We have reached that time of year where bass are bulking up before winter and fishing has been great.  I have been experiencing good limits of late and have observed that most of the takes have been pure reaction bites.

I have deduced that the reaction bite seems not to depend on lure colour, plastic, or blade type, but rather on where the cast lands in relation to where the bass are holding.

I caught fish at the same laydown on a white crankbait and later on the same afternoon, caught on a black crankbait.  Alternatively I caught some fish on spinnerbait with a chartreuse skirt, while my partner caught on a junebug skirt.  Will a bass ignore a watermelon senko falling past it's nose, but rather take a junebug dinger?

I think too much focus is placed on colours, styles etc. at a substantial cost to the angler.  IMHO rather put on a lure that you are confident with - you will still catch.

I would appreciate your views.

Tight lines

M    

I am not much on colors although, I do have my idiosyncrasies like everyone else on using some colors. I think natural colors are best for worms and such but, I thing the main thing to look for, is mainly, either a darker or lighter hue. Prespawn is typically a reaction bite time. The fish that have been wintering are looking for a meal while traveling their migration routes up lake to their spawning grounds using the creek channels, points and contours and a reaction bait like a spinnerbait, rattle trap type bait, or jerk bait are optimum choices at this time, especially when the water gets around 55 degrees or so. JMO.

i usually dont go too crazy with matching the hatch but do think that colors can be important.  for me it all has to do with visibility and contrast.  if the water is murky i want a dark bait that the fish can see, and if it is clear im always gonna start with green pumpkin and need a pretty good reason to switch.

i think you are right that with reaction strike bites it is less important.  if you are crawling a jig along the bottom then color is important but if you are blowing it by his head around a dock then probally less so imho.

We have reached that time of year where bass are bulking up before winter and fishing has been great.    

Where the heck do you live???  It's APRIL!!  ;D

I fully agree with you.  Right now, just get it in front of them, whatever "it" is.

Yesterday we caught on flukes/jigs/brush hogs and a swimmin' image.  All in the same shallow cove that the bass migrate to for the early spring feed.  

We have reached that time of year where bass are bulking up before winter

Lbh beat me to it, but depending on where you live the fish activity is prbably related to

1.  pre spawn

2.  post spawn

3.  spawn.

Sorry dude, I know bass don't read calenders, but trust me on this one.

They are definitly NOT bulking up for winter.

Reaction bites are fast moving, noisy, baits that will provoke a strike from a non feeding bass.

almost any lure can be a reaction bait.  For example a small plastic worm with a half ounce sinker will speed past a bass and may cause a reaction strike.

I think a classic reaction bite would be a buzzbait.  

good luck and have fun, but be careful about assumptions.

Ask........that's why we're here  

Oh My Gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shut my big mouth - and Russ' as well.

I checked your profile - after I wrote my snotty post of course.

you are South Africa.

The southern hemisphere is indeed heading into winter just as we are heading into summer.

My most sincere and humble apologies.

You are absoulutely correct.  The bass are bulking up for winter.

I was going to delete my previous post, but I decided to let it stand, as a reminder to myself and others of many posts that we often blow copious amounts of flatulence from dubious sources  

Glad to have you on the board.

As we all have experienced, sometimes color is critical. But I wholeheartedly agree, most of the time it is WAY overrated.

I think you might have some luck with jerkbaits right now, too.

No prob's Avid.

Enjoy your summer - I will be shivering and shaking for the next three months - add's great action though

i was reading avid and lbh's post and wondering when someone was gonna point out that this guy is in south africa.   seems like south africa has some of the better bass fishing outside of the usual hot spots.