My “trends”

[RHuff]

 

We all know that there are no “rules” in bass fishing as everything is constantly changing but there are a few trends I have learned and to “live” by after fishing a full season with Live Sonar. This is just me talking and your experiences are different but for the sake of a good convo… 

 

1. Bass are always near bait - either following schools, near cover to ambush bait, or on the bottom near bait…If there are no bait in an area it’s a pretty unproductive area.. find an area with a lot of bait there will generally always be bass close by

 

2. Bass seek shade in hot conditions BUT where there is bait nearby be it fry near docks, bluegills near weeds, bait near lay-downs etc..  

 

3. Depth really is only relevant when there is bait present.. If the bait is shallow there will be bass shallow and if the bait is out deep there will be bass deep too near by… This answers the whole shall i fish deep or shallow today delimma..

 

I think you guys and gals can see my point…

 

 

I idle around looking at clearvu and side scan to find bait and cover/structure..  Once I find that I locate bass on Livescope.. after that I try to catch them.. that’s the hard part.. When they all three line up though it’s a thing of beauty…

 

[TnRiver46]

Interesting stuff. I hear a lot of pros say fish won’t show up on live if they are glued to the bottom, maybe those are the ones that aren’t near bait ? 

[WRB]

Crawdads are bait on the bottom, bass move rocks don’t!

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

@RHuff: Does locating bait and then casting, understanding that bass are nearby, increase your anticipation? I ask because when I see a bass feeding, my cast to that spot is loaded with anticipation. I'm then guessing that you'd feel that rush much of the time for you're always casting to bait and nearby bass.

[RHuff]

 

I’ve seen many bass on FFS rise up from the abyss of bottom out of thin air and start cruising the bottom then vanish back into the bottom.. 

 

I always look for a school of bass either trailing a bait ball or a group of bass sitting right under it… 

[Jar11591]

1. I’ve found this to be a double edged sword. Some of the lakes I fish have massive schools of yellow perch, and the smallmouth gorge on them. But when I attempt to fish around the massive schools of perch, I can’t even buy a bite. Why would they take my offering when it’s only 1/10,000? So I’d much rather fish in a location that looks good without any signs of bait, then I would somewhere with so much bait that it’s all you can see. 
 

2. I seem to do better in sunny conditions than I do in cloudy or lowlight conditions, and if not better at least as good. That being said, “shady” spots do hold more fish when the sun is high. For example, when I’m frogging the lily pads, it’s rare that I don’t wait until the sun is up. Before that, I’ll usually be in open water with a popper. 
 

3. I believe depth is an important factor in a good spot. The right depth may not make a bad spot good, but it can make a good spot great. The more experienced I get, the deeper I find myself fishing. 

[A-Jay]

My version of 'trends' when looking for big brown bass..

In no particular order,

but they all matter.

- Quality balanced tackle including line and terminal tackle never goes out of style.

- Accurate, LONG casts radically out produce the opposite.

- It ALL Starts with Proper boat position and it trumps everything. 

- Long hours on the water for any trip for me never changes how, where or when the fish will feed.

   But being there when they do has proven to be a good way to get a few. 

- Since Both Bass & bait have free will, I am considerably more open minded than I used to be.

 Meaning I've stopped looking for trends.

So if and when seasonal patterns are not producing, I may expand on them a little to see if 

  I can get onto something.

 But you can bet it won't be a whopper plopper or a glide bait.

A-Jay

 

[SkippinJimmy]

I definitely consider “trends” (tendencies) when I fish and I think every fisherman considers them to a certain extent every time they are on the water.  Whether it’s bass preferring edges, sunlight repositioning bass, seasonal tendencies around bass migrations, etc., I believe trends can help lessen unproductive time on the water.  You could even argue that successful pattern fishing is just the identification of a short term trend.

 

I also believe bass can be very difficult to impossible to identify with their belly in the dirt.

[Swamp Girl]

12 hours ago, A-Jay said:

But you can bet it won't be a whopper plopper

 

Wh-what???!!!???

 

Full disclosure: I use Whopper Ploppers less and less.

[Hogs_n_Logs]

Primary thing thats really crystallized this year for me is 9 times out of 10 trying to "feed" the bass a lure is the best way to turn off a strike. 

[A-Jay]

16 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Wh-what???!!!???

 

Full disclosure: I use Whopper Ploppers less and less.

Me too ~

A-Jay

[Swamp Girl]

@A-Jay:

 

A. Nice pike.

 

B. I always admire how neat your boat is. 

 

C. And I envy how little your boat moves when a fish is hooked. Muskies especially will take a canoe for a ride, but lmb do too.

[Catt]

I've 2 things with FFS 

1. I can catch bass with FFS 

2. I can get skunked with FFS 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

I've 2 things with FFS 

1. I can catch bass with FFS 

2. I can get skunked with FFS 

 

I get skunked when there's snow on the ground and I'm casting from shore. Granted, I don't cast long in those circumstances. Ten casts and I'm done, but it's good to simply cast. 

[senile1]

22 hours ago, A-Jay said:

- Long hours on the water for any trip for me never changes how, where or when the fish will feed.

   But being there when they do has proven to be a good way to get a few. 

 

 Very important on slow days, IMO.

[Mobasser]

I like both Catts and A- Jays comments here. With Catt, you can still strike out with FFS. And with A-Jay, long hours on the water, and timing. You've got to be out there when the fish are biting.             It's been said before here on BR, we can't force feed the fish. It's 100 percent true.

[Catt]

Even with FFS next after location is timing; just because you don't get bit does not mean the bass aren't there or you tied on the wrong lure. It could just be they simply aren't feeding. 

.

To consistently catch bass is a process of elimination & duplication. Eliminate patterns & waters that are non-productive, & duplicate patterns and waters that are productive. 

[Team9nine]

“Find the bait - Find the bass”

 

Not directed at the OP, as a simple Google search will pull up tons of other references to this quote, but it’s possibly the most overused, misleading and worthless piece of advice in bass fishing - IMHO. There, I feel better now 🤭 

[A-Jay]

25 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

“Find the bait - Find the bass”

Not directed at the OP, as a simple Google search will pull up tons of other references to this quote, but it’s possibly the most overused, misleading and worthless piece of advice in bass fishing - IMHO. There, I feel better now 🤭 

 Not real certain as to this statements collective scale of use,

but I can openly admit it was my own mantra at least 50% of the time.

After varied and somewhat less than desired results,

I have since come up with my own version of this one.

It's close but with one major change.

"Find the Bass - Find the Bass".

Seems to produce better for me at least. 

Now I feel better as well.

A-Jay

 

[Tennessee Boy]

Most of the time I can find bait in 30 seconds or less. In the fall there is often bait literally everywhere.  So it’s more complicated than just finding the bait.   Now I do pay very close attention to the depth of the bait.