Following your lure retrieves

[Mobasser]

How many folks envision what your baits are doing, and what they look like after your cast? I told a friend that I do this and he couldn't grasp this concept. After a cast, flip, or pitch a, I automatically envision my plastic or jig sinking through the water column, and to a waiting bass below. I play out the whole scenario of cast, bait hitting the water, and my jig or worm ticking off of weeds or brush, to be engulfed by a fish. I don't remember when I started this, but I've realized I've done it a long time. I think many good fisherman probably do this too. Of course, we can't see under water. We can only imagine through feel and bait type how it looks to a bass.Does anyone else turn on an underwater screen once your lure enters the water? I'm curious about this.I imagine most of the better anglers do this, many without even realizing it. If nothing else, it keeps you on the ready for those light strikes, which are often the biggest fish. Using your mind as much as your tackle to hook more bass.

[papajoe222]

I don't take it to the level that you mention. However, I do envision a bass eyeballing my presentation on every cast. It's the way I stay in tune with what my bait is doing. When I loose focus, I loose that connection I have with whatever bait I'm using that tells me what's going on. It's one of the reasons that I like fishing alone.

My wife questioned how I can go three or four hours without a bite and maintain that focus or concentration. I told  here that  there's the biggest fish I've ever caught out there somewhere and I need to be ready when it takes my offering.

[Brew City Bass]

I guess I do, but without ever really realizing or thinking about it. 

Specifically moving baits. If I am throwing a crank, I can pretty much always guess where it's at in the water column or when I'm about to hit that log I found on my downscan. 

[scaleface]

I dont do this . A lack of imagination?  I'm focused on how the lure feels   .  

[Deleted account]

I don't envision it. I vision it, in a pool or really clear lake I have near me. I started doing it to tune crank baits, and it evolved to seeing how different lure react to different retrieves. 

[TOXIC]

Excellent observation!!!  When I throw a Senko.....the do nothing, idiot bait that many claim it is......As soon as it hits the water, I immediately go into what I call "the zone".  I get a lot of grief from my fishing friends because of it because everything around me goes blank and in my "minds eye" (that's what I call it), I am watching the bait fall underwater.  Because I block out my external senses, my focus is on touch through the rod, a side view of my line at 2 points (1. where the lure is pulling it into the water and 2. where the line exits the water closest to my rod) and the action of the bait as it falls.  All of these senses are heightened.  They go off the chart when I perceive a bite and go "on point" deciding whether or not to pull the trigger on a hookset.  IMHO those who can get to this level of concentration do very well with plastics/jigs/swimbaits, etc.  It's almost a Zen experience for me.  Nerdy......maybe.......but it works very well for me.  

[J Francho]

15 hours ago, Mobasser said:

How many folks envision what your baits are doing, and what they look like after your cast?

Yes.  In fact, this is exactly what good jig fisherman do.

[CrankFate]

5 hours ago, reason said:

I don't envision it. I vision it, in a pool or really clear lake I have near me. I started doing it to tune crank baits, and it evolved to seeing how different lure react to different retrieves. 

Me too. I don’t envision it. I verify what everything I fish with looks like in the water in clear water. And I know what most things I contact on the bottom are when I can’t see them. I put knowing exactly what your offering looks like as one of the most important things there is to know. I’d go as far as to say nearly everything else is based on that. From rod, to line to reel selection and any hardware you might add (I avoid hardware as much as possible). I usually fish several weigh classes lighter than what is recommend to make sure I know what’s going on underwater. When I’m not catching any fish, I can still spend the whole day on getting all of the movements right for when there are fish biting.  That and see what anyone else is doing and never thinking I got it right. Because every time I’m sure I got everything right, I’ll see someone else doing something else that indicates I got it wrong.

[AO2point4]

I find this very interesting.  I bet most of my strikes from fish come when I am completely zoned out, thinking about why the Brewers haven't made a significant trade yet, or listening to a my favorite podcast.  When I'm really focused on fishing I think I try to work m bait too much and potentially mess up it's natural action.

[Black Hawk Basser]

I definitely do this, especially with slower tactics.  I don't really imagine that a bass is always looking; I think if I always did that, I would try a little too hard to trigger bites to the point where I am doing too much.