How do YOU find a pattern?

[Top]

I always read about "let the fish tell you what they want".. GOOD IDEA... but... HOW?

Let me know how YOU find a pattern...

the more specific the better...

thanks for helping me be a better angler...

AL

[RoLo]

First, you have to catch a bass (ah hah!).

Then you must observe the natural features that the bass may have been relating to.

For instance, he was in windblown water and was next to a stump that had hydrilla on one side.

The more bass you catch in that same scenario, the stronger the pattern.

Now, if you limit your search to windward shores where wood meets hydrilla, you have eliminated

the majority of the lake and narrowed down your search. So, regardless of where you "think"

the bass should be, only the bass can tell you the pattern-of-the-day.

Enter the Monkey Wrench: On any given day there are generally multiple patterns

Roger

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Remeber though it's MUCH easier said than done.

Most important is ...... Loacation, Location, Location. A bass that is not there won't bite the perfect bait. Now a bass that is there has a chance to bite your bait even if it's not the perfect one.

Now once you narrow down location, take into account how the bass you catch are hooked. If they are hooked good and deep inside the mouth (all trebles inside the mouth for cranks, topwaters, jerkabits, etc.) ...... you now have the "perfect" bait in the "perfect" location and a ........... PATTERN.

[DCE Basser]

That's what I'm trying to find out as well.

[Guest avid]

the key is catching bass and recording in your mind as many details as possible.  water depth, temp, structure, cover, terrain features, type of bait, type of presentation and more.

In my opinion this is one of the key details that separates good anglers from great ones.  Being able to notice subtletees and reconginzing similar occurances.  For example.  You and I might say we found a patttern using spinnerbaits in the weeds.

A great fisherman will know what kind of weed, what is adjacent to the particular weed, how deep is it, where is it in relation to drop-offs etc. etc. etc.

It's one of the reasons why some pro's consistantly finish in the money.  Details.

[Top]

I found the PERFECT Pattern two weeks ago when I caught that 5 pounder... a swim jig. I caught 13 bass in one day on a SMALL pond.... hahahahaha but since then I have not caught one bass *sigh* I can't find that new pattern...

AL

[flechero]

Al,

Don't try to out think the lake... (none of us are that smart anyway!)

I don't worry about a pattern anymore, at least not anything too specific.  Since I know the lake well enough to know where fish normally are and I usually fish plastics, I don't make the effort to establish a pattern beyond which color plastic, depth and cover or structure.

But in cases of new water, tourneys, etc., you have to cover water and use a variety of baits to establish a pattern.  

[Deuceu72]

It's one of the reasons why some pro's consistantly finish in the money. Details.

[Shad_Master]

Again, not trying to hijack the thread, but this relates to a question I posted a few weeks back and the responses (while appreciated) didn't really get to the answer.  Can you establish a pattern on just one fish? In other words if I catch a fish on a wind-blown stump with hydrilla on one side, is this enough to make me concentrate on this pattern or do I need to be able to repeat that on another part of the lake in order to feel that I have a "pattern"?

[Raul]

To establish a "pattern" the first thing you should do is: when you arrive at the lake sit down and look at the lake, heck grab a smoke, grab a sandwich, grab a Coke; puff, drink or eat and take your time to analize what the lake is going to tell you before you tie anything.

1.- What 's the temperature of the water ?

2.- The wind is blowing ? from where to where and how fast ? has it been blowing for the last few days ?

3.- Is it cloudy or not ? what kind of clouds ?

4.- Has it rained lately ? how much and for how long ?

5.- Is the water clear, muddy or murky ? how much visibility there is ? what 's the color of the water ?

6.- The forage base is formed by what: shad, minnows, bluegills, carp, crawfish ?

Etc, etc, etc.

It 's in the information in those little details that tells you where the fish will be, how active they will be and those determine what you should fish, where you should fish it and when you should fish it. If you don 't listen to what the lake is telling you you are going to fish by "luck".

[RoLo]

Can you establish a pattern on just one fish?

Not at all, but you're one fish closer.

Only the bass or lack of bass can tell you if you're own personal assessment is on track.

As I noted above, the more bass taken in the "same scenario", the stronger the pattern.

It's just like the stock market, the fundamentals of a company may suggest a great investment,

but if the price keeps heading down, your decision to buy was the wrong decision.

An angler may be wrong, but bass are always right, so the wise angler is a trend follower.

Roger

[cart7t]

Here's how I try and describe pattern fishing.  It's different than what's called "slop" fishing.  

In any lake, there are fish located in many different areas.  In any given cove or arm of a lake, you may have groups of fish relating to different types of structure or cover.  Often, the fish or fish that relate to certain pieces of cover or structure are more catchable than the other fish or fish on other cover or structure.  When you catch a bass, the first thing you need to do is pay attention to where you caught it, how you caught it and how aggresively the fish attacked your lure.  If you caught that fish on a rocky point, on a crankbait banging on the bottom you need to keep throwing there and attempt to catch another.  It would be worth it to try another rocky point with the same technique.  Keep in mind things like wind direction, current, cover associated with the rocky point, those all might play in to the overall picture.  If you repeat by catching another fish on that point or another you're onto a pattern for that day.  At this point you could try experimenting with different crankbaits or a slightly different retrieves.  You'll find you can duplicate this same fish catching scenario (crankbaits on rocky points) in other areas of the lake.

Slop fishing, OTOH, is approaching all types of cover and/or structure, as it comes along, and attempting through various methods to catch whatever fish might be hanging on that cover or structure.  you might be throwing 5 different baits throughout the day and catching fish all over the place without any sort of pattern to it at all.  Woo Daves was one of the best "slop" tournament fisherman ever.  Often, on small lakes, slop fishing is the best approach.

[KS_Bassin]

I agree with Raul I take a bunch of little bits of information. What is the water temp? What is the weather like? How clear/dirty is the water? What kind of cover? TIme of year? What kind of bass i'm fishing for smallmouth/largemouth? How hard/soft the wind is blowing? I have many things i analyze and try to stick them together to figure out step one.  ;D After that i then rig up multiple baits that i believe will produce fish for the given conditions and i constantly keep changing rods to give the fish multiple baits and hopefully start to find a pattern. Sometimes the pattern comes quick and other times it may take all day the main thing i believe is PATIENCE and NEVER GIVE UP the worst days may teach you the most.

[Redtail]

OK so we sit down and analyze the conditions, clear water, wind from the sourthwest, water high, recent rain and cloudy etc etc.  I think we all do this to some extent.  But I think what AL is asking is what do we do with that particular information.  Does each one of those things relate to a different retrieve or presentation.  I know there is no one answer, but the new fisherman (like myself) really don't know what to do with this information.  In other does cloudy mean use spinnerbaits, does high water mean it's gonna be tough bite, should we just fish wind blown shores, because of recent rain are the fish more aggressive?  I know it's not an easy answer and it probably comes from experience, but it is difficult for the newbees to analyze this type of information.  Do a lot of you guys have this probem?  I sure do!

[Guest avid]

You can and should analyze the conditions you are greeted with when you arrive at the lake.

A really good fisherman will make more accurate analysis than one who is less skilled.

But untill you get out on the water and start catching bass, your analysis is basically a theory.

You need to catch fish to establish patterns with certainty.  

[Raul]

The difference between a consisitent anglers and non consistent one is the way those itsy bitsy pieces of information are put together, you are the one who makes a good day. Each piece of information you see means something Redtail.

Water temperature is a crucial piece of information because it rules the methabolism of the fish, bass can tolarate a wide range of temperatures but bass has a comfort zone, the temperature at which the fish will be at it 's own, bass feel at home in water between 19-22 °C, lower than that the fish will be less active, higher than that fish will also be less active. In the practice: if you are fishing let 's say a flat where the water temperature is above 22°C most probably fish won 't even be there, and the ones you can find will be where the water is cooler, like undernearth weeds or on the shady side of objects. What to do with the information: why bother in casting right and left all over the flat if the fish are hiding where the water is a couple of degrees cooler ? cast to the shady side, cast to the holes in the weedbeds.

That 's one of example on how one piece of information ( water temperature ) tells you where you are going to find the fish. The more variables you add to the equation the more defined your pattern will be.

For example let 's take rain: why do you think it will make fish more agressive ? will it make them more agressive all throughout the lake ? what does rain do that activates the fish ? where you will find the fish ?

Normally, unless it 's a downpour fish become active with rain, this doesn 't necessarily mean it will make the fish more active throughout the entire lake, it 's the areas where after the rain or if it has been raining for several days in a row where the fish will be more active, specially in those areas where the rainfall enters the lake in the form of a spring, creek or river; why ? because rain creates great conditions, it washes away insects with it, bluegills and other forage fish eat insects, where their food is they will be, bass prey upon bluegills and other fish therefore where his food is he will be, also not only insects are washed away with rain, soil is also washed away, the water will become murky or muddy, perfect place to ambush. What are you doing on the other side of the lake wasting casts trying to catch fish that are not there ? go the where the river or creek is !

[Guest bigtex]

Remeber though it's MUCH easier said than done.

Most important is ...... Loacation, Location, Location. A bass that is not there won't bite the perfect bait. Now a bass that is there has a chance to bite your bait even if it's not the perfect one.

Now once you narrow down location, take into account how the bass you catch are hooked. If they are hooked good and deep inside the mouth (all trebles inside the mouth for cranks, topwaters, jerkabits, etc.) ...... you now have the "perfect" bait in the "perfect" location and a ........... PATTERN.

Another important factor is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRATICE.  Trial and error.

[uptonfish]

They say baseball is 90% pitching.   I say fishing is 90% finding the fish.  Catching them is the easier part.   Well I'll be honest, finding the fish may not be quite 90% but I think is the most important factior in fishing say 80%.

[Madhouse27]

I think a big part of finding a pattern is methodically ruling out what is not working. I like to have a plan of attack to move through this process as quickly as possible. First stop on the water will be a major point. Attack it with three different baits, for example: a crankbait, spinnerbait and a soft plastic. If you have success on one of them you can build on it by repeating the same thing at other points around the lake...pattern developing. If unsucessful then it's on to the next stop. Weedy cove: again pick three baits, six or seven casts each then build or bail. Up next flooded timber: repeat procedure and assess the results. This is why it is so key to have multiple rods all rigged for various presentations. It allows you to efficiently work a variety of presentations through a given area. While I like battling with a big bass as much as the next guy, this detective work is certainly a big part of the overall stimulation for me. During this mental part of the game you are making little notes to yourself and calling upon experiences from the past. Most days on the water involve a mystery that needs to be solved. It's important to have a game plan and a system designed to unlock it. The pattern only comes once this has been accomplished.

[Guest avid]

I gotta compliment all the contributers to this thread.  It is interesting, informative, and shows just how articulate we bassers can be.  Questions, comments, and answers are all being presented in an insightful manner.

Glenn, what are doing???? BassResource.com is supposed to be full of beer swilling hillbilly bass fisherman  

[Raul]

Avid the only time we rednecks are articulate is when we talk bout fishin ', huntin ' and campin ', we ain 't exactly Shakespeare.  ;D

[Bassbum80]

I have my best luck when I move very frequently to new spots.  Just b/c you are catching fish doesn't exactly mean you have found a pattern.  For example, this week we were catching small males off of the shores in thin water.  That was fun, but we wanted the bigger ones.  Once you move around and catch a bigger fish, this is where it is important to pay attention to all of the details of water temps, cover, structure, etc.  Then take a look at a map and try to find these types of locations on your map.  Give the next spots a try & if they bite again, you have probably got yourself a nice pattern.  Once we moved around, we finally got on the bigger females & thats when the fun really started.