Which would they hit first?

[Chris]

If a largemouth bass had an option between a shad, bluegill, or crawfish which do you think it would hit first?

[Skeeter6598]

I believe that would depend on the situation.  What they are keying on, etc...

If the blue gill, shad and crawfish are all healthy and not wounded or dying, I'd believe that they would eat the crawfish first. Being oppurtunist that they are they are going for the easiest prey. Then again this would be completely hard to know and would depend on many factors!

[5bass]

Shad

[Chris]

LOL I started out with a large post then I started thinking naw I better keep it simple. What I had originally was In spring, summer, fall, and winter which bait would they hit most in each season.

[5bass]

My answer would still be the same regardless of the season.

[razyrsharpe]

i read not too long ago of a study that was done to determine what the favorite prey of LMB was.  i won't go into the whole scenario of it but the put an equal number of shad and crawfish in a huge aquarium tank and when it was all said and done, the bass ate the crawfish almost 4 to 1 over the shad.  it did not take into acct. (or at least it didn't say so) whether or not it tracked healthy vs. injured specimens or not.  all in all, i think it is whatever they have been conditioned to see as food in the location they are that determines their "favorite".

[GobbleDog]

I'd guess the crawfish since they're probably the easiest for the bass to catch.

[Rattlinrogue]

I read that same article.I'd go with crawdads.

[Landis76]

I believe I'd go with that new hybrid forage, Blue Shadads.  

[Big_Bass_Rich]

Crawfish are the preferred forage of bass, anywhere. They are easy to catch and high in protein.

[HoosierAngler]

Another vote for crawfish!

[Siebert Outdoors]

I would have to say crawfish also

[2_Poppa]

Crawfish! With a little Ta-bass-co...

[Pond-Pro]

     Shad !!!!!!  Bluegill have sharp spines and crawfish have pinchers. Shad are easy to swallow. I would have to vote for shad.

[Chris]

I would say that it would depend on what is the prominent forage in the body of water. If the lake don't have crawfish or shad then as far as live bait goes they would hit bluegills. If the bass lives in open water they would feed on shad. If the bass lives shallow around docks or weeds they are more likely to see bluegills and feed on them. If they live around rocks crawfish might be the most prominent forage. If a crawfish falls from the sky and drops next to a dock or in weeds or swim its way out to deeper water will a bass pass it up? heck no! In dirty water I don't think a bass knows the difference between a shad or bluegill or even a crawfish. I think a bass knows it has an opportunity to feed on something that is easy to catch. If its around the size what they are feeding on or acts like it hurt or easy to catch they hit it. I don't think that a bass knows what he is feeding on unless he has been feeding on the same thing for a period of time. Like crawfish in the spring for example. When the water temp is about 50 degrees the crawfish crawl out of the mud. All of a sudden there is high populations of crawfish that a month earlier was not there. Bass change their feeding mood to feeding on crawfish because its there. If the crawfish populations get eaten up they might change to shad.

[Nick_Barr]

crawdads!!

[BD]

They are lazy "hunters" in search for an EASY and quick meal.....crawfish all the way.

[5bass]

In the lake I fish,shad are plentiful.....the bass here will feed on shad all day long,I guess that's why I answered the way I did.

One of the first things I do when I hit the lake is look for shad or call some bass club buddies to find out where the bigger concentrations of shad are.That's where I go.(Except for spawn time of course,the bass arent real hard to find then).And usually if you find shad pods,the bass are not real far away.I was taught to "find the shad-find the bass"

[clooney]

Could be shad...like where Fivebass fishes. Could be crawfish in a lot of waters...Could be bluegill in certain waters. Depends on the body of water.  In an enclosed tank I believe crawfish would be the easiest to catch.

[rumz3]

Sounds unanimous, the lake forage dictates the bass preferences.  Make so much sense to me.  If you live next to a Steak n Shake, would you drive 30 minutes to eat at Dairy Queen???  I doubt it.  

[Gatorbassman]

Here is a link to a DNR study on Allatoona Lake just north of Atlanta Georgia. It might shed a little light on this subject.

http://www.allatoonateamtournament.com/DNR/ALLATOONA_BLACK_BASS_DIET_DATA.pdf

[DePoy79]

it all depends on what there habitat usually offers