Super User RoLo Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 There are countless approaches to bass fishing, but most of us tend to fall into one of two major mindsets: OPPORTUNIST (shotgun approach) LOCATIONIST (rifle approach) ============================================================================ <Scenario> You have diligently fancast your favorite holding site using different lures, different depths & different retrieves, but have failed to raise a single strike. OPPORTUNIST (shotgun approach) The bass are DEFINITELY not here, and have OBVIOUSLY migrated to another location LOCATIONIST (rifle approach) The bass are DEFINITELY here, but are OBVIOUSLY not active Which mindset best describes your style of angling? RoLo 2 Quote
Super User 00 mod Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 Unless I have si and know 100% the bass are there, I have fan casted the area with a couple different baits in the different zones of the water column, I am headed to the next spot to do the same thing! Jeff Quote
zip pow Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Location location location when I'm looking for fish I'm opportunistic then I'm dialed in location location location Quote
Missouribassman95 Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Well for me it depends on if there is cover or not. If there is then I'm going to keep fishing the same area longer, maybe move a little. If it's more open water im gonna move.. Also I have to beat the bank so I want to fish more, walk less. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 That has only happened when I didn't have a set location or pattern. It means I'm in 100% learning opportunity mode. Every failure is success, and every successes isn't a failure. Now, if that happens on my home lake, I blame my partner. Quote
loodkop Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 I know that I should slow down but I find it hard to sit still on a piece of structure or cover when I don't get the bites. It is one off the things I will be working on this year. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 I fish a small handful of locations and I'm about the only one that fishes. Some days I have to beat them off the hook and other days can't get a strike to save my life. I present the bait, then it's up to the fish, they are either on or off, they are doing 90% of the work. I know the fish are there, have caught too many in those locations, especially a landlocked pond, they have no where to go. My only competition is a family of otters and they are going to win everytime. Quote
Super User Lund Explorer Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 Locationist! I know those little buggers are down there. Prime structure with good cover will always hold fish so it is simply a matter of putting the proper lure within the bass' strike zone. When those fish are in a negative mood, that zone can be extremely small which can lead you to think that there aren't any fish in the area. Throughout the years, I've found that if the bass are turned off on one spot they will be turned off across the whole lake. With that in mind, there is little sense in thinking that moving is going to change your luck. I'm better off going vertical, slow, and small in hopes of bumping the noses of several fish than to spend that time running all over the lake. The only question I haven't figured out is how to deal with the opportunist sitting in the back of the boat! 1 Quote
james 14 Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 It really depends on the body of water I'm fishing. I have a tendency to move a little bit more but that's only because I'm looking for a pattern that's putting consistent fish in the boat. The hard part for me is being able to figure out when a certain day or time is going to be a grind...and then grinding. There's always a limit of fish to be caught somewhere doing something...and usually in FL that's a 15-20lb limit. Its hard to "grind" when it only puts 3 dinks in the boat all day long. I won a tourney just this Fall when everyone else struggled to catch fish and we caught 20lbs. 2nd place had 7. I don't really want to pigeon hole myself into one or the other. I can tell you I'd rather be casting and cranking or flipping than bouncing a shaky head or dropshot any day of the week and if I can catch them doing that I'm going to have a very good day. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 Well, although I fish some different rivers and lakes occasionally, for the most part it has been the same-o-same-o for more than a decade. I know where fish have been and that those spots are ALWAYS key locations. However, when the fish aren't there, move on to the next prime spot. With regard to the Tennessee River specifically, smallmouth will sometimes be found anywhere there is a hard bottom. There is a lot of river that meets this criteria! Quote
Super User senile1 Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 I tend to use the rifle approach. Keep in mind that lakes can change over time and the characteristics of particular locations change. Ten or 15 years down the road, a prime location now make have lost what made it such a good location. Silt fills in drop-offs, breaks rot or wash away, etc. Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 I guess I'm more of a locationist, particularly on familiar waters. I learn what pieces of bottom are consistently more productive, and will fish those areas. Now, when I go somewhere new, to me, I'll look for the bottom that works on the waters with which I am familiar. If that fails to produce, I switch to the opportunist mode, and do something different, in an attempt to find the "pattern". There are occasions I'll be opportunistic, even on familiar waters, just in case. It is never good to get stuck in a rut when it comes to fishing. You can put me down for a blend of both locationist and opportunist, with the emphasis on locationist. Unless one has a mentor or guide to show them around, I'd guess we all start out as opportunists who evolve into locationists. Quote
bman310 Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Right now at my local lake its all about location! Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted January 12, 2012 Super User Posted January 12, 2012 And its not even that cold......... Quote
CJ Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Great topic Roger! More times than not I have to believe I would be a locationist. I have SI but I don't totally bank on it everytime. Sometimes I can remember scanning fish or bait and trying different presentations and lures until I find that one thing that will make them bite. I have seen things as simple as the speed of the lure retrieval or simply killing a lure when I feel it hit that sweet spot, cause the fish to bite, just a couple examples. Though I have to say I have learned on the river reservoir I fish, the fish can pack up camp and migrate away from a said depth and/or structure overnight. Other changes I have seen are the fish changing their relative location to a said structure and/or cover. Example, after a cold front the fish may hug up to a stump or bury itself in a brush pile out on a ledge where the day before they were actively feeding on a nearby rocky spot where they were slighty suspended or just not on the bottom. Although I've seen it happen both ways, more times than not, I look at my buddy and say,"they ain't here, we better go find some fish". Quote
Super User Team9nine Posted January 13, 2012 Super User Posted January 13, 2012 <Scenario> You have diligently fancast your favorite holding site using different lures, different depths & different retrieves, but have failed to raise a single strike. RoLo You lost me before ever even getting to the main question. I'd almost never sit long enough (diligently) to fancast using different lures, depths and retrieves trying to figure it out Best case scenario, it would be half a dozen to a dozen casts with just 2 or 3 types of baits. They've got to be biting better somewhere else...I'm outta' there in 20 minutes or less. - T9 Quote
Super User K_Mac Posted January 13, 2012 Super User Posted January 13, 2012 I am a locationist with latent opportunist tendencies (not that there's anything wrong with that) . I almost always know exactly where I'm fishing based on conditions and experience. Even on new water I'm generally looking for spots that meet my specific criteria. Once I've figured out they ain't biting where they should I might do some shotgunning. Great question Roger. Quote
Super User bowhunter63 Posted January 13, 2012 Super User Posted January 13, 2012 Location,Best way to a patteren. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 13, 2012 Super User Posted January 13, 2012 Note: KVD won a Classic camped on one spot. 1 Quote
Greed Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Locationist I only fish two bodies of water for Bass and I feel I have the lmb dialed in on both lakes. On those bodies of water I have spots that are extremely consistent when the conditions favor that location. If I can't get a bite at those locations I chalk it up to the fish not wanting to play. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 13, 2012 Super User Posted January 13, 2012 I sometimes get lucky as an opportunist but locationist gets my vote. Quote
Big-O Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Location(s) until the pattern and depths are determined then I turn to the "Run N Gun" mode trying to duplicate the success... Something about firearms lingo that just fits the situation, huh Rolo Big O www.ragetail.com Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.