Theory on why bass or other gamefish can at time become very selective.

[king fisher]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:59 PM, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Sounds like you need a dog

My dog is not allowed in the hospital

[Nitrofreak]

I tend to think a little differently about going about that, I figure I can not change the course of nature so why try and force my hand, I just pick up the trolling motor and try something else, somewhere else, sometimes I will spend hours on the graph on days like that especially before I find something I like but it’s usually worth the effort.

 

Our underwater environment is something we are still in the stone ages of understanding, those little pea brained advisories have seemingly millions of years of evolution to their credit stored in their little DNA infused gray matter, it would seem that they need very little data to perform the simplest day to day tasks.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

21 hours ago, king fisher said:

My dog is not allowed in the hospital

Just make sure sure not to shoot him then

[king fisher]

Shoulder Surgery successful, out of the hospital now, on way less medication, no more crazy posts.

[Cdn Angler]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:47 PM, king fisher said:

I am recovering from a shoulder injury, and have way to much time on my hands to think about bass behavior and come up with theories, that could be describe as boredom BS.  I apologize for being long winded in advance.  Until a bass is able to talk, the question, why bass can become so selective at times, and at other times hit anything they can get down their mouths will never be answered, but this is my best guess. I wont be offended by anyone who calls BS on some or all of my theory.

       I consider bass exceptional hunters, and often compare them to human hunters when trying to make sense of their predatory ways.  

       I'm going hunting one day in the early fall, I can legally shoot ducks, geese, rabbits, pheasants, and quail.  I like all of the game equally, and have a shot gun and amo that will work equally well for everything.  I know a field that has lots of rabbits, and considering the weather is warm, and most of the ducks are still north of me, I feel I have the best chance of being successful targeting the bunnies.  The grass is taller than usual, making it difficult to hit the rabbits as they run away.  After missing a few, I realize if I spot them before they take off running I can get a quick shot in and am successful.  The key to spotting them quickly is to spot their white ears, when they raise there heads.  I become very focused on any slight movement, and a flash of white.  This works but takes total concentration.  I am so concentrated on looking for white ears, I don't even notice the weather cooling and a few ducks flying over head.  Having to focus has made me selective.  Even though I don't favor rabbits over the other animals, in order to get the rabbits which are the most plentiful game, I have to concentrate so hard to find them I ignore all other game.

         After I get a few rabbits, I take a break, and notice a duck flying over head.  I shoot the duck, and wonder how many have flown over my while I was busy looking down concentrating in the tall grass.  I start looking at the sky more often, and see more ducks, but start missing the rabbits from lack of focus.  It is difficult to look up at the sky and at the ground at the same time, so I give up on the rabbits all together, and start to look up at the horizon hoping to see more ducks.  This works and I bag a few ducks.  The ducks are very colorful, but the color, size, or how they fly makes no difference to me, because I can see them silhouette against the sky and they fly straight making them easy targets.  Problem is the ducks don't fly over the same place, and when I try and change my position to get in their fly way they spook out of range.  

     I know there is a pond over the next hill where the ducks will probably concentrate so I decide to go there.  While I walk to the pond I am ready not only for ducks to fly over, but I could easily flush a pheasant or quail so I am basically ready shoot anything that moves.  I get to the pond and hide in the tall grass on the shore.  This works, and soon I have many ducks and even a couple of geese.  No need to be selective because tactics for the geese are the same as the ducks.  Again, I am not concentrating on size, color, or movement to get them.  I can see the ducks coming from a great distance and don't have to concentrate on finding them like I did the rabbits.  This gives me time to look around while waiting for more ducks.  I spot a pheasant and a covey of quail moving out of the cover to feed.  I decide I can sneek over an shoot a couple of them and still get back to my hide in time for the next flight of ducks.  I am not being selective on what I shoot, because I don't have to focus on any one thing in order to be successful.  Now the fog moves in.  I can't see the ducks coming, and the pheasants have ran and hid.  I am about to go back to the rabbit field, when I hear a goose honk.  I go to where I here the noise, and get close enough to get a goose.  Now I become focused on the sound of geese, and shut out any other distractions.  Due to the fog I am becoming selective again.   All the other animals are still there, but I must concentrate on one thing, sound if I am to be successful.

    The fog clears and It is time to walk back to my car.  On the way I go back to shoot anything that moves mode.  I get a pheasant, but miss a couple of rabbits, because like before I have a hard time hitting the rabbits once they get going, and because I'm not focused only on finding the head movement and white ears I don't see them in time to shoot before they run. 

     I feel bass are no different than other hunters.  Sometimes like the hunter with the rabbits, they have to focus in order to find and catch their prey, these times they can be selective and matching the hatch- movement, size, color, sound, smell, individually or in combination, may be the only way to catch them.  Other times what they are feeding on doesn't require a certain tactic, is not difficult to catch, or does not require extreme focus.  Making matching the hatch less important.  Then there are those times, when there is no particular prey and they are basically shooting at anything that moves.

     This is why when someone tells me a bass will eat anything they can get their mouths around, I will say yes and no or when someone tells me bass are selective feeders I give the same answer.  Not because they are selective, or smart, but because they are efficient hunters.   I live for the times, when they are in shoot anything that moves mode, but am prepared to match the hatch. 

 

      

 

It's a MASSIVE difference when 1) you have unlimited food/energy sources to fuel your hunting b) your hunting, though getting around is taxing, requires nothing more than taking a shot and doesnt require energy. 

 

A better equivalency would be to think about yourself with zero food and having to chase down your prey rather than shooting them. That's a bass' predicament for you.