@Pat Brown Thank you for clarifying. My post was in the same vein. Will PM rather than derail thread topic as I feel we’re steppin’ in what we’re both smellin'.

@ol'crickety I agree that bass prefer slim bodied prey like golden shiners and yellow perch to broadsides like bluegill and pumpkinseed. I often times witness bass cruising right through schools of pumpkinseed or bluegill and a lot of the times the sunfish pay the bass no mind, and vice versa. 

I'd be willing to bet that EVERY "hammer" everywhere has 2 things in common.  They're going to be good at strike detection, and they're going to be able to make precise, quite casts.   

 

Some people seem to have a knack for catching bass.  I think this "knack" is skills and intuition they've developed through observation and memory retention.   

I second, third, fourth, and fifth what @Woody B wrote. 

Sometimes it’s a half court buzzer beater, if you never take the shot it can’t go in.

Tom

Interesting conversation, Bankc brought up musicians and having been one myself we always talked about having the "feel".

The consensus was usually you either had or ya didn't.

I have a good friend who so wanted to be a musician, he has taken lessons for years from really great teachers and just doesn't have the "feel"

The thing is he also likes to fish, he can catch some if put on them, but again just doesn't have the "feel".

So, is there a intuitive factor involved? 
Obviously time on the water is important, but I'll end this rambling with this;

How did Mozart write his first symphony while only 8 years old?     

This may be unpopular. More towards tournament anglers as well. I think arrogance is something most of the great anglers have. You need this to compete at a top level of any sport. This doesn’t mean you aren’t a good guy/gal. That you aren’t great with fans, sponsors or the public. It just means when you enter a competition you don’t think you are the best. You know you are the best. This far surpasses confidence.