When you are catching fish. Do you continue to use the same thing until the bite stops or do you change up. I.E. different color, speed, presentation. go from a crank bait to a spinner bait, or to a tube, worm, or even a grub?

How often have you been catching say 1lb'ers on one lure say a spinner bait and change to say to plastics and get a little bigger fish and continue to change until you find what the toads want.

If this makes any sense.

Or do you find that it is better to relocate to find bigger fish?

Are the big ones isolationists?

Those type of questions are almost impossible to answer, Jim. It's different on each and every lake. It really hinges on what you are seeing while on the water, and you shouldn't try planning any of this stuff before you hit the lake. It would only cause a person to get stuck on a pattern they "think" should work, instead of responding to what the fish are telling you at the immediate moment.

Maybe this isn't what you are asking about, but when you go to a lake, don't try to overprepare yourself. By overprepare, I mean don't try to plan your day out to the minute and decide to stick to only a certain number of lures. Maybe decide on a first spot you want to fish, and a backup spot, tie on some baits that have worked in the past for you or baits that should work for the given season and conditions, and adjust from there.

If you are in a spot where you're catching fish, I will often go over that spot again with a different bait just to see if the larger fish (or just more fish) will respond to something different. Some days the big fish will hit a tiny brushhog, and some days you will need to fish a HUGE bait for bigger fish. On Potholes you may find a dozen large fish on a beaver hut, and on Lake Sawyer you might find a single large fish cruising along a retaining wall.

Of course, there will be people who think I'm full of it. And you know what, they're right!!! 

Do your own thang, Jim!

Chris

Although I'm fairly inexperienced compared to the rest of the club, I thought I'd share two experiences that have made me a believer in patterns.....

(1) NW Bass potholes tourney 2003 - my dad and I were working a weedline and I picked up one nice largemouth on a spinnerbait...my dad really liked the look of the water so we went through the area again with Senkos, weightless....in an area no bigger than a living room, we boated 15 bass all around 3 lbs, weighed in 17.4 and took 5th.

(2) NW Bass Banks tourney 2004 - my dad and I drifted up on a bluff that dropped into 35 feet of water, midday with sun and wind...perfect jerkbait conditions....needless to say, my dad culled all five of our fish in 20 minutes with 2 to 3 pounders on a luckycraft staysee (dives to 10 feet)....I had a pointer on that only dives to 6 feet and didn't catch a fish. we weighed in 13.68 and took 6th.

My take on both situations....when you find something that works....fish hard until the biting stops, then move on and don't look back....I also think it's important to know when to quit and move on. As Chris Sergeant told me last week, the number one key to success in bass fishing is decision making...and I tend to think he's right.

Danny Garrett

For me, it all boils down to confidence.  Once I lose confidence in the lure I'm using, the place I'm fishing, or the technique I'm using, it's time to switch.

That said, when I'm not tournament fishing, I employ a tactic Larry Gonzcy taught me years ago.  That is, once you've established what the bass are hitting, start experiementing and try to determine exactly what is triggering the bite.  That is, change colors, weight, retrieves, lure type, etc. until you figure out what it is they're keying in on.  It's a great learning experience and an excellent mental challenge.

Also, it's a good practice to cover an area with reaction baits, then go back through with a different bait if you caught a bass or two on the first pass. 

As for big bass being loners - tracking studies have proven that theory.

I was talking with a guy from Puyallup Hawg Hunters who talked with O.T. Fears when he was up here fishing Washington. Wolskey was with me when we were chatting with this guy. Fears said that up here he noticed that the anglers got to focused on a "spot." We wanted to cruise to a spot and live or die by it because it looked good. He thought we blinded ourselves to trying to relate to the conditions and what the fish should be doing because of them.

I like reading the articles they put in Bassmaster were the Pro fishes a lake he has never been to, and they document  it. They fly back and forth through spots all day depending on the temps and sun. They try yo fish the attitude of the fish and not fish what they think looks like good structure. Sometimes the attitude puts them on the good looking structure but sometimes not.

I do agree that little things can make a difference in strikes. Like pausing for 5 seconds between twitches instead of 2. Once you find that little something, stick with it.

Great topic Jim.

Hey Glenn,

Do you have any links or reports on tracking studies you could post here? I haven't seen any that seem to prove that big bass are always loners, but I have an open mind!

I, and I bet a few other folks, would like to read those.

Chris

Good rule of thumb.........Find bait....find fish. Of all sizes

Anyone who has an underwater camera knows that there are far more fish located in those "fishy looking" places than we dare want to admit; especially when we can't catch them.  If the average fisherman knew how many fish saw their lure during a normal day, many would quit fishing in disgust.  But some guys understand that at "some time" during the day, those fish WILL become active.  Some like to wait for moment, patiently throwing their confidence bait.  Others don't have that type of patience and will crank up the motor, fly to a new spot looking for active fish, often switching baits constantly.  Both can be successful.  Neither is necessarily wrong - they are just different.

When I first joined the club we had a couple of brothers who used to pick a spot in the middle of a lilly pad field, and sit there all day long.  While the rest of us flew around the lake using everything in our boxes, they fished the same spot all day.  There were times they did very well.  When they didn't it was probably because their fish didn't turn on until after the tournament "check in time" occured.  It's the risk you take.  That style suited them.  I'm a type-A personality and that just would work with me.  Successful or not, I just wouldn't enjoy it.

Personally, I think what you do in a tournament situation has more to do with your PERSONALITY than anything else.  Two pros in the same tournament will use both approaches (one run and gun - switching baits constantly, the other using their "tried and true" in one spot.)  Both will do well.  I think we need to stop worrying about what the other guy does, and find out what works for us. 

Confidence is a prescious commodity - and at the end of the day, you have ask your self "Did I do it my way?  Did I give it my best shot?  And did I enjoy it?"  And if the answer is "Yes", you can go home happy.  Every day's experience (successful or not) can be a learning experience if you analyze it carefully.  But as Frankie used sing "I did it my way!" 

I was in a tournament long ago in which my partner and I were in first and second place after day one.  The next day the conditions changed a little bit, and when it didn't pan out like the day before, my partner tried every thing in his tackle box.  He literally spent more time switching baits and tying on new set-ups than he spent with his line in the water.  I chose to "dance with the girl I took to the prom" and I slowly picked up four fish by the end of the day.  I amazingly held on to first and he dropped to 6th.  I am not saying I did the right thing and he did the wrong thing.  But I was COMFORTABLE with my decision, (win or lose), and he ended up frustrated and deeply disturbed by his choices.  He still beats himself up when he talks about that tournament.

In the end, the opinions you will get to this question will be varied, and equally valid, depending on a person's personality.  Learn and experiment with each of them until one begins to feel comfortable for you.  When you spend enough time on the water, "you'll just know" which approach works for you the best.  Only experience and time spent fishing can lead to that revelation.