following baitfish

[blanked]

i feel by far most of my bites come from reaction instead of feeding.  since bass only feed for a short period of time how much time do you spend looking for baitfish?   for example if the winds pick up in the afternoon why fish on the downwind side where the baitfish are if the bass are not even in a feeding mode???  

[Maineiac]

I don't know I guess it depends on the lake. There are days I will spend a considerable amount of time just slowly motoring around watching my electronics to see where the bait are and how they are relating to the structure. If you find bait and you find where their path will intersect with a depth where bass can be expected to hold eventually you are going to catch fish if the bait you are throwing and the manner in which you are fishing it coincides with what the bass are expecting. It is all matter of percentages. The percent chance of getting bit increases as you fish where fish hold and fish hold where there is easy access to food.

In lakes with bait species that are pelagic in nature you will most always have some fish following those schools and those fish are quite often catchable. I think this might be more true with Smallie than Largemouths but I have taken bass of both species out from under or in proximity to these moving schools of bait. In lakes with alwive populations this can be especially true and from what I have read is also true with shad lakes at least some of the time. I guess wind or no wind I would stay on the area of the lake that presents the fish with the most feeding opportunities.

[ernel]

In the fall and winter months, I will always be fishing near bait schools. Simple fact being that the bass are there. In the fall the bass are trying to build there body fat for the coming winter, so they are hot on their heels . And in the winter because the bass are holding close to the baitfish waiting for the time that they are in the feeding mode. The bass are using as little energy as possible due to there lowerd metabolism, so they will not eat as often, and will not want to move great distances to find food either.

During summer months, I am more interested in knowing at what depth the baitfish are holding as opposed to exactly where they are.  Once I find this depth, I am more interested in finding structure that intersects this depth. Then once I have found this I will look for the baitfish again on that piece of structure.

[Guest avid]

I have to agree that alot of my fish are definitly reaction bites.  But even if the bass are not in "feeding mode" they will still not pass up an easy meal.  I think the success of the Senko is a good example of that.  Thats why I love ratltraps.  They are great for reaction bites.  So I can cast to the shoreline with a jig or worm, but use another rod with a ratltrap or crankbait to quickly fish the water away from the shoreline looking for that reaction strike.

[Chris]

For me it depends. Sometimes bait fish is the #1 element I look for other times the best cover or structure in a given area. If I am fishing feeding areas I try to look for activity and bait fish is part of it. If the lake is dead then cover and structure is my first option. If bait fish is in a given area most of the time your dealing with active fish. Some lakes the way the wind blows and the areas that are blown into can point you to active fish same as current. If bait fish isn't in the area I am fishing and the cover or structure just looks fishy then I fish it I don't write it off for lack of bait fish.