For all you guys who fish tournaments and want to be a bass pro, I suggest purchasing the book, Knowing Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Kieth A. Jones, Ph.D., Lyons Press, 2002.

It is fantastic.

You will learn all about the fish and what works and does not work to catch them.

I could not put the book down once I started reading it.

You can glaze over the technical stuff that supports the practical application suggested but even the technical information is valuable.

Best bass book I have ever read and a great $17 investment.

Where can we find a copy?

I stumbled on the book at Bass Pro Shops after someone on this site suggested it in their post. BPS did not have many left so I grabbed one when I saw it.

I suppose you could go to Lyons Press on the web, or call 800.962.0973, extensiion 4551, or Amazon.com or your local bookstore and order it if they do not have it in stock.

This above telephne number is for corporate or incentives but they should be able to direct you to the right person.

Also, the book lists an e-mail, premiums@globalpequot.com, for corporate orders.

The book explains how the fish senses food and baits and its environment, etc.

For example, in the Chemoreception chapter, here is what they say about using scents on crankbaits:

Effects of Adding Scent to Crankbaits

Average Number of Strikes

Without Scent - 23

With Scent - 45

Average Lure Retention Time for Crankbaits

Without Scent - Less than 0.4 seconds

With Scent - 0.9 Seconds

Dr. Jones goes into the types of scents and how the fish smells them and that some are a waste of money as the molecules cannot be picked up by the bass's senses.

One of the many subjects that blew me away was the Vision chapter where studies at Pure Fishing and Berkley Fish Research showed that a plastic crawfish without any claws or wiskers had more strikes two and a half times higher than the original whole crawfish.  

Plastic craws without claws scored second.

Also, in the Senses of the Skin chapter they show the texture effects on bait retention.  Here is what the book says:

"Using their sense of touch, bass easily discern hard and soft materials, heavily favoring the latter. Research shows that roughly half of all attacks on hard plastic lures end with the bait being rejected in 0.25 seconds or less.  Wooden baits fare no better, in fact scoring virtually the same as hard plastics.  By coimparison, unscented soft plastic PVC-type baits are tetained rughly six times longer."

The book says that the fish is a sight feeder so our baits can attract them towards us but they like to view the baits and then make up their mind if it is food before they strike.  However, blind bass can hunt by vibratiion and do quite well.

Scents, vibrations and flash attract the fish but they feel with their mouth and after being attracted to our baits they take a good look at it to decide to attack the bait and if they do decide to test the bait they do so with their mouths.  Thus the time they hold onto hard wood or plastic baits and plastic baits.

And they can remember different baits and to stay away from them plus various sounds that mean we are around. The older bass will retreat under cover when they hear trolling motors or other sounds associated with being caught.

The book is a must read if you want to understand how the fish senses our lures, remembers them, and also debate someone if the fish feels pain.  The pain chapter is extremely interesting.

Good luck with your search.

thanks sam

gotta check it out

This book is $13.22 on Amazon.com.  Buy over 25 dollars worth of goods and you'll get free shipping, I think.

Dr. Jones is the head of research and developement for Berkley Pure Fishing.

Same guy who said anise oil will turn bass off  

Now it would really help if we could just get the bass to read it.  

Being a science guy (especially aquatics), It sounds like I would really like this book. Thanks Sam!

Nope. I just want to catch BIGGER fish :-)

Peace,

Fish