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 Just How Long Is Long Enough?By Roger Lee Brown (The Bass Coach)Edited by Mike Goodson 
I know that the title of this article can mean a great many things to a lot of different people. For example: How long is long enough when visiting with your in-laws? or How long is long enough being engaged to your honey before the big commitment? What I am talking about here, is a question that I have been asked many times by my bass fishing school students, my bass charters, in emails, and even some phone calls. That is, "how long is long enough" spending time with a certain bait or at a location when fishing for bass?I guess the best place to start is always at the beginning, right? Let's say that we are going to plan a day on the water and we want to catch as many bass as time will allow. Doesn't every angler have these "high hopes?" There are several factors to consider before you even hit the water, such as:
Let's start by saying for example, that we want to fish a body of water as large as the Santee Cooper System located in South Carolina (which is made up of Lake Marion & Lake Moultrie.) Now, if we have an impoundment of 186,000 acres of water with this system and just one day to fish, where do we start and how much time do we spend in one place? The first thing I would do is to get a hold of an under-water contour map of the lake and study it. These maps will generally show you contours, depths, points, stream beds and boat launching areas. By studying this first you can section off certain spots on the map that look appealing to you and in the same process, eliminate a good portion of the body of water that you just don't have the time to fish in one day. Circle a half dozen or so areas that look good in the section and start looking for a good working pattern. Here are a few hints of what to look for during the different seasons:
Normally, the difference in fishing cold water areas from the warm water areas is to know the activity levels of the bass. In cold water the bass tend to get more sluggish and inactive because their metabolism changes with the water temperature. On the other side of the coin, the warmer the water temperature, the more active the bass will be. Remember that the more active the bass are, the more often they will feed. Here are some tips on certain baits that normally work anywhere in the U.S., anywhere you can find bass habitat. Top Water: Floating worms, Hula Poppers, Tournament Frogs, soft and hard jerk baits, Zara Spooks, and Torpedoes. Between Bottom & Surface: Crank baits, spinner baits, soft and hard jerk baits, jigging spoons, and swim baits. Bottom Baits: Jig & Pig combos, Senkos Always Work!, Carolina-rigged baits, my "Mo-Wak" rigged baits, Texas-rigged Baits, and Gitzits (or tube baits.) There are many more baits, but I have fished just about everywhere in the U.S. and have had success with these certain baits. I have used these baits under most every condition possible, and in every season with success. Now, here's the question of "How Long is Long Enough" to put certain bait down and try something else. Normally when it's overcast or in low light conditions I would start out in an area where I'm quite certain that bass are holding in with a top water pattern. This is because bass won't be in so tight to structure areas as much as they would be in a bluebird (or sunny) sky condition. Anyway, I will start with at least two different techniques with top water baits such as a Zara Spook or a Stick Bait (hard jerk bait.) I have found over many years that if a fish will hit top water bait, either of these two will do a fine job. Give yourself at least a good dozen or so casts using each of these two baits trying different retrieves to see what may trigger a strike. If you don't get any action off of top water patterns then try a Crank bait or Spinner bait. Again, allow yourself a couple of dozen casts with each of these two different baits, again using different retrieves (or techniques.) One nice thing about Spinner bait is that there are many different ways to use it. I teach my 3-day bass fishing school students at least six different presentations on this one bait because it is one of the more successful and versatile baits ever made. If all fails, "Hit the Bottom!" One thing to consider before you go to bottom fishing is that it is very important to use the right equipment. I'm mostly talking about fishing rods in general. An angler has to feel the little ticks, slight pulls, bottom nicks, and bites with his rod to even know that he has a strike (or a bite). When fishing the bottom, you need to know exactly what your bait is doing to be more successful. I will use at least three different techniques fishing the bottom before I move on to the next spot. First, I will use a rig that I kind of thought up a few years back that I call the Mo-Wak Rig. This rig is simply a Mo-Jo rig using a Yamamoto Senko bait wacky rigged with very little weight above the bait. Secondly, I will use a Carolina Rig because, if rigged right, you can cover a lot of areas that you can't with a Texas rig. With a Carolina rig I normally use a soft plastic bait such as a Yamamoto six inch lizard. For that matter, an angler can use many different baits on this rig. Lastly, I will work with a flippinŽ or pitchinŽ bait such as a jig & pig combo or a craw by itself, with a pegged weight. Give each one of these patterns again, about a dozen casts and if all of these presentations don't trigger a strike ... MOVE TO THE NEXT SPOT! I certainly hope this article helps you to overcome some of the frustrations you may have had in the past with this topic and has enabled you to learn "How Long is Long Enough." If you may be interested in learning more or just want to go out for a fun day of fishing you can inquire about my three-day bass fishing school where I can teach on my lake or yours, or inquire about my bass charter service on Lake Champlain.
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