Interesting none the less!

Frank

I feel that 2 and 3 (the opportunistic part) basically support 1 because, given their opportunistic feeding habits, they will use their advantage over their prey, even if they are not hungry. Could it be that they get used to such a schedule and start doing it out of habit? This would make a lot of sense at a lake back home where the main food sources for the bass are sunfish and craws because the bite will seem to "turn on" once it gets near sunset (I haven't fished this lake in the early morning  )

1 and 2: To me it means that bass are efficient crepuscular hunters. That's all. Kieth Jones already noted that bass are able to adjust the rods and cones faster than most of their prey, creating a window of opportunity at dusk and dawn (crepuscular).

Match the Hatch? Man, I hate that phrase. Probably because I learned it from fly fishing for trout, not bass fishing. When there is a hatch, food is so abundant, and fish so tuned in to that food source, your offering better look EXACTLY like that food source.

I think all fish are opportunists.  If it fits in their mouth, tastes like food, then down the hatch it goes.

When does that happen in bass fishing? Not too often. Trout stockings. Shad runs. Alewife migrations. I tend to agree with you, Frank, that something in the zip code should get bit.

And what is up with the sunfish thing? Bass are a sunfish. Look up Stephen Spotte, and try to find a copy of his studies on sun fish. You'll probably need to go to a college library. He's got some lateral line theories that will open your eyes.

Big fish, big bait? I'm sold on big baits catching big fish. But I'm also convinced that effort plays a part. Low effort meals are what got that fish big.

Glad you explained that "crepuscular" thing...heaven only knows what Google might have come with for that one.   ;D

Does this mean work a lure faster in early am and later in the pm and slower and more object oriented during high sun position?

I think I would do the exact opposite. If their eyesight is poor, I may as well have my lure whizz by their heads since they're not going to get a good look at it anyway. During times when their eyesight is good, I would slow down and use more realistic looking lures so they can get a good look at the presentation, find it enticing, and smack it hard.

Bass are able to switch from mainly cones for daytime vision to rods for better nighttime vision faster than most prey fish.  They can revert just quick as well.  Hence, advantage = predator.

1.  No idea on that, though I do think some fish probably have some tendencies.  Big fish (and I mean bigger or biggest) tendencies are usually somewhat different than what we label "the norm."  The richest men didn't get rich doing the same thing as everyone else.  neither did the biggest fish.

2.  Those rhythms baffle me.  Just when I think I predict a trout run, or when bass will be on beds, fish throw me a curve ball. 

3.  Some trout are crazy picky.  I often fish for "pressured" fish.  One thing guys don't take advantage of is FORAGE.  Match the forage, even somewhat, and you get bit.  Guys marvel that I scrape up a steelhead in a pool they were just fishing.  These fish that are running, spend most of their time pelagic, eating fish.  Just because they are in a creek that doesn't have any fish in it doesn't mean they switch to only eating bugs or roe.....  Something fishy gets bit because they are conditioned to eating fish.  Yeah, some are up there for bugs and roe, or simply to spawn, but they can be tricked.

For bass, that jig and pig?  I think that more of a proximity thing.  You cover quite a bit of productive structure, closely and slowly with a jig.  I think slow fished baits increase the strike zone in neutral to almost inactive fish.

I have always had a problem with the big bait = big bass equation. The reason is my personal experience does not support that theory.

Big bass eat whatever is abundantly available and have size preferences and it's not always the biggest prey available.

When I fished with live bait over 40 years ago big bass preferred crawdads with a body length of 3" excluding the claw arms, you rarely got bit using a 4" or larger crawdad. For whatever reasons big bass in SoCals trophy bass lakes prefer 3" crawdads and a high percentage of California's giant bass were caught using this size crawdad.

I keep my jigs to a 3" length, excluding the trailer length, and have 5 bass over 17 lbs using 3" jigs. About 2 years ago lake Casitas was subjected to the new DFG regulations that stopped planting hatchary raised rainbow trout that were 6" to 8" long. The following years the 6" to 8" swimbait bite dissappeared at Casitas. The bass are now targeting 3" to 5" shad, redear sunfish and crappie, if you are casting big trout swimbaits your success rate is very low today, far better if you change to smaller 3" to 5" shad, bluegill or crappie swimbait. Lakes that plant hatchery size trout, the trout swimbait bite works good.

It should not surprise bass anglers that low light conditions give a predator like bass an advantage over it's prey or that bass are active during these time periods. I have also caught a lot of mid day bass with a prey fish half down it's throat. Bass eat any time they are active; morning, noon or night.

Should you match the hatch? yes! you should match the size of the prey bass are eating. Unlike trout that have excellent close up vision to see details of very small prey, bass are sight feeders with a wide range of vision and know what they are looking for.

Tom

As WRB has a problem with the big bait = big bass equation ( I 'm into it 50-50 ) I 've always had a problem with the match the hatch theory, how can a bass identify a crawfish as food in a place where there are no crawfish, yet a crawfish like bait catches that bass ? I can say the same thing about shad, shiners and a bunch of fish species that are bass food where such species do not exist where those bass live. Logically speaking it makes no sense, so I don 't pay attention to that match the hatch theory.

ITs not just big bait= big fish, it also relies on the profile of the bait. a big bass might take down a 10 inch shiner, but it would try to take down a 10 bluegill. i watched something on this on north american fisherman and it made alot of sense. Bass(and other predators) know what will swallow easy and what wont. a long slender fish will go down much easier that a tall pan fish.

Also as someone noted earlier big bas are big because they understand they cannot exert more energy than they will get from the food they eat. If a healthy 8inch shiner goes swimming by a no prepared bass it my pass knowing it would take to much energy but if a wounded 6inch goes by, you bet he's gonna go get his free meal.

I believe the big bass will eat all sizes of prey. I also believe that different sizes pass through different mental filters before it gets the go ahead to be eaten by a big bass. What Big baits= Big bass means to me is that this theory is highlighting that most small bass won't factor in, thereby leaving only big bass.

There is an interesting dichotomy though. Many times I've heard a fisherman make a comment that he had to move his bait pretty fast so the fish didn't really get too good of a look at it. This comment goes contrary to jerkbait fishing where the fish actually do get a good look at the bait before eating it. I think in simplistic terms the explanation is that those who fish with top quality jerkbaits catch more than those who don't in general because the finish/action quality does a better job at passing the vision test of the bass.

Trying to categorize what prey and how bass feed on is difficult when basing assumptions on stomach content only.

For example this article suggested bass eat aggressively during dawn and dusk and made the assumption the bass eat during this time period even when they had stomachs.

The factors that are important to bass anglers should be; what size are the bass under the study? and during what seasonal and time period.

LMB feeding during low light periods maybe more aggressive due to the competion from other bass.

Juvenal and young adult bass are extremely aggressive during pack feeding periods and don't have the experience of larger adult bass. Most anglers catch these inexperienced bass because of their aggressiveness and lack of experience.

Your lure selection can be broader and presentations less skilled and catch young adult size bass, espescially when they are actively feeding.

Every bass must eat to survive and develope hunting skills based on success or they don't survive to grow larger. If you are trying to catch larger adult size (4 lbs+) bass, you need to know what they prefer to eat during each seasonal period or time period.

Matching the hatch is important to adult size bass. The lure size; length, width, shape (profile) and coloration should be selected to get the bass to strike at the time of day or night during the seasonal period you are fishing. If you know the bass are eating shad, crawdads, worms, frogs, or whatever, it's to your advantage to use similar lures in the locations and depth the bass are feeding.

Good points, especially,

Trying to categorize what prey and how bass feed on is difficult when basing assumptions on stomach content only

But I wonder, do older bass get wiser with age (and maybe more experience) or just more selective with lowered average aggressiveness. I can understand sensitization to specific lures, even those that resemble its common forage, but then that would disprove lure details as important even if those lures exactly looked and acted close to the real thing.

Lure category according to realism advocates I think is important. I can get away with using jigs and soft plastics year after year than some hard baits that may match size, shape and action.

As you say, time and place is always important.

The soft baits or bottom bumping lures tend to appeal more to the bass that are less active. The fact adult size bass are less active most of the time, you are targeting bass for a longer time period, with slower moving lures. Bass often strike a soft plastic or bottom bumping lure while it's falling down through the water coloumn. Was that strike from an active bass? If you cast back into the same spot and catch another one, those bass are more than likely active or feeding on something that acts/looks like your lure.

The question now is; do you change to a reaction strike lure or stay with what got you bit? I always follow up with what got me bit first, then try a reaction type lure before moving on, the opposite of using a search lure first.

Realism in color is tough to answer. I rarely use lures that don't have some natural look and contrasting coloration to make it stand out. I guess it's the right profile, sort of the right coloration with highlights, thinking the bass can find it easier.

Example; jig color: black/purple /brown, good color combination for me over the years and never have seen a live crawdad with all 3 colors. The crawdads where I fish are basically brown/red/tan, a marginal color combination in jigs for me. In soft plastic worms substituting the black with green; green/purple/brown with red flakes is a good color combination and size (length) isn't as critical; 4" to 12" all work at times.

Jigs I get bit often on the fall, plastics worms rarely on the fall, both moving along the bottom.

It maybe more of selective harvest; bass that are aggressive often are more than likely to be caught often and simply don't survive to become older adults.

Some bass are never caught on artifical lures and certainly weren't hatched with the knowledge to aviod lures. I believe some bass are extremely wary or aware of what is harmfull to them and difficult to catch. I know finding big stupid bass is getting more and more difficult to find.