Learned Something New About Bass Behavior

[the reel ess]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:25 AM, gunsinger said:

Are bass, and other game fish, smart enough to associate an overhead object with danger? 

Even a worm can learn from negative stimuli. Bass that have been caught could associate that shadow with being yanked out of the water by their lips. That said, bass often bite baits right at the boat. I suspect sometimes hunger or instinct gets in the way of those negative associations and they just can't help themselves.

[BassNJake]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

2/3 rds that stayed was after doing figure 8s over the top of them with the outboard & all electronics on. The depth range was 8'-30'!

 

Of that 2/3, 27% spooked when cast to with a 1/2 oz Texas Rig. The bass holding in 8' of water didn't spook with the boat directly over head while drop shoting them.

 

I'd like to see this study with ME casting to that 2/3 that stayed.

I bet I spook more than 27% ?

 

 

4 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Even a worm can learn from negative stimuli. Bass that have been caught could associate that shadow with being yanked out of the water by their lips. That said, bass often bite baits right at the boat. I suspect sometimes hunger or instinct gets in the way of those negative associations and they just can't help themselves.

Fishing the toad a lot has taught me to always kill it a couple feet from the boat.

It's like some sort of tunnel vision brought on by the chase

I dont know if its the change in speed as it gets closer to the boat

or if they think that if the bait makes it to the boat they cant eat it

But I have had some absolute smashings right at the boat when killing the bait

[the reel ess]

21 minutes ago, BassNJake said:

Fishing the toad a lot has taught me to always kill it a couple feet from the boat.

It's like some sort of tunnel vision brought on by the chase

I dont know if its the change in speed as it gets closer to the boat

or if they think that if the bait makes it to the boat they cant eat it

But I have had some absolute smashings right at the boat when killing the bait

I learned to not yank a jig out of the water after a bass chased one right up so close I could have grabbed it. I caught that fish. It's that instinct of something getting away that overrules all.

[J Francho]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:20 AM, Sam said:

He stated, paraphrasing as best I can, "that the bass were in and holding tight to the structure as seen on the screen as the boat approached the target. However, when the boat arrived closer to the structure the bass moved away from the structure in one school as they knew that the boat above them was not a friendly encounter."

Could this have simply been a bit of marketing to promote using forward facing sonar?  

[Catt]

These studies showed what I already knew.

 

About the time I think I have them figured out...they prove to me I don't!

[TnRiver46]

9 minutes ago, Catt said:

These studies showed what I already knew.

 

About the time I think I have them figured out...they prove to me I don't!

At least you’ll admit it!!

 

Since I work with wildlife everyday, people always want the creatures to follow human patterns. “I see the skunk every night at 9:30 so that’s when you’ll catch it if you put the trap right there. Oh and put some cantaloupe in the trap, google says they like that.” It’s mildly infuriating to have someone who has never caught a skunk tell someone who has done it 40 hours a week for 15 years just how it’s done. 
 

the same thing applies to bass fishing. If I’m fishing a shallow cove in prespawn with a rattle trap, automatically I should catch a 12 lb bass because I read it in a magazine or on google.
 

Creatures are unpredictable and most people refuse to admit it 

[JLBBass]

On 8/17/2021 at 10:14 AM, J Francho said:

Any chance it's emissions from the transducer itself causing the negative response?

^^^that's why, when fishing shallow cover in a familiar area, I have my graphs turned off.

[J Francho]

I leave mine on, and it hasn't hurt anything.

[Catt]

11 hours ago, J Francho said:

I leave mine on, and it hasn't hurt anything.

 

When the boat is backed down & the outboard hits water, I fire it up & turn the electronics on. When I return to launch is when I turn em off.

[desmobob]

My sonar goes on just after I launch, while the engine is warming up before I take off fishing.  I turn it off when I tie up to the dock to go get my vehicle and trailer.  

 

Maybe I should try fishing all day without turning it on to see if it's scaring fish away...

[Buzzbaiter]

On 8/17/2021 at 7:25 AM, gunsinger said:

Are bass, and other game fish, smart enough to associate an overhead object with danger? 

I fish for trout, and if you stand right above them (or anywhere within eyeshot of them), they hide and refuse to bite. I imagine that pressured bass also do the same thing when they see a boat above them