I'm in NC, and a couple of days ago my father and decided to get out. We noticed tons of sunfish, crappie and brim swimming together in the shallows. We also saw bass (small and large) doing the same thing. (usually in twos) I've never seen bass and panfish swimming that close together. I threw cranks. spinners, and plastics (everything I had) at them and they totally ignored me. What on Earth where they doing?

The bass are following their food. This will happen allot when the brim are spawning. I notice it mostly in ponds and small bodies of water, maybe they are just easier to spot than large bodies of water. The bass sit right outside of the "school" of brim and when/if one get left out on his own its dinner time. I've also seen where the bass will run up in the school to pick one off sorta like when killer whales go after a seal of the beach.

That's normal also the bass are probably spooked easy too.

Cruising shallow water bass/panfish = go find other fish to catch. In my expierance, fish just up shallow swimming around and hanging out are not feeding and next to impossable to catch. I have had them spook away just from the shadow of the line. There are a few tricks to catching them, but sadly they don't even work very well....for me.

Bass are like the lions on the Serengeti - they follow the plain's grass eaters around. The prey knows when it's the lion's dinner time! Until then they mingle.

I can second what ww2farmer says. I get all excited to see the bass cruising and try to catch it, but to no avail.

I have seen the bass/bluegill togetherness and tried what you said, the worms, spinners and cranks, nothin. The next day before I walked right up on that spot, I stopped about 10 yards away, threw a popper and caught a few. If I can see a bass I usually can't catch them. And If you can see them, you can bet they see you too.

Bass are like the lions on the Serengeti - they follow the plain's grass eaters around. The prey knows when it's the lion's dinner time! Until then they mingle.

Yep I agree. Bass dont just eat bluegill all day long. alot of the time they coexist close to each other. Then something triggers the bass and the feed. the gills know when its time to run. I have seen bass hanging around gills many times as a kid when I was fishing for the gills. The bass would seem uninterested untill I hooked a gill and it struggled. Then the bass would take notice. Most times they would just look but other times they would crush the gill. Sometimes the fighting gill would see the bass and play dead while it was on my line. I like the analogy Creastliner used with the lions.

Bass are impressive predators, but only bc their prey made them so. Bass cannot catch any bluegill at any time. They pick and choose individuals, and timing. It may not look like it much of the time, but there are few free lunches down there.

Also have you evern been to BPS and seen the bass swimming around in a tank with a bunch of little sunfish...exactly, sometimes the sunfish disappear.

Bass cruising around in my pond usually keep to themselves unless bass and panfish are feeding on the same thing. I have seen solo bass with a few sunfish and perch nearby but no activity. Bass in the pond are not shy when they see me and in fact one of them (of three) came within a few feet to check out my dog's nose in the water.

Another observation is that when I'm dropshoting small lures and getting hit by panfish, a bass will inch closer and finally decide to strike maybe to see what has excited the others. If it misses the first time (with me taking the lure away), it doesn't give up until the third try.

Weird, I am in the Northeast and just went fishing during lunch break. Also saw bass and sunfish mingling. No interest in what I was throwing though. Just a pickerel caught.

Bass are like the lions on the Serengeti - they follow the plain's grass eaters around. The prey knows when it's the lion's dinner time! Until then they mingle.

Agreed. Predators sit back, watch, and study their pray while they are resting between meals.

Bass and panfish are almost always together. They usually hang out in in weedy areas where the minnows are.