I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you don't want 'tons of bait' in the area.  Just signs of life.

 

Tons of bait means the bass are napping and finished breakfast and lunch and dinner 2 hours before you arrived.

 

Another way of looking at it.  You think tons of bait is gonna just chill and sit under your boat if the big bass are eagerly feasting on them?   Naaaaaaah

 

I find that a 'competitive' area yields the best bites and these competition zones are very situational and seasonal and even come and go from one hour to the next with wind direction or cloud cover.

 

The key is learning the where's and when's of your lake mechanically and how bass fit into the competition.

 

Mayfly hatches are a huge deal here.  Everything on the lake just becomes zombies for the little critters.   The areas where wind is blowing them into the water /they are hatching and swimming to the surface become these frenzied competition zones where everything is eating everything right in the shade of certain trees.

 

On days when that's happening, good luck getting bit anywhere but in those frenzied little competition zones.

 Always very interesting to read about super foundational bass fishing subjects like the relationship fish have with structure & bait.  This one could go on for a while & just might very well do that.

The thoughts of some very accomplished bassheads from far & wide; including

Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Iowa, California, North Carolina, Tennessee & even Mexico seems to indicate that bass living hundreds of miles apart can display behavior that can be so similar & perhaps so different, maybe even at the same time.  Might even explain how/why Pro anglers from TX often win derbies in NY and Anglers from Michigan sometimes take the top prize in fishing contests in Fla. 

 

 In the end, I have a lot to learn about both of these topics and the northern Michigan brown bass prove that to me on a regular basis.  Just when I think I have some of this 'figured out' and I might even get a few, they pull their famous disappearing act and it feels like I'm starting from scratch again.   Being in the right place, at the right time and doing the right thing at times seems almost too easy.  Other times it feels like playing Powerball.

I know someone's going to eventually win it, but I'm pretty sure it won't me . . . . . 

A-Jay

 

 

There’s already so much free chicken in this thread that I don’t feel obligated to add anything else. If somebody’s committed to learning their body of water and not the latest trending YouTube video or what x pro tells you to do, then it’ll happen. I been on my local lake for like 3ish months after moving here in Marchish. I have plenty of time, and I can’t complain so far. 

I’m similar to @Pat Brown, i try to avoid places that are totally stacked with shad . Which sometimes is everywhere 

52 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

seems to indicate that bass living hundreds of miles apart can display behavior that can be so similar & perhaps so different, maybe even at the same time.

 

One thing WE need to keep in mind when reading books, watching videos, or comments on bassresource, is where the person is from & the body of water they're fishing. 

 

I read every thing @A-Jay posts but I understand where he fishing ain't Toledo Bend. I glean what's applicable to my waters!

44 minutes ago, Catt said:

I read every thing @Catt posts but I understand where he ain't fishing Lake Menderchuck.   I glean what's applicable to my waters!

Right back at ya my friend . . .

A-Jay