Spot or Pattern

[FIN-S-R]

I recently saw on TV or read on internet/ mag, a pro (dont remember who) was asked if the pattern fishing strategy or spot fishing strategy was becoming more dominant in terms of winning tourneys. His reply was less than emphatic, and he didnt really answer, just gave a both sides comment. So what do you guys think, is a pattern where its at or does THE spot, AKA honey hole theory do it for ya? The more I fish the more I am leaning toward the spot theory, but not just 1, more like 5 or 6. Does that make it a pattern? Or is a pattern spot specific, or spot determined?

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Purely a guess here, but I would have to say pattern would be the more dominant. That being said, I am admittedly a "spot" fisherman. Patterns would seem to be more widespread and cover different "spots"

Wayne

[RoLo]

I personally begin my day by hitting season-related spots in paper-route fashion,

which I reverse to return home (barring invention). Should I discover a bonafide pattern,

maybe I'll begin skipping known holding sites and try to hold that pattern....or maybe not.

Depends on how momentous I perceive the pattern to be.

A pattern is only a temporary event subject to change, so I wouldn't bet everything on any pattern.

Roger

[Gatorbassman]

When prefishing I like to find a pattern. Knowing the pattern will help me narrow down the spots. On tourny day I like to have at least 4 or as many as 12 spots that fit that pattern. Me and the guys I prefish for have always done well when concentrating on the spots. So it's a little bit of both.

[dodgeguy]

i fish out of rowboats a lot on the nyc reservoir system.this makes pattern fishing hard.we start by going to spots that fit seasonal patterns of fish.and narrow it from there.being that mobility is restricted it's a matter of knowing a lot of good spots that fit the season.when i get to go with a guy who has a bassboat pattern fishing usually rules the day.

[Peter E.]

YOu really can't depend on a patern for to large of an area very often. Notice I say, very often. There are always going to be the stray random day when you can throw a crawfish pattern or what ever and it seems like every fish in the lake will nail it. But for the most part in any good sized resevior the fish will tend to move and adapt to their surroundings so the thing to do is to pattern types of cover in a lake this way you can say have an over arching pattern that is spot specific. It is easiest to apply the FLP pattern to single areas or types of cover. And then after that you can know how toapproach each part of the lake or water system. By adding a journal you can change te info and have constant tabs on the lake and recognize what will happen next year.

[b8r]

Spot fishing is advantageous until it is fratenized.   Pattern fishing possses incessant promise for perpetual success.  

[Supermat]

I definitely like a solid pattern and there are times when pattern fishing will CRUSH the competition but that will only be consistant if combined with the right spots. I know that the tournaments I do alright in I'm pattern fishing the tournaments I win by a long shot are always SPOT days.

[justfishin]

I think that spot fishing and pattern fishing can both be good at times. Some days a pattern pays off. Some days fishing a likely area for the season can be killer as well. I guess it depends on the day. No two days are alike when it comes to fishing. There  are too many variables.

[justfishin]

Quote

Me and the guys I prefish for have always done well when concentrating on the spots. So it's a little bit of both.

Are you saying that you prefish for other guys fishing in a tournament? Just wondering if it was a typo or this is what you are doing.  

[Catt]

You can't establish a pattern without fishing a spot

Part of a pattern is the spot (location) hump, point, ridge, creek channel, flat, shoreline ECT.

I start by fishing a spot, establishing a pattern, and then moving onto similar spots.

[Okeechobee_Cracker]

In my last tournament it proved more ot me to be Pattern of spot......its been that way for me latley

[FIN-S-R]

In my tender 28 or I guess 29 now, I generally find that a spot holding fish approached in a multitude of ways is always more productive for me during a tourney. Ex. a certain bridge I fish typically surrenders numerous keeper spots on a dropshot. Some bigger largemouth on a jig, on top, and vibe, and finally, some monster smallies on cranks or somthin off the wall. I have many times found similar vertical structure, and for sake of saving space Ill say "carbon copy" spots that do not follow the same pattern. So its really not 1 or 2 patterns, its more mining fish off a spot with multiple techniques.

[Catt]

To define a pattern: a recurring set of conditions that lead to catching bass.

When anglers refer to the term "pattern" or "pattern fishing" they are talking about the ever changing combination of two factors: bass (spot) location and the type presentation needed to trigger strikes. Simply put, a "pattern" refers to what the bass are doing and where they are doing it at a given time on a given body of water.

Seasonal Patterns

During the different seasons the fish will relate to certain structure or areas. Winter fish will go deep and so will summer fish. Fall and spring fish will move into the shallow water to spawn or feed.

[Captain Cali]

I completely agree with Catt. IMO, they both go hand in hand.

[HPBB]

I guess it would be spot fishing that turns into a pattern.

Most of the lakes I fish tournaments on, I have fished before.

I have certain spots that I hit first. When i start to hit fish I see if there is a pattern

ex:

#1 what type of cover weeds(what kind of weed), stumps, brush, rocks.

#2  deep water or shallow

#3 are the fish tight to cover, sitting infront of the cover, above it, in it

#4 what lure is working, color size ect

Once I figure that out, I run to my next spot and try my pattern there

Once I hit all my spots, I then look for places on the lake that are like my spots.

Like I said I have spots already picked out before the tournament starts(5 to 10). Once I find the pattern. I'll fish that pattern in those spots, hitting those spots sometimes several times in a day

[Grey Wolf]

SPOTS AND THEN TRY TO ESTABLISH THE PATTERN.

[ga_hawghauler]

I spot fish with semi-pattern approach. I mean I may attack each spot differently due to the characteristics of a paticular spot such as cover or structure But Each spot may be similar in a paticular pattern such as depth or water temp ect. so a its a combination for me