Let's say you walk to your fishing spot and you check the sky.if it's cloudy and grey and little sunshine is hitting the water, would you make a mental note that Bass will be more active? Or if it was a cloudless day and the sun couldn't be more exposed,would you then think that Bass would be closer to cover? I read in a article in Bassmaster where a professional was talking about the sky.he said since it was a cloudy day that fish would be more active. But I have to think-this does male sense.with more light in the water,Bass might be more cautious of their surroundings and be more comfortable near hiding where as on a cloudy day with less light in the water, bass might feel more free to roam.thoughts or comments?

You also might factor in the barometric pressure.  Those mile high skies tend to have high pressure and that is usually not a good thing either.

It's not about activity, it's about where they will be, I can't remember how many times I've fished in cloudy days and the fish showed very low levels of activity and days with clear blue bird skies where they were biting bare hooks, so once again, you can't make "rules" ( ex, cloudy days = more activity ). For me cloudy days mean less deep and more dispersion.

Those are two well known Facts that pro was taking about.

It's not about activity, it's about where they will be, I can't remember how many times I've fished in cloudy days and the fish showed very low levels of activity and days with clear blue bird skies where they were biting bare hooks, so once again, you can't make "rules" ( ex, cloudy days = more activity ). For me cloudy days mean less deep and more dispersion.

I think Raul is right on the money.

 

On days when the conventional wisdom says I'm supposed to kill them, sometimes the fish haven't read the script. The opposite can be true as well, yesterday with bluebird skies and using nothing but a top water popper I destroyed them, both shallow and deeper water.

I have but one rule, that's just to go fishing.

General 'rules' in fishing are just that, general.  Yes, if we have an idea how active the fish should be it gives us a starting point and is better than blindly throwing baits.  That being said, fish location is the most important factor when it comes to catching.  Think about that general statement, which I agree with.  Now apply location to the activity level and say you're targeting laydowns that extend from shore out to 12-18ft.   The laydown isn't the location. you could be sitting in 14ft. of water and pitching to the thickest limbs and trunk only to have the majority of active fish under, or behind you.  The same thinking applies to structure fishing.  Targeting a ridge is a generality.  The points, pockets, rock piles, etc. are what you look for.

I guess what I'm attempting to show you is that you need to extend your thought process past a generality, sometimes taking multiple things into account.  Otherwise when the wind is from the east, you'll be golfing and we all know that golfing is a waste of good fishing time.

Fish don't have rules so you shouldn't have them either.  The only rule is keep your bait wet.

 you'll be golfing and we all know that golfing is a waste of good fishing time.

 

I like that !

I understand where you all are coming from.this isn't a 100% thing,I realize.However I think it's important to consider everything

I understand where you all are coming from.this isn't a 100% thing,I realize.However I think it's important to consider everything

Everything is important, thr catch is when something matters and when it doesn't.

The difficulty in answering such a question lies in separating actual bass behavior from angling results. The two are not always related.

 

There are a few “general rules” usually offered in dealing with high vis conditions:

-fish deep

-fish dense cover /shade

-go to light tackle.

-fish fast and aggressive

 

All say more to me about how bass respond to angling than to what their actual behavior is. Bass (esp in shallow water) can be darn spooky and darn tough to dupe under high vis conditions. So, it's tough to tell, by angling alone, what's really going on below.

 

I've only had the opportunity to observe bass in shallow waters and can say that under high vis conditions I’ve seen bass active and relatively aggressive, lethargic, to nearly dormant –what I’ve called the “brilliant blue stupor”. I much prefer a good overcast sky, the darker the better, and/or a good breeze rippled surface; it just makes approach and presentation so much easier. But, if I end up with brilliant skies and flat calm water I can adapt, although I've had more skunks on high vis than attenuated vis days.

 

What I've seen, and there's some research out there that, suggests that bass have an advantage over prey fishes under attenuated light and bass are at a disadvantage under high vis conditions.