WRB-2.0

The notion, IMO, that we can think like any other animal, including bass, is ridiculous. As fishermen we just need to know what triggers a strike so we can select lures to catch the bass. My observations indicate, to me, that bass are not aggressive often and spend the majority of their time resting or inactive and a short period of each day actively feeding. For my own use I break the activity levels down into active cycles during each day or night and try to be at the right place at the right time with a lure I believe is the right choice. Bass that are active are catchable, bass that are inactive are not. Bass in transition or neutral are also catchable with slower precise presentations. This means the same bass is active, neutral and inactive during any given day, at different times. Present a fast moving crank bait or spinner bait to neutral or inactive bass and catch nothing. Present a slow natural prey type lure to active or neutral bass and catch them. Present a fast moving lure to a active bass and catch it. You need to determine the basses activity level and use the appropriate lures. Knowing the difference between a reaction strike and a prey strike helps to determine if you should stay and saturate the area or keep moving and what type of lures to be using. WRB

The basic 2 types of strikes are; 1. Reaction strike. 2. Prey strike. First try to visualize a bass or school of bass suspended or swimming. The single bass waiting for prey to come within striking distance is located at a ambush site. When a lure comes within it's window of opportunity and looks like something to eat, it strikes the lure. When a school of bass are hunting prey and a lure that resembles that prey, the bass closest to or the quickest bass strike the lure. The reaction strike occurs when the lure passes close to a bass and the bass strikes it without hesitation, it reacted to the lure. The prey strike occurs when the bass sees or hears the lure and makes a commitment to strike the lure that looks and acts like prey the bass is targeting. WRB

There is a lot of information regarding bass vision and color vision, most of it contradicts the other. Kenyon Hill, Elite pro's dad was Dr. Loren Hill, also a tournament pro did studies at a university and came up with the Color C Lector. This was a hot item back in the late 70's and early 80's. Bass reacted to the C Lector choices and fishermen believed in it. Works as good as anything that has been available to date. Hill's recommendation was to use a combination of colors that his unit indicates; contrast is the key. WRB

How and what bass see is anyone's best guess, we simply don't know for sure. For example translucent smoke with light blue & light purple are shad colors and we catch bass during the winter period on 4" straight tail finesse worms fished deeper than 50'. WRB

George Kramer did a article on Fish Clips, you might want to PM GK. WRB

Swimming upright isn't the issue, reducing the gas pressure on the air bladder is. A counter weight clipped onto the basses anal fin may allow the bass to appear it doesn't have a equilibrium problem and swim upright, it's brain may continue to degrade from the pressure changes unless it can get back down to the depth it was caught. The brain issue may also affect fizzed bass kept in a livewell. Keep in mind that the expanded air bladder pushes on the gullet and all it's contents are expelled, reducing the basses weight. The big problem is keeping the livewell water below 70 degrees, as deep water is at least that cool. IMO, if the depth the bass came out of is less than 35 feet, you shouldn't have an issue with air bladders. WRB

Ministry indicates Canada and they have strict regulations and enforce them. Each province is different and may have regional limits and seasons. Several states have closed bass seasons. If you are not specifically fishing for bass and catch one, release it quickly. You shouldn't have a problem, unless the warden is in the boat with you. WRB

I would think it has a lot to do with the bottom, bass prefer gravel type bottoms, but will spawn on tree stumps sometimes. It is a random thing where I fish, size doesn't appear to be a factor. So much for the remodeling the nest, they are just kicking tails! WRB

There was an excellent series of articles in the early In-Fishermen magazines called "Bass in the grass" that I believe became a video. Every weed type is discussed and how bass relate to each. Illustrations and photographs that clearly detail weeds edges, including the tunnels that bass make through weed beds to use the weed edges created by openings within the weed beds; inside and outside break lines. WRB

Plateau weights from the In-Fishermen articles are based historical data on Gaussian bell curves, however didn't take into consideration Florida largemouth bass being transplanted into high-land or hill-land reservoirs. There hasn't been any valid numbers of 18 lb bass from low-land reservoirs. 15 lbs would be a better plateau figure for reservoirs the have a FLMB population. WRB

It has taken awhile to get a fishery biologist to reply to this question. Mike Giusti, California fishery biologist for Diamond Valley lake and other regional lakes states:"The tails are red due to a bacterial infection from the slime coat being removed during the spawning process. They wear the tails when trying to lay their eggs. The contractions to get the eggs out cause them to appear to be enlarging the nest when in fact they are just releasing eggs. Same kind of thing as when salmon spawn". WRB

Few large reservoirs will have early eutrophic zones located where the majority of bass prefer; main lake outside structure. The euthrophic areas are generally located in the back of bays or creek arms and make excellent spawning and nursery areas for the young fish; they can hide in the weeds. In a natural lake (or pond) the main lake bottom collects the soil sediments and decayed matter that robs the water of DO levels high enough for bass, plus the warming water stratifies into layers that further reduce DO levels. Bass need between 3 to 12 mg/l to survive and the green aquatic weed growth helps to regenerate DO along with wind wave action. This one reason that bass prefer weed edge break lines in natural lakes or shallow reservoirs. Since bass can't read, they simple go where the conditions best suited for them; comfortable water temperature, good DO levels, food and shelter, regardless of the lakes classification. The only natural bass lake out west where I fish is Clear Lake, a early eutrophic lake. The delta area is a complex system of rivers and sloughs that could be early euthrophic. All the reservoirs are mesotrophic, with the exception of the Imperial area on the lower Colorado river which is eutrophic shallow expanse of reeds and channels. They all have excellent bass fishing. WRB

Natural lakes are generally classified as the opening post describes, however man made impoundments or reservoirs also fall into classifications based on the terrain they are located in and the type of dams they have. In-Fishermen was the first publication to make this distinction and is also a good source of information on oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic natural lakes, as they relate to fishing. Man made dams are placed at locations that will hold back water from seasonal run off or year around river flows. The dams that are used for power generation are placed in narrow area of river valley or mountain canyon. Flood control dams are similar, except usually associated with flood control or water storage. The difference is important to know as power generating dams create current. Out west we have four types of impoundments and dams; Canyon reservoir; deep steep rock walled river; Colorado river system, lakes Power, Mead, Mojave & Havasu are examples. Highland power generation reservoir; Lake Shasta and most of the larger motherlaod river dams. Highland water storage; Lake Casitas, Castaic and most of the SoCal reservoirs. Hill land; Lake Berryessa is a good example. Natural mesotrophic lake; Clear Lake for example. Natural oligotropic lakes out west have too cold of water to support bass; Lake Tahoe is the largest of the natural lakes located in the high Sierra range, however hundreds of high elevation natural lakes. The other lake classifications are; Flat land; reservoirs located in the plains states. Low land; reservoirs located near coastal plains. All natural lakes age and eventually become a meadow as they fill in with run off soil or silt, with the possible exception of Canadian shield lakes and high elevation lakes. Reservoirs also age, however start out very fertile due to the newly flooded land and without dragging may in time fill in with silt from run off. WRB

Will try to locate a paper on bass for you. There is data on fish other than fresh water bass; California Grunion for example. WRB

The majority of the bass fishermen are going to fish regional lakes they are familiar with. The lakes classification is extremely important to determine where the giant bass in that specific lake tend to be located. Based on where they bass live 80% of the time, will determine the type of lure or bait you should choose to catch them. Swimbaits have gone through a big change to become acceptable for the average bass fishermen to use and designs that can be fished in and around weed cover are now available. The Mission fish by 3:16 and Huddlestons weedless swimbaits are good examples. Basstrix hollow body paddletail has spun off a new class of small swimbaits that include the EZ-Shad by Roboworm that can be fished effectively in weeds. If you are serious about catching the biggest bass in your area, swimbaits should be part of your lure selection. In Florida the topography is flat, the lakes are shallow compared to most bass lake around the country being located in hilly or near mountains. Out west we have high land, hill land and canyon classification lakes in various stages of the aging process. The delta would be a low land tidal system. The Colorado river is a good example; the upper lakes are oligotrophic, oligo/mesotrophic in middle river lakes and eutrophic on the lower river. The vast majority of bass lakes in California and around the country are mesotrophic. Catt's input is very valuable as his experience represents the heartland of bass fishing. WRB

While I agree with Catts logic, you can't catch them unless you are on the water and the fish are affected by a combination of factors, the moon phase plays a role. We know for a scientific fact that the full moon phase affects the spawning cycle for example. The earth is 2/3rd water and the moon affects water, what affect can it have on a small body of water? Go to any large aquarium and ask the folks if the moon phase has any affect on the fish activity. The Monterey aquarium in California is a world famous. I was curious about how both tidal/moon phase and barometric pressure changes affected the fish in the large tanks. The main tank is open at the top, over 40'deep. The tank gets it's water directly from the ocean and circulates the water back into the ocean. I asked how the calico bass acted, thinking they would be similar to fresh water bass and the answer was they react exactly the same as the wild calico bass out in the Monterey bay. When a storm front approaches the become very active and as it pass and the cold front comes through the go into the kelp forest and rest in the stems, go to the bottom to feed. The calico's also become very active 3 days of the full moon phase at night and new moon phase during the day when the moon is in the over head moon location. The information confirmed my beliefs based on personal experience, so I admit the bias. I try to be at my best location when the full or new moon is in the over head position and take that into consideration along with all the other factors that I believe affect the basses activity levels. WRB

I could be wrong, but the question didn't have anything to do with tournament fishing. WRB

Let target the giant bass in your state; New York, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, or anywhere else. Each state or region has big bass, they may not be world record class, but giants in there own right. FLMB = 15 lbs. NLMB = 12 lbs. Spotted Bass = 8 lbs. Smallmouth bass = 8 lbs. If I was going to catch a giant bass, I would use the similar lures discussed for CA giant bass; jig, big worms and swimbaits. I would target bass during the pre spawn period in locations that big bass tend to stage and feed on larger bait fish or crawdads. In other words I would try to find the same type of water I'm familiar with. In Florida it would take some time to adjust to what is deep water and where big bass locate to stage. My favorite lure; the hair jig, would not be a good choice in shallow water, unless sight fishing. You need to select lures that can be used effectively in the water you are fishing, that closely resemble the primary forage. California isn't like any other state due to it's length, coastal areas and mountains. SoCal for example has bass lakes near sea level in moderate climate and up to 8,000' altitude where lakes freeze over. 500 miles north of San Diego, the climate changes drastically due to the Alaskan current, the moderate Mediterranean climate of the south is gone, replaced by the colder north pacific climate. The CA delta is a vast river confluence of 5 major rivers. There are a lot of different areas to fish. The world record spotted bass; 10.27 lbs from Pine Flat in central CA, located in the high sierra foothills, fed by the cold water Kings river. The CA state record smallmouth is 9.1 lbs from Trinity lake, a cold mother lode lake. Chris caught a 8.94 smallmouth from Pardee, a giant smallmouth, on a swimbait. WRB

Learn to read you electronics when fishing outside structure. A obvious major point that has become a community hole may not have any decent bass there. The reason is all have been caught that are aggressive enough to bite. If you can fish the same area at night, the better bass may move up on it. Try finesse presentations like 6# line and 4 1/2" drop shot worms in the baitfish colors. Approach the point form the shoreline and work out towards deep water slowly and quietly. Take a look at Don Ionino's book; It's based on fishing high pressured lakes. http://www.iovino.com/donbook.htm WRB

It sounds to me that you are new to bass fishing and your friend should be helping you to catch bass. The guy up front controls the boat and it's his boat to control. If he is a good friend talk to him and ask for his help. Some guys are too competitive to be willing to teach the new fishermen how to bass fish, it's all about numbers, who caught the most and if that is the case, then find another friend to fish with, this is supposed to be fun. What are your best bass fishing techniques? Are you a good accurate caster? How fast does your friend like to fish, is he always moving? It also sounds like your buddy pounds the shoreline and is too close to allow you a chance to make a cast to a new spot. The best way to remedy that problem is ask him to move out so he is making 45 degree angle casts, that will allow you to hit new targets. You need to use similar retrieve speed lures to fish as a team. If the front guy is cooking along and speed retrieving spinnerbaits or crankbaits, you can't effectively fish a plastic worm for example. WRB

Maybe you could tell us in what state you are in and the type of fishing tackle you like ti use. Could you describe this lake; How long is it? Does it have a dam? WRB

Chris, think of the current being very slight in the creek arm, maybe 1/4 mph. This slight current keeps the bait active and positions the bass to take advantage of it, no reason to leave. Wind, low light conditions and cold rain water run off affects the bass a lot more than low barometric pressure, which should have been a positive impact to the fishing. Out in the main lake the bass holding around 35' or just above the thermocline should remain somewhat active for short time periods. Thunderstorms tend to shut down the bite and keeps me off the water. WRB

Most hand poured worms were packaged with added salt and oil. The hot hand poured worms were also laid on a salted surface to cool. Dissolved salt brine mixed with fish oil is injected into some worms. The amount of salt in most worms doesn't off set the specific gravity of the oils enough to over come the floatation of the plastic, so the worms tend to float or become neutral and suspend in water. Senko's are heavily loaded with salt crystals to make them sink. Salt taste like blood to bass and is a positive scent. Most hand pours today stopped using adding salt to their packages and use salt brine mixed into the plastic. WRB

At the ramp all of the above sounds good, at the tackle shop depends who I'm talking to; caught a few works most of the time, blanked if a tournament guy is within hearing distance. WRB

Where do the giants go after the spawn? Lets apply Catt's big 3; structure, prey and cover. The water is warming and bass being cold blooded animals need more food as we move into the summer period. The catch rate of giant bass during the summer period is very low. The big bass must eat to survive and grow, so why are they hard to catch? 1. Structure; few bass fishermen understand how to fish structure. 2. Prey; nearly every bass fishermen knows what bass eat, but have little idea where the prey lives. 3. Cover; What is cover to a giant bass? After the big bass spawn they go through a period we call post spawn, a recovery time that can last several days for older bass, some don't make it through this period. Once the bass recover they are looking for easy meals that don't require a great deal of energy. Lakes that have threadfin shad provide bass schools of high protein bait fish that are an easy meal and they come to the bass. In SoCal the giant bass also get planted 6" to 10" rainbow trout delivered to them, easier meal. Bass become very selective when prey is abundant, live shad on light line or swimbaits on fluorocarbon line work well for bass between 8 to 12 lbs in SoCal lakes, very few giants are caught during this transition period or the balance of the year until the next pre spawn. The reason may be cover. What is cover to a giant bass?It may not be the traditional cover of weeds; few giants have been caught around weed or grass beds during the summer period and that is where most of the bass population is caught. Lakes where bass are the top predator, the giant bass can go where it has everything it needs; prey, sanctuary (cover), preferred water temperature & DO levels. Weed beds get too warm and have low DO levels after the sun is down, so the giants move out into cooler water, near structure that provides both prey and sanctuary in the deep shadows. The shadows become cover and the thermocline becomes their friend and they live just above that layer for several months. WRB