Three life styles of bass

[LONGEARS]

Biologist in our area maintain there is 3 types of bass.Those that live shallow all thier lives,those that live deep all thier lives and those than move back and forth.

Do you believe this to be true and if so how does it affect your thought process?

[L.D.]

I find it hard to believe, but who am I to contradict a fish biologist. I believe I'll still fish for those who move back and forth. So I guess my thoughts haven't changed.

L.D.

[roadwarrior]

No. My observation is that big fish suspend or stage in deep water and occassionally chase prey in shallow water where they are sometimes caught. This leads fishermen to believe big fish are in shallow water and is probably why so many guys beat the bank. I consistantly catch bigger fish deep and smaller fish (bank runners) shallow.

[Raul]

NO, predatory fish move up and down the water column and close and away from the bank depending upon the movements of their food source because also the food source changes location looking for it 's food source.  The fact that you are able to catch a fish in one location and catch it again later or days after that only means that the location is a prime hotspot, it offers the fish all it needs, cover, structure, ambush point and it 's on the path the prey follows but that location can be a hotspot today but maybe tommorrow it won 't. Unless the lake is an old natural, bowl shaped shallow lake where plankton can grow there 's nothing to feed upon in the middle of the lake. Bottom feeding fish like carp are another story because they feed on debris but predatory fish need to feed upon something alive.

[5bass]

I have to agree with roadwarrior on this one.(Except during the spawn)....up until about 8-9 years ago I was a shallow water bass fisherman.Yes,I caught my share of fish but seldom any over 3-4 pounds.....I got a wild idea and ordered some DD22's and a couple of Mann's 20+ from Bass Pro.When they arrived,I immediately headed to the lake and started throwing them.Almost instantly I was hooked on the deep water bite.Usually if you are throwing a DD22 and get bit,it will be a quality fish.I fish deep 90% of the time now,mostly with a deep crankbait and a couple different color Ledgebuster spinnerbaits.You can cover a whole lot of water in a short peiod of time.

I am a firm believer that the bigger bass are in deeper water.

[Gatorbassman]

If a bass lives its entire life in deep water how can it ever accomplish its only goal in life, spawning. This is a bunch of junk. I would like to see the study data.  

    A good rule of thumb is to fish shallow during the spawn and fish deeper the rest of the year for quality fish. Fish will hold at the deepest possible place in their area of the lake and not be very active. When they are ready to feed they will move up shallower, stopping at breakpoints (structure on the edge of a drop or change in bottom contour)along the way. The schools of big fish tend to stay at deeper breakpoints for safety reasons, and the smaller schools will move to shallow water. If you are casting to the bank, the fish are probably under your boat. This us only my opinion but it has worked for me.

[abelfisher]

Yeah....What they said! ;D ;D

[TommyBass]

Alright guys, heres what I think.   I have fished for many years, plus am studying biology right now in college.  There are going to be bass that spend the majority of their time doing all three.  What people have to understand about animals is that they behave just as people and other animals do. (including fish)  Bass do move shallow to deep and back to shallow, its proven fact, and people catch fish because they know these patterns.  However, just like you and me, individual fish can prefer certain areas over others, spending a majority of their time in cerain areas and its actually easy to tell which ones are which, especially during the summer.  Now obviously fish arnt going to be in 2 ft of water in the winter all the time, thats just plain stupid. (not sayin they may for an hour or something but you know what I mean)  But for example, have not you ever caught a fish that is so dark its almost weird?  The pigment in a largemouths skin tans just like a humans, and odds are that fish spends more time shallow then others.  Later on your fishing down the bank and you catch one thats dang near white.  Odds are that fish is one that prefers deep water, that may have moved up just for a quick bite.  Youll notice in waters that are deeper, and clearer, where the fish would naturally be more likely to go deep, that they are lighter in color, whereas waters such as ponds and lakes with muddier water, fish move shallower easier cuz the sun isnt as big of a factor to their eyes.  But the UV rays still can get down through the water and tan them to a darker color.  Well now that ive explained how fish get tans in detail, all I am really trying to say is that fish do move, but the majority probably do prefer something more then something else, its natural for living things.  Some people like moutains, others beaches.  

  This is my input anyways!

 

PS..... o ya and the spawning thing, thats not really an issue, some fish spawn later and earlier then others. (another preferance)  Also, largemouth beds can be found as deep as 15 ft (from what I have seen, maybe more?) when conditions are right, so they could techniqually stay down there if they felt like it.  But like I said they still may go up now and then, just prefer the deeper.

[Sam]

I suggest purchasing the three videos, Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and Feeding Habits of Bass, which will give you wonderful insight into the fish and its habits.  You may find them at either Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas.  If not, you can order them from Wet & Wild Images, P. O. Box 480, Silver Springs, Florida 34489, (800) 661-4286.  Uncle Homer suggested Bigmouth to me a number of years ago when he autographed his book for me and I then obtained the followup videos. They are very interesting and can help you understand the animal and its habits.

[scbassin]

Tommybass. I almost agree with you.  You will find bass in all 3 area's. Where you live also has a lot to do with it. How far will a bass travel? What is deep? If a bass moves from 2' to 10' did he move deep? What about water temp.? If a bass has cover, deeper water near by, & food I don't think they move to far. They don't have to. The lowest I saw the water temp. on the lake this year was 45 degrees & that was not for long. In January I caught a bass in a foot of water that was between 6 & 7lbs(temp 48)  & just last week caught 11 bass in 1 to 8 feet. 1 of them went between 7 & 8. Water temp 50. You will find bass shallow year round if you find the 3 items I mentioned.