In this issue
1. Be Versatile To Catch More Bass : Jeff Hughes
2. Understanding Bass
part 2. : Roger Lee Brown
3. Quote of the month
4. Funny of the day
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Get
your bass fishing on the right track. Learn to read conditions and establish patterns based on your own knowledge of the bass,
just like the pros' do.
www.thinklikeabass.com ***********************************************************************
Be
Versatile To Catch More Bass
Hey they are hitting white spinnerbaits on wind blown points on the north
end of the lake!!
Did you ever have a buddy give you info like this, and then when you go to the same spot and try
the same technique you get skunked? Well before you prepare to stick a rotten carp under your buddy's truck seat for sending
you on a "wild goose chase," let me explain why you got skunked.
Bass live in a constantly changing environment. In
order to survive they must be willing to change as often as the weather, and in order for an angler to be consistently successful
at getting a hook into his lip, he or she must be willing to do the same. What worked yesterday will not necessarily work
today, or what is working now may not be working even one hour from now. A successful angler must be willing to change the
way he or she fishes, whenever it becomes necessary, and it will many times be necessary to change the way you fish several
times during the coarse of a single day fishing.
For example, during Summer on most reservoirs, most bass will spend
the heat of the day on some type of deep water cover or structure, and move up onto the shallow part of the cover or structure,
or a shallow area near it to feed during the early morning, or at night.
Many anglers who find bass feeding in the
shallow water during early morning will work that shallow area until they are no longer getting bites, and then simply leave
the area believing that the fish have simply stopped biting. But the smart angler who knows bass, realizes that he simply
needs to adjust his tactics in order to keep catching fish.
Those same bass which were eating his shallow running
crankbait or top water lure close to the shoreline in the morning may have just moved back out to the deeper part of the structure.
Many times the angler may only need to move his boat out to deeper water and switch to a deeper running lure or finesse type
bait and continue catching fish.
This is only one example of one situation, which an angler needs to be versatile.
Bass are continuously changing location and feeding habits all year and usually on a daily, or even hourly basis throughout
the year. Water temps, forage, weather and many other factors dictate everything the bass does. A successful angler must pay
close attention to conditions and know when to change the way he is fishing.
It's not only important to know when
to change, but how to change as well. Sometimes very subtle changes in weather or some other condition may dictate a change
as simple as changing the color of the lure you are using or simply slowing or speeding up your retrieve may be the key. Other
times you may need to totally change to a different pattern completely. Whatever the case, the key to knowing what changes
to make and when to make them, lyes in your knowledge of the bass and what goes on in his world.
This is the knowledge
which makes "professional bass fishermen" professionals. They simply cannot depend on what was working yesterday or even one
hour ago to catch fish. They must pay close attention to conditions and know how the bass will react to changes in them and
be able to change the way they fish accordingly.
My name is Jeff Hughes. I have been a professional guide and tournament
fisherman for more than 22 years. I often get the question "What Is the most important thing I can do to become a better bass
fisherman" My response to this question is, go fishing often and fish as long as possible. Even if you don't catch a single
fish, you will learn something each time you fish. Concentrate not on fancy equipment and technique, all that will come. But
first and foremost concentrate on learning the habits of your query, and always keep an open mind and be ready and willing
to change and adjust the way you fish.
If you would like to get your bass fishing on the right track and learn to make
fishing decisions based on your own knowledge of the bass and his life, like the pros' do, visit
http://www.thinklikeabass.com Good Luck and better fishing
Jeff Hughes
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One
of the most important tools you can have for finding structure and places that will hold bass, is a good Topo Map. "My Topo.com"
is the best resource for customized topo maps of the water you fish, no matter where in the world it is. Check them out at
http://www.mytopo.com/index.cfm?pid=carterslake=============================================================
Funny of the day
I bought my wife a mood
ring so that I could tell when she was in a good mood for me to ask if I could go fishing. When she is in a good mood, the
ring is a pretty light green that matches the color of her eyes. When she's not, the ring leaves a little red mark right in
the middle of my forehead.
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Understanding
Bass: Part 2
my last article "Understanding Bass Part-1" I covered a bit of information about a few of the "key factors"
that an angler should really know about the bass when it comes to becoming a more successful angler such as: Food, Oxygen,
and Cover which a bass needs to survive, as well as water temperatures and how it effects bass, along with a few others to
help you increase your knowledge in the field of Bass fishing.
In this article I will cover a few more key factors
to give you a broader knowledge when it comes to understanding bass such as the senses of a bass. All of these elements and
factors are extremely important to know if you wish to become a more successful angler. Just look at it this way, it's like
a jig-saw puzzle. The more pieces of the puzzle you put together, the more you will see the picture as a whole. "What's
that mean?" Putting it in simple terms, the more you understand the bass, why it does things when it does, where it goes during
different seasons, how a bass reacts under certain circumstances, and areas where bass are more likely to be found on different
bodies of water will definitely help you when it comes to saving precious fishing time as well as being a much more productive
angler.
To start with we will cover just how important the senses of a bass really are and try to gain a better picture
of why bass acts certain ways by the use of their senses.
SIGHT...
A bass has a very acute sense of site (or
vision) and can see very well in just about any water color condition as well as being able to see at night. How well can
a bass see at night? For example, sometimes on a full moon when it really gets bright from the light of the moon to where
you can almost read a newspaper outside, a bass can see that good in the darkest of pitch. How is this possible?
The
eyes of a bass have rods and cones which naturally adjust under different light conditions (the cones and rods will retract
and extend making a natural adjustment for their vision.) Another factor is that a bass doesn't have any eyelids like you
or I and because of a bass not having eyelids overlong exposure to the suns rays will cause a bass eventually to develop cataracts
and go blind. (One reason why cover is so important to a bass during bright sunny days or (Bluebird Sky conditions!) A bass
can see in most all water colors (clear, semi-stained, stained, murky, and even muddy colors) but when the vision of a bass
is restricted the other senses will take over.
HEARING & FEELING.....
A bass's hearing and feeling are synonymous
with each other, in other words I guess you might say that they hear and feel at the same time. Unlike you or I where we may
hold a conversation with another person understanding what is being said, a bass hears and feels the vibration from the different
sounds and movements in the water. Now, different sounds will cause different pitches that send vibrations and a bass will
get familiar with certain sounds such as pitches and vibrations made from natural living forage, as well being able to feel
any displacement of water within a close proximity of a bass caused by even the slightest movement.
I'll give you a
example: Let's take a "Carolina Rig" for instance. The Carolina Rig has several different purposes as far as pattern and technique
goes but the most crucial part of this rig is the sound! (The TICKER!) that's on the rig. We talked earlier in the prior article
"Understanding Bass Part-1" about the most desired food of a bass being a Crawfish (Crawdad, Crayfish, etc.) When a Crawfish
moves in the water it will cause a clicking sound (vibration) from the cartilage in it's tail. This clicking sound sends a
vibration through the water and alerts a bass that a natural food source is in the area, the bass moves closer to this sound,
then if the presentation of the bait is just right you can probably catch the bass. A bass has a natural radar system built
within it and can zero in on just about any movement or sound made within the water. Now, when you work a Carolina Rig in
the water, the slightest movement of the ticker made by either: "Glass & Brass Beads", "B-B Chambers", "Two Glass Beads"
Etc.... this sound is designed to replicate the movement (vibration) of a natural live Crawfish and will alert a bass that
a natural forage bait is in it's area.
As far as noise (or sound) baits go, like (Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Spots, Rattled
Spinnerbaits, etc.) Sound travels further in the water than a displacement of water caused by a bait without any sound added
to it. The reason noise baits work so well is that a bass can hear them at greater distances and can travel further to investigate
the sounds made from these types of baits, then when close enough to the bait, the sight and taste senses will take precedence
over the feeling or hearing senses.....
TASTE & SMELL.....
A bass has taste buds outside it's mouth as well
as inside of it. Now just think a minute!.... that means that a bass can taste an object before it even gets in it's mouth.
The taste and smell of a bass are once again synonymous with each other and that a bass smells and tastes at the same time.
Now, how acute is a bass's sense of taste and or smell?
A few years back a study was conducted of the taste and smell
of a bass in a tank of 100 gallons of water. In this study the bass was found to be able to taste (or smell) 1-200th of a
drop of a substance in the 100 gallon water tank (what an amazing sense of taste and smell.) Well, what does this have to
do with bass? If you want to be a successful angler it means a great deal. Now let's put this in anglers terms okay?
If a bass can scent a bait that is not a pleasing or acceptable taste or smell, if it does put it in it's mouth it will spit
it right back out within 1 to 3 seconds (not much time to set a hook right?) but, if the bass accepts the taste or smell and
puts it in it's mouth it can hold it up to as long as 30 seconds before spitting it out (much more time to set the hook!)
To
sum up the taste and smell segment, here are a few hints to help you understand why you may be getting those quick hits and
not catching any fish:
1. Always wash your hands before you go fishing.....
2.
Fill up your boat with gas and oil the night before you go fishing.....
3. Use natural forage formulas
or a formula that has been tested and proven to work.....
4. Try to use a odor free soap or a scent neutralizer.....
Just
these steps can make a world of difference when it comes to catching more bass. I have had many students at my bass fishing
school that use these steps above and can't believe the difference it can make.
Understanding a bass is just as important
to a angler as having his or her fishing rod in their hand. So many anglers seem to have a rough time not knowing how to fish
under different conditions, how to use baits properly, what to buy and what not to buy, how to locate bass, what type of equipment
is really necessary, and on and on! I teach all this and much more at my 3-Day "On-Water" Bass Fishing School. It is
worth an education in bass angling, especially if one wants to become more successful at it. I am very proud to have helped
some of my former students because some of them are constant money winners in tournament fishing as well as being much more
consistent at catching bass. Most anybody at any given time can catch a bass but they usually can't tell you why!
If
you would like to enroll for the 3-Day Bass Fishing School or just take a charter (guided fishing trip) on two of the best
lakes in the nation (Lake Champlain & Lake George, located upstate NY) please visit my site(s) at
www.capital.net/~rlbrown and
www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach for more information or you may Email me at
rlbrown@capital.net or you may phone me at (518) 597-4240
I hope this article may shed some light when it comes to applying presentations,
techniques, and knowledge in your future bass fishing adventures!
Until next time!..... Take Care & God Bless!..."The
Bass Coach" Roger Lee Brown
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Quote of the month
"Give
a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and his wife may divorce him"
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If
you are a pro Bass fisherman, or just an experianced one and have some tips or an article that you would like to share, LET
US HEAR FROM YOU ! If your article or tip is accepted and published, you will get a free ad for your business in Think Like
A Bass. email to
jguide@tds.net ===========================================
