Paul Roberts

Interesting: I think it would be a good idea to state the size of water body and depth fish came from. Time of day would be nice, but I'll have to check my journals for that: 22" LM: Deep overcast day with rain in August from a large (60acre) quarry (80+ feet deep). Caught in 5fow. Sometime mid-day (after I got around to that particular spot). The largest I've got a thumb latch onto was a buddies 23" that was caught in 6fow on a dead-sticked jig in a small (6acre) 12ft deep pond. It was in early August and I distinctly remember the day was partly sunny with huge popcorn shaped cumulus -likely representing a high BP pattern with dropping pressure due to developing thunderheads. Mid-afternoon (?). 20"SM: 7fow in small (30acre) lake (16feet deep) on swum jig in June. Overcast from developing front. Late afternoon -~5pm(?).

Interesting stuff, but me thinks we're drifting off topic. Problem is, the topic, and the terms being thrown about, like "memory" and "learning" may not be well understood. It's certainly not my line of work; Just a lowly fisherman I am ;D. I noticed Bob Lusk has offered a rebuttle to Ralph Manns article "How Smart Are Bass?" in the articles section. He claims "15 minutes". And that conditioning and memory are different. In my ignorance I'm pretty much lumping it all under learning trying to stay relevant to angler's interests. Are bass able to avoid lures/anglers after exposure to them? I guess I'd need to know where Bob got that number, and what that definition of "memory" is. Too many research pieces or researcher's comments have shown bass have an ability to avoid lures for much longer periods, up to 3 months. I am left here to wonder -what is the rigorous definition of "memory", vs "learning" vs "conditioning". I do remember from my education psychology classes the (human) distinctions: register, short term, and long term memory. I would certainly call "conditioning" a type of learning, but does it count as memory? And is "memory" just after one exposure? How many people can do that? Gosh, I took calculus once upon a time but cannot remember even one of those theorems. Use it or lose it. Is that not some form of conditioning? Bob also mentions that for bass a lure either represents food or not food. But is that not a form of learning, and if it persists, is that not memory? From my own observations though, I believe I can take it a step further, in that the sight of a lure can actually scare a bass into flight. Not food doesn't do that. On one particular outing sight fishing to good numbers of smallies I was aware of the possibility that they saw me, my casting motion, or my line shadow (which will spook them), and I was able to separate this on several occasions when the cast settled way ahead of the bass' travel route and the eventual sight of the bait made them bolt! I was quite convinced (but not closed) that it's more than "food" or "not food" -it's "danger". How long might that persist? That's the question. According to some researcher's it CAN be as much as months. This brings me back to what works for me in my fishing, pay attention to conditions and physical elements that you can take advantage of. The playing field is ever-changing.

Yes! And it brings up the conundrum you warned of in your earlier post -trying to understand fish (in this case) through the human filter. One might think that bass would be afraid of an outboard motor -that loud water churning monster. But divers have consistently commented that that often isn't the case, especially in waters where motors are commonplace. What is much more apt to frighten them are shadows and water thrusts as in canoe (and kayak) paddles, or swim fins according to diver Bob Underwood. (I didn't respond to you John, earlier, bc it's not simple. I believe Underwood, but think there's real contextual stuff there that must be in play.) From Ralph Manns: Heavily pressured bass are harder to catch because they have focused on one or more of the warning signals produced by typical anglers. It may be noises of troll motors, the pressure waves created by a moving boat, visual or vibrational evidence of a line moving through water, unnatural movement of shape of a lure, boat or sonar noises, or a million other potential negative stimuli that a bass may receive while being reeled to a bass boat and netted. At the same time, they easily learn to ignore passing outboard motors and noises from overhead docks that are not immediately associated with the "being hooked" experience. Bass learn to ignore jet skis, skiers, and swimmers. I've watched bass underwater as they examined the toes of swimming children and saw them feed while a man hammered to repair his sailboat overhead. Associate a food reward with an outboard motor and the bass are happy to line right up.

I'll try to be pithy, to keep this simple even though it's not. I think it's worth understanding. I use visibility and clarity as separate things. Clarity pertains to the purity of water. Visibility pertains to the distance light can travel in water. Clarity affects visibility. Clarity: I do not use simply clear, stained, muddy bc they don't say enough. Clarity is how much light can penetrate water before being absorbed. Pure water (nothing dissolved or suspended) allows light to penetrate, suffice it to say, very deep. But no water is pure. It has: -Suspended materials, usually algae (usually green), or soil (usually tan-brown often like coffee with cream in it). -Dissolved materials: Usually tannins and others substances dissolved from plant and soils from the surrounding land. These, esp tannins, tend to be a reddish brown. These can be a consistent water color or they can be transient, due to events. In my very clear ponds phytoplankton (algae) blooms following sunny periods turn the water green'. When we have lots of rain, and water levels flood shoreline plant-life, the water becomes stained due to the dissolved organics. Heavy rain may wash in both suspended and dissolved soil of course -mud. All these things reduce visibility. Visibility: Visibility is related to clarity in that it's how far light can penetrate in inches or feet. The standard way of measuring visibility is to take a white lure and lower it down until it disappears and measure. Then bring it back up until it reappears and measure. Average the two. But this only tells you how far YOU can see down! To get an equal amount of light to reach a fish's eye, who's already down in the water, you then DOUBLE that number. The reason you double it is bc for you to see an object from the surface, the light has to penetrate to the object, then reflect back up to your eye; doubling the distance the light has to travel for you to see that reflection back up at the surface. Sothe amount of light needed to illuminate the white jig you lowered down is actually double the distance. You got a surface visibility of 10ft, but that same amount of light can actually penetrate ~20ft. If you were a diver, you'd see that white jig just as well at ~20feet (in front of your nose of course). Sohow does this work underwater for fish? Think how far light has to travel to an object of interest, and reflect over to a fish. How far away is the object from the surface and how far away from the object is the fish? Add it up. That's how light works in clear water. Now add dissolved, or worse, suspended material and light gets absorbed, reducing visibility (distance). But light is absorbed differentially by foreign material, that is, different colors are absorbed or reflected. Algae blooms reflect green and absorb reds and blues (bc chlorophyll in these tiny plants use red and blue light, but not green). Tannins stain water a reddish brown bc they absorb greens and reflect reds and some blues. But these colors are only seen near the surface as light is quickly attenuated in affected waters. So, for the upshot, I categorize my waters by visibility in feet or inches. I do not lower a white lure, but just how far I can see bottom, or weed tops. Then I make note of either suspended or dissolved materials and it's color'. In my neck of the woods that tends to be green from blooms, occasionally reddish from dissolved material, or rarely, muddy brown from washed in mud. Next would come how living creature's eyes have adapted to such things. But I'll let that be asked for bc this might already be more than you expected.

Roger, I agree with your "off" the feed theory but I'll throw this out there. I used to have 2 oscars in a 50gal tank. Once they were done eating the goldfish I'd fed them, they would then proceed to kill every other goldfish in the tank within the next day or so. I imagine it may have started as a territory issue or an agression issue. Either way I do believe because it was in a controlled enviroment the behavior was learned or a "habit" the oscars picked up. If the survival instinct tells the fish it's hungry and here is an opportunity to binge it's going to feed. They have no ability to reason. It's like an infant child. When the baby is hungry it will cry until he/she is fed. Once the hunger is satisfied the baby stops feeding, AND you CAN'T make it eat any more. I fail to see how a fish that can't think or reason has a memory, whether it be 3 seconds or 3 years. Oscars aren't bass, and are known to be highly territorial. I believe it is suggested they be kept alone -not with other fish. I've only kept one bass (a smallmouth) in an aquarium for a short time, but some BR members have them I know, and would guess that after they're sated they do not kill of things in a territorial way like Oscars will. Maybe someone will pipe in on that. I will say it was tough to sate the little smallie I had. He would eat minnow until his belly was packed and had tails sticking out of his mouth lol. And, despite what we read over and over again, bass are not territorial in this way, most of the time. Pecking order sure, but they are instead most apt to be cooperative. But "territoriality" can develop in relatively rare instances, over time, and an aquarium could be just such a place. Here's one example in a pond situation -a great read: http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/bass-territorial-imperative

...or dragging anchors for smallies on Lake O, throwing rocks at stale steelhead (a la Jim Teeny), or multiple casts at isolated cover for LM, or catching the first bass from a school to start a cascade of bites, or.... Here's one I did for stream trout. Wade upstream of a "dead" pool, wade in and turn rocks sending a cloud of silt and critters down into that pool. Go back and run a nymph through. Whap! Whap! Whap! This works for stale steelies too. Throwing rocks was for sighted individuals. All you have to do is move them, come back in 10 minutes and they are biters. But it works for unsighted fish too. You have a run you know there's steelies in, but they're out cold. Wade in and move 'em. Give em 10 minutes and come back. Works for browns too sometimes, but I wait for at least 20 minutes. KVD talked about targeting areas with high boat traffic, that stir up the vegetation, bottom, and fish. There's also the ploy of hitting boat ramps and catching fish each time a boat launches. It's not too difficult to imagine what those bass are doing down there -another case of classic conditioning. Reminds me of another, close to home for you J: Bear CK harbor. Most mornings it was easy to catch 'bows in the estuary, but then it would slow down. I knew where to place a bait where it had the best chance of a passing trout finding it. But, I began to notice that I often caught fish shortly after a boat came or left the launch. I believe it was moving holding fish. Another: Bob Underwood reported a couple guys who had a cool gig going on canals in Florida. During the day the bass were tough to catch, and most people hung it up. These guys trolled at (relatively) high speed, running their lures just behind where the boat wake crashed into the overhung shoreline. He said the results were amazing. One thing I haven't done, is throw rocks into slop fields I know there are bass under. I wonder if there are times when it would work. Catt talks about shaking jigs in heavy cover, and being patient about it, so the bass can find that lure. I wonder if pitching few rocks might change the game some. Somedays it might just be worth a shot. Hey...how about dragging a frog bait over slop to stir up the 'gills LOL. Last one: One day my 3 year old son was with me on a pond. I gave him a stick (pretend fishing rod) to play with. He was thrilled to just tap it on the surface. Before long, bluegills appeared, then more. After about 5 minutes of this a large eye with a dark stripe appeared -LM. Then another. Flipping a worm I caught two.

It's all about keen observation -we're all doing it, the prey, the fish, and us. I actually wrote about some observations of bass hunting behavior in a thread called "Brilliant Blue" a few months ago, esp pertaining to the tactic called "habituation". I believe it puts some things we anglers see in our fishing into focus. Here it is: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1250965728/8#8

I bet you've seen blue gills get munched by big bass in the same conditions, distracted by their own feeding. I've seen it. I think you pointed out that many of the "misses" on a slow topwater, like a hollow frog in mid day, are actually blue gills getting slammed as they follow, and nip at the legs of the frog bait. I've since confirmed this. The damsel fly deal is similar, and I have noticed that buzzing/churning surface baits really excel during a hatch. Stanley Ribbits excel here, and maybe they're not keying in on a frog bite, but rather a feeding blue gill bite. Anyway, back to the tough conditions topic, observations like these, and time on your specific waters will bear out similar detail in your observations. I've got a quarry close to me, filled with 2-4 lb. smallies. There's largemouth too, but they are difficult to fish from shore. Outside of the spawn, this is a tough place to fish. You might be initially tricked into thinking you've found a honey hole, if you stop by and chuck Spooks and Sammys at dusk on evening. Spend a day there, and you'll see how difficult this place is. Periodically throughout the day, you'll see huge boils of baitfish, as big as a city lot. This gets the hairs on neck standing, usually. If they are close enough, you'll see that they are shad so large, no smallmouth or largemouth north of the Mason-Dixon Line could eat them. Very discouraging...but, come dusk you'll be destroying smallies on topwaters. One thing, and this goes to conditioning, if the bite slows, change color. The bite will pick up right where left off. Not too many fish this spot, but the few that do know its really tough to fish it all day long. Its a timing thing there. A distracted bluegill is what "vulnerable" means to a bass. But I'm much more likely to see breaks under dim conditions. But this is bluegill water. I don't fish shad-based fisheries. I do know I'm much more likely to catch (dupe) those bass under dim conditions. It appears to me too, that bass vision is WAY more keen under very bright conditions, making every lure (in shallow water) look stupid. Throw some chop on the water and things change. As to those off-times, Bob Underwood in his book "Lunker" describes sitting on bottom in 18fow and staking out a big school of large bass clustered over a weed covered hump. An accompanying angler casts to them and they pay no heed, simply moving aside if the lure passes through. (Oh yeah, the first problem was getting the lure close to the fish lol, as the "experienced" anglers were embarrassed to find out they weren't anywhere near where they thought they were in the water column.) If an angler without an accompanying diver had fished through they'd have thought there were no bass there. At some point, a bass would 'yawn' (interestingly same behavior seen in bass suffering an O2 deficit in respiration studies), flex it's jaws and then the whole school would do it one by one. After this, the angler filled the boat. Bass don't, cannot, remain active all the time. Too energetically costly, they need to make up for their efforts in calories. If you've ever done any backcountry back-pack hunting with rationed food, you'll appreciate this. On top of this, ectotherms ("cold-blooded") animals are much less capable energetically than endotherms. They rely even more heavily on efficiency down time. I got to see this once in stark display at one of my ponds: Brilliant blue and crystal water. Some "fish" was racing around under the water at unbelieveable speed. I was shocked! And it didn't stop. It kept ripping around like a jet for probably 2 minutes before it surfaced. Fish??? Not! A merganser. A high octane, high performance endotherm. And it dove like this repeatedly! Looking at that bird made me realize how little we endotherms really understand ectothermy. Something has to trigger mature bass to make their move to feed. One good answer is distracted bluegills. What might trigger gills to feed? Low light often. As a fly-fisher I could really rattle on about this, but some other thread maybe. One might think it's high light, but the larger zooplankton that feeds on burgeoning phytoplankton actually migrate downward away from light daily, if there are predators (fish) about. This is a classic scenario called DVM diel vertical migration, and it's a direct response to predation. Anyway, lots of potential scenarios, but there are underlying reasons that can be understood, I think, as key factors that coincide to bring about those 'timing' episodes we look for or, more likely, stumble in on.

I can relate to both sides of this quandary, but just like Kent, I too have caught my largest specimens between the hours of 10am and 3pm. In fact, many of my PBs have fallen withing this timeline, for instance: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, striped bass and weakfish. Run-of-the-mill bass seem easiest to catch during transitional periods of lighting, such as dawn and dusk. Most preyfish possess rod vision, while bass possess both rod-and-cone vision, which provides color perception and faster adaptation to light change. This may explain why bass are chiefly diurnal predators, because the rod vision of baitfish is best adapted to low-light vision after nightfall. From all appearances, belly-sagging lunkers don't bother waiting for periods of light transition, but exploit their "cone vision" during midday. Having rod-and-cone vision gives lunker bass a leg up on most forage fish, which only have rod vision which is advantageous after nightfall. Roger That's Doug Hannon's contention -that big bass feed under bright light bc they can. Maybe that's so. I wouldn't know. There's an oft-cited study looking at bass-bluegill interactions that showed that under bright light, bluegills could see (average sized) bass from a distance, judge their intentions, and steer clear. Below a certain threshold of low light (5lux), the 'gills could not see the bass and the bass had the advantage (supposedly it was claimed they could see better under dim lighting). Here it is: Piscivorous Feeding Behavior of Largemouth Bass: An Experimental Analysis. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 112:508-518 1983. "...At high light intensities bluegills can locate modest-sized largemouthb bass( 29 cm total length (~12")) long before the predators can locate them, but at low light intensities the advantage is reversed. ..." I get to observe average sized bass quite a bit in my shallow ponds and have observed this very thing. Under brilliant blue a bass cruises into a small cove full of 'gills. The 'gills see the bass 20 feet away and stream out of the cove in unison, not willing to get themselves corralled. Under dim skies the bass can get much closer and have the obvious opportunity to corner a 'gill. Observations like this, and many others, have given me insights (I think) into just what makes for "vulnerable" prey. And makes me think a lot about where, when and how I can make my lures appear vulnerable. In my mind it's not some certain sick wiggle, but physical positioning of that lure in relation to cover/structure and a certain bass. Anyway, we're going way beyond the original topic, although I see our discussion as a relevant offshoot as to what makes bass vulnerable to lures. Conditioning is one of those. It's importance compared to other factors is my interest here.

I'm just supposing here, but it's possible that your passing off the "unfamiliarity factor" a tad too lightly. Micropterus is an opportunist first, and the unforeseen offers no pre-conditioning. My experience at Walden's Shore private pier was not a revelation but a reaffirmation. I'm not shy about picking brains, and when the data applies to "when" and "where", I'm all ears. On the other hand, when it comes to "How" and the hottest lures on the lake, that's a different story. Unbeknown to the picked brain, the lures most touted by anglers and bait shop owners are moved to the bottom of my agenda. Someone with your uncommon observation and cognizance is what I need, I'd wish you'd give this tack a shot, and I'll bet you'll be able to take it one step farther. Roger Roger, I've seen what I thought were jaded fish to particular things. But they were never something that timing couldn't solve. However I have no control over that. And fishing is all about control -just the ticket to drive a Type A personality into obsession lol. I'll keep your suggestion in mind. I have two particular ponds that have seen a lot of a certain X-Rap and a certain jig (and the ubiquitous Senko -not from my doings lately though) the last couple years. I've been thinking I might try experimenting there with "something else" -after I work em over with the GoTos of course. (You know, I find more Senkos and Senko parts along ponds and in the parking lots than I ever buy.) As to the Where and When stuff, that was what my post with pics was meant to highlight. Would sure love to hear of others' neat scenarios they've found. ;D ;D Could be any one of those things I suppose. Speaking of lunch . Good stuff all. My wheels are turning. That's the way I like it.

I won't say that the BEST time is mid day, but better than 50% of the biggest fish I've caught came midday. There is also another thing to consider. Bass have an innate ability to shift from low light vision (rods) to bright light vision (cones) and vice versa faster than many of their prey, supporting their cepuscular (dawn/dusk feeders) reputation. Could it be, that those bigger bass are feeding mid day, due to the fact that there are less available easy meals due to low light feeding frenzies? Another piece of the mid day puzzle, especially in regards to tournament play, is that sometimes it takes until 10 am to get things cracking. Especially on a tough day, or in tough conditions, where your game plan went out the window. Finally, I think most tournaments end at 3 or so as a convenience to the participants. I'd really like to see more "iron man" style events, where you fish from dawn to dusk. Maybe all of that is off the topic rubbish, LOL. RW, that's a really good point. I've had this discussion with other anglers and it became apparent that my view as a small water angler is likely skewed. But it brings up a bunch of questions, some of which J hit on. If those fish are indeed traveling inshore to snack (some do) you best be offshore from 10-2? Some experienced bigwater anglers have wondered if it's more that by the time they finally find their active fish it's 10am. I would also ask, and I do not know, if you had a choice of conditions at 10-2, would it make any difference whether it's brilliantly sunny or dark and cloudy? Maybe the clouds would make them more vulnerable, or maybe the bright sun would keep them consolidated over deep structure? If I had to guess it would be that under darker conditions the fish would be more apt to come part way. So, let me adjust my priorities, and tell me what you think. Assuming these are waters with fishing pressure: Shallow water: 1. Location and position 2. Conditions (sky/water) 3. Method 4. Lure choice Deep Water: 1. Location and position 2. Method 3. Lure choice 4. Conditions (sky/water) To keep things on topic: Waters with virtually no fishing pressure I've had access to were SO much easier to catch fish from. The fish were stupid can't think of a better word. OK -naive. But there's another thing to consider when trying to tease out the real effects of angling pressure fish population size and competition within. Most of the virgin bass waters I've had the chance to fish had very high populations which were in high competition with each other. Yet even they could become jaded to certain presentations, like Raul mentioned in that other thread. I remember one particular pond I was not allowed to fish, but that made me drool. The guy had heavily managed a small pond with LM, bluegills, and one rock bass. He kept the population in tight check, and the bluegills had mouths the size of quarters! The rock bass lived under the dock and could be brought up for a good look by wiggling your finger at the surface (conditioning). It had to weigh 2lbs! The owner never offered to let me fish it, but he did say that once a summer he let his grandkids fish it with barbless hooks and he said it was like throwing candy to babies, in his words.

Sorry...I was editing the above post and don't want it missed: I guess what it comes down to in a nutshell, IMO, is that educated fish are most vulnerable during periods of obscured lighting, when they have a notable advantage on prey (are actively hunting), and/or are in high competition with each other. These things can override a fish's caution. But, there's another piece I think a lot of people (chasing the bait monkey) miss. Mature fish, are not always easy to find. In most waters they are not randomly distributed throughout a water body. In some waters they may be quite consolidated in just a few locations. Miss those by a few feet and it doesn't matter whether they are hip to you or not. You aren't in the game. This location and position factor will cure A LOT of ills. But not all. After this, timing, and lure choice/fine-tuning presentation, comes into the picture. If we are not adept at finding those fish, or haven't done the ground-truthing on a given water, we may end having to rely on lucking out on good timing. Chasing the bait monkey is like chasing your own tail -while the fish are simply elsewhere. If you have location and position down on a particular water then experimenting with lure novelty MIGHT make a difference.

Some examples of timing (copied from that other thread). There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable. Probably the biggest factor is water and sky conditions. Take advantage of low light: time of day, clouds, chop, water color, all help -a lot. Also, there are patterns/scenarios that will develop you can recognize. They might relate to water conditions, vegetation changes, or preyfish activity. If you pay attention there are LOTS of things you can take advantage of. Keep a log and you'll see the same stuff come around again. Here are a few examples, from the heavily fished ponds I fish, to get you thinking and watching: 1. Ponds usually have certain shorelines that offer a hunting advantage to bass. One I have made good use of is shorelines with a small (2ft) but sharp drop at shore. Bass corral 'gills here and are vulnerable to a lure. Other shorelines are too gradual in slope and 'gills can escape into water too shallow for the bass. Couple this with good lighting conditions and you will make your day right then and there. 2. In some of my ponds filamentous algae grows dense enough by early summer that it breaks free of bottom and gets blown to windward shores. At times, affected by which shoreline it blows onto and sometimes heating of immediate shallows, bluegills and bass will stack up under the algae, often times in only a foot of water. 3. By late May in some of my ponds. damselflies emerge in numbers large enough to draw mature bluegills into the vegetation beds and shoreline cover the damsels emerge from. The larger bass are in there with them. As a long-time fly-fisherman I'm pretty hip to seeing insect emergences and the effects they have on the food chain. A feeding bluegill is a distracted bluegill. Bass know this. 4. I take advantage of the bluegill spawn. There are usually crowds of bass outside 'gill colonies and they are vulnerable to an appropriate well-placed lure. Believe it, even if you can't see them. Find the biggest 'gills, you'll find the biggest bass. 5. I watch for vulnerable individuals. If I see a bass chase prey I get a lure there -immediately. Sometimes I just see a 'gill bolt into the shallows near me. That means there's an aggressive bass very close believe it and move fast. An aggressive bass is as close to a stupid bass as there is (except for maybe a naive aggressive bass). This 20" LM chased a 'gill to my feet. I didn't see the bass but the 'gill was obviously in a panic. I made a short pitch with a jerkbait and ... 6. Get to know individual bass. Some of the largest bass in my ponds have places they habitually go. This changes a bit as things change over the season, but you can get to know fish and be in position to catch them. This "Mama" (that's what I called her) used a particular weedline (edge of a slight bar) and was susceptible to certain lures under low light. What situations/events/things (what, when, and why's) have you seen and taken advantage of?

See BOTH pages 3 and 4. There's a gamut of material on this topic from several aspects. Now don't run away, this could be a very interesting thread. Keep the various 'experts' in their respective place: as tools -worthwhile background -not an end to discussion. To try and bring it back around, if ya'll are game, here's my nutshell on the importance of fish learning: From my experience as well as reading, I believe fish can learn to associate angler activity with danger -as far as certain presentations, but also other aspects of angler activity. They don't think, but can become conditioned maybe a better, safer, word at this point. I can pretty comfortably say that fish that haven't been fished for are MUCH less affected by conditions, in terms of response to angling. Those with experience in the extreme are MOST vulnerable at certain times, and "timing" becomes a big factor. Lure novelty probably plays a role too, but I have little to say about that. That's tough to tease out by angling. It's in the back of my mind though, and I leave room in my tackle bag for this on certain waters. I guess what it comes down to in a nutshell, IMO, is that educated fish are most vulnerable during periods of obscured lighting, when they have a notable advantage on prey (are actively hunting), and/or are in high competition with each other. These things can override a fish's caution. This timing thing tells me that angler activity IS an issue on hard fished waters. But, there's another piece I think a lot of people (chasing the bait monkey) miss. Mature fish, are not always easy to find. In most waters they are not randomly distributed throughout a water body. In some waters they may be quite consolidated in just a few locations. Miss those by a few feet and it doesn't matter whether they are hip to you or not. You aren't in the game. This location and position factor you read so much about in angling literature will cure A LOT of ills. But not all. After this, timing, and lure choice/fine-tuning presentation, comes into the picture. If we are not adept at finding those fish, or haven't done the ground-truthing on a given water, we may end having to rely on lucking out on good timing.

Of course we do, then we spend the last half of our lives trying to simplify the game Roger ;D ;D There's LOTS in that statement. We do have to concerned with what, BUT after the where and when. Chasing the bait monkey (he doesn't chase us), and switching lures every few minutes, is not the answer. Think where, when, (this is also called "timing") and then for the what, think method (terminal rigging) first, then choose a bait. Fine tune if the fish give you the chance.

Probably a lot of us do. I really enjoy trying new techniques though, so I like a certain degree of complexity -more than most likely lol. There are certain water types, and times, that call for different things. I like to be able to cover many bases. The more waters I fish, the larger my box could be. There is definitely a difference between versatility and obsession though. Where that line is drawn depends both on the angler and the diversity of waters they fish. That's my shot at this very good question.

I played with one at BPS, and liked it. Interesting you say you liked the CarrotSticks bc that is what it most reminded me of. I didn't look long bc the color scared me away lol. But they appeared really nice for the money. They are so new I doubt you'll get many real on the water reviews yet. Gonna have to buy one and tell us what you think.

Nifty!

Good point, J. This discussion came up recently. Since I spent some time digging into my archives on the subject I'll give the link again: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1263165951/0

One tip I can offer is when swimming a jig over rip-rap, use a buoyant line (braid or mono) and hold the rod tip high -it'll hang-up less. Drop the rod tip, or let FC sink on you, and you are much more apt to bury your jig into a crevice. If you get stuck, immediately give slack, move to the opposite side and it should pop free. Pull hooked bass away from the rip-rap as quickly as you can, as I've had them dive into crevices .

"Rubbish!" Very well put.

Go to BPS and ask to see the clearance stuff. Tell 'em what you are after. Most likely someone there will know just what the hot deals are. I just did the same and was shocked at what I came away with. You will likely end up with a chunk of spare change to ... take your wife out :.

Just one?? ;D First, casting gear is better for crank intensive techniques than is spinning. I assume casting is what you are looking at. I use two rigs: -A shorter 5-1/2 or 6ft M with some backbone but a softer tip for close-in pitching -accurate casting -with smaller baits of 1/8 to 3/8oz. I love this rig for wading ponds and pitching to visible stuff. -A longer 7ft MH for long casting and/or heavier baits (1/2 up). A flexible tip is good for accurate pitching, but you need some power in the blank for setting hooks at distance. One technique I use a lot is what I call 'bulging' -retrieving a heavy tandem-bladed bait just under the surface. I like a high speed LH reel so I do not have to switch hands (I'm right-handed). I want to engage the reel and the bait just before it touches down, and begin the retrieve immediately. The long rod is also an advantage in changing directions with the bait, which can trigger strikes, by leaning right or left. Steer it to and around cover pieces and edges, or just suddenly change directions, or zig-zag. It works. When in shallow, relatively warm water, I always have this rig ready to fly. If I had to choose one it would be the longer rig. It's more versatile, as you can pitch with it too. But you (or I should say I) need more swinging room -something not always available when shore fishing. Specific recommendations? Not really. Tons of great rods out there in all price ranges. The short rod I'm using is a Skyline pistol grip I paid big bucks for in 1983, and love dearly. The long rod I had been using up until just last week was a Shimano Convergence MH -$40. Not a bad rod really (but not in the 'love' category). Perfect action for SBs with that slightly rubbery IM6 tip lol. My upgrade is a 6-10 MH Browning Midas (85mil). It's a much nicer rod (lighter, crisper), but 4X the price.

Short-range accurate underhand casts, usually to specific spots in cover.

That sounds like two rods: -6-6MH (fast) for SB and worm. -7M (moderate) for CB and topwater.