Depth.

Ok, there is no trump card!

There is a order we follow in establishing a pattern, starts with location of the bass & of the prey.

If there was a universal trump card, this site wouldn't need to exist!

If there was a universal trump card, this site wouldn't need to exist!

I beg to differ. Trump cards win hands. Skill /experience/ and a little bit of luck win games.

I don't know Paul, but you basically just agreed with me, I think.  I don't fish with Trump cards, though bass fishing can get to Bridge proportions of difficulty, some days.  More often its more like Euchre.

We agree. We’re pretty much doing the same stuff out there. I'm just hashing out the logic.

 

J...it's called a pattern...it starts with a broad location & narrows with each bass caught.

Next consideration for location would be the location of prey

Ah! Baitfish push things into the activity/aggressive feeding part -the flipside of the location trump card.

 

-We can sit over suspended, sleeping bass for some time without catching. We've got a location, we've got fish. But a lot of good it's doing right then.

 

-We can sit on a good prey location where the prey has all the advantages, while the bass await opportunity.

 

-We can sit on great structure/cover combination -sans vulnerable bait and feeding bass.

 

What we look for is when and where all three come together in time and space. This tends to happen at certain “locations”, I believe these are the ambush points / carnage zones / strike zones, however they manifest themselves: depth, angle, breaks (structural elements, cover, current, mudlines, …)

 

Then there is presentation…

 

No, there is no one trump card. It’s a process. It feels best when we have enough of a handle on what’s going on and what the terrain looks like underwater to be there at the right time and place. A lot of times we just stumble on such things. Imagine how many we miss by mere feet, or minutes? Those tournament results are indicators of just how big a job we have when we leave the dock.

 

I beg to differ. Trump cards win hands. Skill /experience/ and a little bit of luck win games.

Now you've got me considering the definition of "trump card".

 

 

Now you've got me considering the definition of "trump card".

I'm just screwing with J Francho, but now you got me thinking

I'm just screwing with J Francho, but now you got me thinking

I think it's all about the current conditions such as  various weather , time of day (sunlight) , different cover, time of year,etc.....Reminds me of a typical day on my friends lake. We usually do well and know the lake, but, that day we couldnt buy a bite.......We were texas rigging senkos and trick worms....I decided to down size to a very small plastic on a small jig. 3 inches overall long, and I just slowly dragged it along the weedy bottom. I started catching good quality fish ,and the bass continued to eat the small baits ,to the exclusion of the 5" plastics.......Quess I really still dont get why , but, it worked....Wonder how many times a person fishes over bass just by having the wrong size bait?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'

Slonezp couldn't catch a bass if he was left guarded with an off ace. Tricks are for kids, Paul.

If there was a universal trump card, this site wouldn't need to exist!

Where else would people discuss b/c vs spinning?

 

To Paul's point of which I agree, having the right location doesn't mean catching fish, but it may in an hour, later in the day or maybe the next day.  Still brings me to timing, being in the right place at the right time. 

Sometimes I hit the water four suited.

Sometimes I hit the water four suited.

If I have trump cards I want to be three suited

Pass on a bower, lose for an hour.

The trump card, the one thing that trumps all is....YOU. Your ability, your experience, your knowledge, your intelligence. In most bodies of water there is a bass within casting distance of where you are fishing. Yeah captain obvious (location) is important but not as important as what is in your head. You take somebody who has never fished before and put him on a good bite and he probably wont catch a thing. You Put KVD in a tough lake he's never fished before and he will figure it out.

I would say that smacking a grouchy bass upside the head with an irritating lure is right up there near the top.

Josh

The trump card, the one thing that trumps all is....YOU. Your ability, your experience, your knowledge, your intelligence. In most bodies of water there is a bass within casting distance of where you are fishing. Yeah captain obvious (location) is important but not as important as what is in your head. You take somebody who has never fished before and put him on a good bite and he probably wont catch a thing. You Put KVD in a tough lake he's never fished before and he will figure it out.

 

Yeah I guess if you take away the angler, there's not much left is there?   And no reason for this website. Guess we'd all be talking about euchre or something.

Go fish, Paul. I'm out of spades.

Go fish, Paul. I'm out of spades.

Ever hear of hearts?

Glad you guys are steering this discussion. Things were getting complicated. Bridge, to euchre, to go fish and hearts. How about... 52 card pick up?

Glad you guys are steering this discussion. Things were getting complicated. Bridge, to euchre, to go fish and hearts. How about... 52 card pick up?

Paul I would rather play poker.

I'm all in, I love poker.

So long as it's 5 card. None of that pansy hold 'em junk.

So long as it's 5 card. None of that pansy hold 'em junk.

You sure? No River, No Flop?

If I'm not mistaken hold'em is nothing more than Carioca poker, which we played 50 years.  We called it Ron's game, because Ron always dealt it.  Carioca can be played with any variation of pocket and table cards, dealers choice.  Hi-LO Carioca is a wicked game, the pots can get enormous.

Location is key. If you are around them that is easily 60% of the equation. Followed by their mood and finally quality presentations.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.