As always i can catch the smaller fish in the lake and sometimes they are hard to catch. But i was wondering just how do you guys pattern your fish when you either go to a new lake or just dont know what is going on. Like yesterday caught some smaller ones on carolina rig off points with a ZOOM U tale worm today upgraded to a mag worm same color and nothing. Even went back to the u Tale and still nothing. So just what is my best approach on patterning these bass?

It depends what kind of lake. If there is a map, then I will plan all my areas at home and go to those sites to check them out. If it is a smaller lake without a map, then you kinda have to map it out with a depth finder. There areas I choose are based on the seasonal phase bass should be in. Then I factor in cold fronts, rising water, current, etc. and adjust accordingly.

Just going off of what I read in Bassmaster, etc. patterns can change quickly.  It seems like in every issue you read something like: "I found such and such a pattern in practice.  But then they opened the spillway and the water dropped a foot.  By tournament time all the fish had moved off my best spots and I had to look for the fish on deeper structure."  Or: "The first day of the tournament I was catching them in such and such a spot, but on the second day the wind picked up (or the wind changed direction, or a front came through) and that bite died."  Seems like more often than not, the guy who wins is the guy who adapts the best.  

Sounds like you had a good pattern going on the c-rig.  But the situation can change from day to day and you have to figure it out all over again.  

JMHO

I would start off trying to target the active/agressive fish first.  Topwater (if conditions are suitable) and crankbait, would be the first lures I throw.  I would target some kind of structure, visible or noted on sonar.  When I land the first fish, I try and note depth, water temp, structure type and how the lure was taken, softly or agressively.  If soft, I would change colour.  

I would then slow down at the spot where the first fish was caught and fish a mojo fluke or senko.

If I catch another one at the same spot, then I would look for a similar area with same structure and fish the same lures.

If that fails, just enjoy being on the water & outdoors.

Just going off of what I read in Bassmaster, etc. patterns can change quickly. It seems like in every issue you read something like: "I found such and such a pattern in practice. But then they opened the spillway and the water dropped a foot. By tournament time all the fish had moved off my best spots and I had to look for the fish on deeper structure." Or: "The first day of the tournament I was catching them in such and such a spot, but on the second day the wind picked up (or the wind changed direction, or a front came through) and that bite died." Seems like more often than not, the guy who wins is the guy who adapts the best.

Sounds like you had a good pattern going on the c-rig. But the situation can change from day to day and you have to figure it out all over again.

JMHO

...this is why I feel prefishing for a tournament is a waste of gas. EVEYTIME I have prefished...something has changed by tourney day and the time spent was wasted. ( other than knowing the physical details of the lake)

If there are small fish in an area...they are there for a reason. If you are dropping a c-rig in 10 feet of  65 degree water on the sheltered side of a secondary point and getting smaller fish...you have learned something. There is a reason the fish are there that day at that moment...the reason the small fish are there are all the same reasons the larger fish will be there. The instincts are the same. It is just that the smaller fish are more aggressive. You may need to fish a little slower...with a different size bait...fish a little deeper...but the larger fish will be hanging in similar conditions. Maybe not right where you are fishing...maybe on the next point down the way...but they will be in similar conditions to the smaller fish. Most of the guys I know will fish like crazy until they find a pattern...and then fish that pattern slow and methodically.

The first thing a person has to do in paterning fish is to understand the fish. Understand the life of that fish and their feeding patterns and behavior as it relates to light penetration, moon phase, barometric pressure, current, cover, and available forage.

Now all of that can seem kind of boggling at first but with time and patience it will become second nature to you as an angler. The first thing you have to do is to remember not to get stuck in a pattern yourself. You have to be willing to change with the fish.

One of the first things to do in establishing a pattern is to take small downsized baits, some horizontal and some vertical presentations and work over a variety of areas. Start with points, then move to shallow cover, then to mid depth structure. In doing this you can start to get a pulse on what the fish are doing. Try about an hour on each location switching presentations as you go. As you start to notice one style of presentation working better than the other. Also different presentaions will work better at different locations. Say on the points a crank bait might work better that a worm, or in the shallows a soft plastic might be better than a spinner bait.

That way you have a pattern for each type of location. Now keep in mind that thereis no master pattern on large lakes and in rivers. So you have to build paterns of patterns.

With a better understanding of the fish you can establish patterns much easier.

Good luck,

Peter

Pattern Fishing is a difficult subject to cover. There are so many obstacles that you have to adapt to. If your fishing a boat with a depth finder, pre-fishing tournaments is a good idea in my opinion. You can scout the area with the depth finder to find structure that you would have otherwise missed. Even if the lake is continually changing you can still know what the lake bottom looks like and where your instincts tell you the fish are. If you are bank fishing the c-rig is a classic way to scout the bottom and the lay of the land.

If i am fishing a lake that I have never fished before the local outdoors stores will have pretty good information about what works well in their lakes and what is biting at that time of year. It also depends where your fishing, temperature of water, time of year, and what the weather is like. Most lakes in my area fish the same with the same type of lures, but this is not the case everywhere else. One lake might have a good population of crawdads and yellow perch with structure/rocky bottom so I would throw a crank in brown/orange or chartreuse/green/grey. On the other hand you might be throwing into lily's or weeds where a t-rigged senko/fat ika/creature might be the better option.

I also do a lot of research and watching of a lure on how it moves in the water before I start throwing it. This will allow you to predict how your lure is going to move accordingly to what type of bait you are trying to imitate. After practice you will be able to throw almost anything in your tacklebox in any occassion.