguely resembles a yellow & white safety-pin spinner.

 

Roger

[scaleface]

You dont have to net some minnows  .Shad  , bluegill , crawfish and other patterns will work everywhere . Smallmouth bass pattern has worked well for me in places where there are none . 

[WRB]

Someone is managing the lake you fish and knows what fish are in the lake, ask them.

Most bass lakes are stocked with bluegill or green sunfish along with the bass. Crawdads are more than likely in the lake. All types of frogs, insects, lizards, birds, mice, rats, worms and small fish also make up the food chain.

You can always put out a fish or crawdad trap and catch whatever you can to determine what is there.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

Don't worry about the "hatch". I've never seen a chartreuse spinnerbait in the wild, but bass eat them anyways. Finding the bait is often important, but matching them isn't something I'm concerned with. 

[Mike L]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Don't worry about the "hatch". I've never seen a chartreuse spinnerbait in the wild, but bass eat them anyways. Finding the bait is often important, but matching them isn't something I'm concerned with. 

 

Ditto...There so many different colors and shapes of baits sold today that have no resemblance of anything that mimic a natural meal, that I don't even think about it. 

 

A predator will eat what he thinks he can catch. If I get lucky and get bit on something they're more interested in, then I guessed right. 

 

 

 

 

Mike 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[fishballer06]

If you see small baitfish at the surface, along the shore, or beside a dock, you can try matching their profile. If the bait fish is 3" long and silverish in color, then anything white/silver at around 3" long is going to be your match. But like others have said, bass will eat anything that looks like food, so don't over complicate things. 

[.ghoti.]

It is extremely difficult to time the buzzbait hatch. 

[J Francho]

Some great info in a recent discussion that is relevant:

 

 

[blckshirt98]

Hatch can usually be found just by being observant (newts/salamanders in the water, crawdads or crawdad carcasses on the shoreline, schools of fish on the surface, etc), or just by knowing what time of the year certain species of fish spawn.  Ultimately though bass are predators and hungry bass will eat anything that fits in their mouth, so don't stress out too much over matching the hatch.

[jimf]

I often think back to a childhood event that happened to me when thinking about this topic.  I once ate a toilet bowl deodorizer apparently because it was blue and smelled nice.  I maintain despite objections from my friends,  that even at that age my brain was much more sophisticated than that of a bass.   

 

I'm sure often it puts the odds in your favor if something looks and acts like something the fish are eating, but maybe not as much as we think.   If it looks alive, more often than not they are going to try to eat it if they are hungry.

[J Francho]

99% of bass fishing is done without anything of relevance to a bass's diet hatching.  Meaning, 99% of the time, it doesn't matter.

[scaleface]

 The most frustrating fishing I ever had was during the baker's dozen year cicada hatch . As soon as one hit the water it would buzz causing all those mini ripples and a bass or bluegill would be all over it. i couldnt figure out how to catch one  . I'm prepared next time . I have one of those wind up lures .  That should do the trick .

 

 and why is 13 spelled out edited ?

[RoLo]

8 minutes ago, J Francho said:

99% of bass fishing is done without anything of relevance to a bass's diet hatching.  Meaning, 99% of the time, it doesn't matter.

 

 

Where do I sign?

 

 

[J Francho]

Don't get me wrong....realism is an edge I'll gladly go for, but in other ways.  Think little action claws on my jig trailers.  A realistic paint job or profile on a big swim bait.  Sometimes it's a dip the tip of a senko in chartreuse JJ's for a bit of flash.  These may not seem "realistic" at first, but they illicit the response you want from the fish: your bait computes as a meal in their tiny brain, and they UNCONTROLLABLY bite.  But, match the hatch?  That's for trout fishing, not bass.

[Raul]

The only real hatch no matter where you go anywhere in planet Earth where bass can be found is Baby Bass, you can start by there if you want to pay attention to that nonsense.

4 hours ago, J Francho said:

99% of bass fishing is done without anything of relevance to a bass's diet hatching.  Meaning, 99% of the time, it doesn't matter.

 

I like that ! 

[RoLo]

8 minutes ago, Raul said:

The only real hatch no matter where you go anywhere in planet Earth where bass can be found is Baby Bass, you can start by there if you want to pay attention to that nonsense.

 

I like that ! 

 

 

I asked John where he wanted me to sign, but apparently he's got more signatures than he can handle 

[gim]

22 hours ago, Scott F said:

The "hatch" refers to insect hatches that fly fishermen try to mimic when fly fishing for trout.

 

This is where the phrase originally started.  There are other hatches too, such as a crayfish molt, mayfly hatch, minnow hatch, frog hatch, etc that may relate to fishing as well but the original one is the bug hatch that occurs in trout streams.  You can generally tell what the fish are eating especially if they're gorging on something at a specific time of year.

[J Francho]

I have no doubt that a bass will eat a freshly hatched tadpole, minnow fry, mayfly larvae, or other minuscule creature the size of a pinhead, though I struggle with what bait I'd' use to "match" it.  Like I said, irrelevant to bass fishing.  You're better off trying to mimic the typical forage in the lake.  Sometimes it's craws, other times shiners.  Could be alewife or gobies...even sunfish or blue gill.  Do a little research about your lake.  Local DNR websites are a good start.

[TnRiver46]

My advice would be try to emulate the small batfish you saw as best you can with what lures you have 

[Senko Junkie]

Back in my younger days, I use to throw a lot of chartreuse baits and oddball colors such as pink and bright orange worms. Although I did catch fish with the different than the norm colors, an older and wiser fishing buddy told me that I would increase my catch ratio if I would stick with more natural colors and not to buy into all the gimmicks. Well, the ol man was right. I started catching more and better quality fish.

Just my opinion:  If it looks like a baitfish, crawfish, frog, minnow, bluegill or anything else that looks like a food source, bass will more than likely hit it no matter the color. That's why I buy the same bait in several different, more natural patterns. I do a lot of Senko worm fishing. If my normal black/blue flake isn't producing, I will switch over to a black/watermelon red or green pumpkin and it may pay off.