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There
are quite a lot of people who ask,
"When is the best possible time
to fish for bass?" This is where
pattern fishing comes in handy. There
always seems to be some days when
the fishing is great, and others when
fishing is not-so-great. So how do
we know when the fishing is fair or
excellent and how come some fishermen
seem to only be fishing on the days
when bass are actively feeding?
Many
avid anglers keep mental notes about
their surroundings when they are fishing.
This can make them amazing anglers
if they use their knowledge correctly.
The trick is to keep knowledge of
Weather Patterns, Time of Day, and
Cover/Structural Patterns.
For
the Weather patterns keep track of,
what else, the weather. Most people
know that fishing for bass is better
on overcast days than bright sunny
days. This is a real basic pattern
that fishermen tend to pick up on
early, but how about wind? I have
found a slight chop in the surface
can turn on bass while no wind or
heavy wind turns them off. During
a cold front bass become sluggish
and are sent deeper than usual.
Does rain trigger
bass into feeding, or turn them right
off?
Rain seems to trigger bass into feeding
heavily, with rain comes clouds, and
the clouds block out sunlight and since
largemouth bass are light sensitive,
this allows them to creep away from
their cover a bit. And with rain, bugs
wash into the water and the baitfish
go and gather most of them up. Well
this activity arouses the bass and comes
in for a closer look only to see some
potential food swimming around. The
bass obviously can't pass up this free
meal, so all of a sudden the predator
fish become active. But a thunderstorm
or heavy rain may quickly change the
fish's mind and head it straight back
to its heavy cover and become even more
spooky than before. The
time of day an angler hits the water
can be very important. Bass tend to
be more willing to follow and strike
a lure during low light periods. This
means early morning and late evening
fishing can be very rewarding.
So
we know when to fish, now, where do
we fish? Points and humps have always
been favourites to fishermen. The
only problem with these are that they
can be difficult to find without a
fish finder. If you do find them,
fish the shady side first. In early
morning and late evening fish hang
around the top/shallow part of the
humps and points. By midday they have
all mostly dropped deeper down the
side of the point or the hump.
These
were some basic patterns, and there
is definitely more than just these.
But you have to find them for yourself,
because many other, more subtle patterns
change from month to month and lake
to lake.
 Learning
About Bass!
If
you want to catch largemouth bass
you must know some basic information
about their biology. Here you will
learn about largemouth bass such as
how their metabolism works to if they
posses colour vision. This is extremely
valuable information for a serious
bass angler.
Metabolism:
Bass are cold blooded, meaning their
metabolism is controlled by water
temperature. When the water goes below,
oh lets say around the 50 degree Fahrenheit
mark, the bass' metabolism slows down
making the fish not eat as much. When
the water temperature goes above the
50 degree Fahrenheit mark bass get
more and more active due to their
metabolism.
The
best possible water temperature bass
can stay in is around 68-78 degrees
Fahrenheit (20-25 degrees Celsius).
Any temperature above 80 degrees Fahrenheit
causes low dissolved oxygen levels
and makes the largemouth bass hard
to breathe. Another good temperature
for bass is when it is steady and
there are no sudden changes. Bass
in northern climates live longer but
do not grow big. In southern climates
bass live shorter, but grow larger.
More
Temperature Facts:
When the water temperature turns to
about 62-68 degrees Fahrenheit (16-20
degrees C) largemouth bass begin to
spawn. Largemouth bass make beds on
the bottom of the water in shallow
areas of the water body. A good rule
of thumb is for the deeper the bed,
the bigger the fish. But in some places
fishing for bass while they are spawning
is illegal. Shortly after spawning
they head to shallow water areas.
Bass can tell when a cold front is
coming, they binge eat as much as
possible before the cold front and
then stop eating altogether during
the cold front. Oh, and if you do
not know how a bass can tell what
temperature the water is, it is proven
that a largemouth bass can feel a
change in temperature of 1 tenth of
a degree.
Senses
of The Largemouth Bass:
Lateral Line:
The lateral line is made up of nerve
endings on the side of the fish. The
lateral line picks up vibrations in
the water. This is so sensitive it
can tell what size, speed, shape,
etc. of the prey or predator.
Sight:
Yes, largemouth do posses colour vision.
The bass relies mostly on colours
in clear or other high visibility
water. In muddy water bass do not
use this sense as much as their lateral
line or smell. Fish see in 2 dimensions
to the side of their body. Bass can
see in 3 dimensions from about 5 inches
from their snout and out to, depending
on water clarity, 100 feet to 5 feet.
Hearing:
Sound travels through water much better
than air. But, bass have ears inside
their skull instead of outside. Bass
do, however, have a keen sense of
hearing.
Smell:
Bass use smell to detect prey or predators.
Their smell is very sensitive and
if they smell a predator nearby they
will swim away from the area. And,
therefore, if they smell prey they
will go in search of it and eat it.
More
to come on Bass Fishing soon...
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