“Just How Soon Is Long
Enough?”
(By: “The Bass Coach” – Roger Lee Brown)
I know that the
title of this article can mean a great many things to a lot
of different people i.e... How soon is long enough visiting
with your in-laws, or how soon is long enough being engaged
to your honey before the big commitment? Etc… But, what I am
talking about here, is a question that I probably have been
asked more times by either my bass fishing school students,
bass charters, emails, and even some phone calls concerning,
“how soon is long enough” spending time with a certain bait
or location when fishing for bass.
I guess the best place to start is always at the beginning,
right? Let’s say that we are going to plan a day on the
water and we want to catch as many bass as time will allow,
doesn’t every angler have these “high hopes?” (-:
There are several factors to consider before you even hit
the water such as:
A. Season
B. Water Temp
C. Knowing your Natural Forage
D. Daily Conditions
E. Size of the Body of Water
F. Choosing the Right Baits
G. Using the Proper Equipment
H. Locating Structure
I. Keeping it FUN! Always
The basics listed above are a good place to start when it
comes to putting the “high hopes” plan together.
Let’s start by saying that we want to fish a body of water
as big as the Santee Cooper System located in South Carolina
(which is made up of Lake Marion & Lake Moultrie.) Now, if
we have an impoundment of 186,000 acres of water with this
system and just one day to fish, where do we start and how
much time do we spend in one place?
The first thing I would do is to get a hold of a map of the
lake and study it. By looking at a map such as a Hot Spots
Map, or a Topographical Map (the most commonly used among
today’s anglers) these maps will generally show you the
contours, depths, points, and your boat launching areas. By
studying this first you can section a certain spot on the
map that looks appealing to you and in the same process
eliminate a good portion of the body of water that you just
don’t have the time to fish in one day.
Secondly, I would study the area on the map which you
sectioned off looking for key areas such as contours,
points, structure, and irregular bottoms. Next, keeping in
mind of the factors listed above I would circle a half dozen
or so areas that look good in the section and start looking
for a good working pattern. Here are a few hints of what to
look for during the different seasons:
1. In the spring, summer, and fall, look more in the
shallows for warmer water temps, hard packed (or sandy)
bottoms, structure (of any type), and especially vegetation
areas. Just make sure that the key factor to remember is to
look for shallow water close to deep water areas i.e...
Points, drops, roadbeds, channels etc.
2. During the winter months, just look for the opposite in
most cases! Deeper water close to areas with structure.
Now, here is a good rule of thumb when choosing the right
baits and equipment. Choose baits that cover top water, the
bottom, and everything in-between, also keeping in mind that
the proper equipment such as rods, reels, and line is just
as important as the baits selections.
Normally, the difference in fishing cold water areas from
the warm water areas is to know the activity levels of the
bass. In cold water the bass tend to get more sluggish and
inactive because their metabolism changes with the water
temps. On the other side of the coin, the warmer the water
temp means the more active a bass will be. Remember that the
more active the bass are, they will feed much more often
than say colder water conditions.
Here are some tips on certain baits that normally work
anywhere in the United States of America anywhere you can
find a bass habitat.
Top Water:
Floating Worms, Hula Poppers, Tournament Frogs, Soft and
Hard Jerk Baits, Zara Spooks, and Torpedo’s. There are many
more, but I have been just about everywhere in the US and
have had success with these certain baits.
In Between Bottom & Surface:
Crank baits, Spinner baits, Soft and Hard Jerk Baits,
Jigging Spoons, and Swim baits.
Bottom Baits:
Jig & Pig Combos, Senko’s Always Work! Carolina Rigged
Baits, My “Mo-Wak” Rigged Baits, Texas Rigged Baits, and
Gitzits (or tube baits.)
Now, between all of these baits mentioned, I have used these
baits under most every condition possible, and in every
season with success.
Now, here’s the question of “How Long is Soon enough” to put
certain bait down and try something else. Normally when it’s
overcast or in low light conditions I would start out in an
area where I’m quite certain that bass are holding in with a
top water pattern. This is because bass won’t be in so tight
to structure areas as much as they would be in a bluebird
(or sunny) sky condition. Anyway, I will start with at least
two different patterns with top water baits such as a Zara
Spook or a Stick Bait (hard jerk bait.) I have found over
many years that if a fish will hit top water bait either of
these two will do a fine job. Give yourself at least a good
dozen or so casts using each of these two baits trying
different retrieves to see what may trigger a strike. If you
don’t get any action off of top water patterns then try a
Crank Bait or Spinner bait. Again, allow yourselves by using
a couple of dozen casts with each of these two different
baits, again using different retrieves (or techniques.) One
nice thing about Spinner bait is that there are many
different ways to use it. I teach my 3-day bass fishing
school students at least (6) six different presentations on
this one bait because it is one of more successful and
versatile baits ever made.
If all fails, “Hit the Bottom!” One thing to consider before
I go into bottom fishing is that it is very important to use
the right equipment. I’m mostly talking about fishing rods
in general. An angler has to feel the little ticks, slight
pulls, bottom nicks, and bites with his rod to even know
that he has a strike (or a bite). There are many good rods
on the market today and I’m sure that they are very
comparative within price ranges, but I have found that there
is only one rod for me personally; it is Lighter, Stronger,
and more Durable than any rod I have ever used, which is a
Kistler “Helium series” Custom Rod! You can feel every
little THING on the bottom with these rods, and better yet,
I don’t even have to use solid line with these rods. I
always use Silver Thread copolymer clear line for all my
applications.
When fishing the bottom, you need to know exactly where and
what your bait is doing to be more successful. I will use at
least three different patterns fishing the bottom before I
move on to the next spot. Keep in mind that we covered top
water, then the in-between area, next we go to the bottom
with the following patterns. A rig that I kind of thought up
a few years back called the Mo-Wak Rig. This rig is simply a
Mo-Jo rig using a Yamamoto Senko bait wacky rigged with very
little weight above the bait. Secondly I will use a Carolina
Rig because if rigged right, you can cover a lot of areas
that you can’t with a Texas rig. With a Carolina rig I
normally use a soft plastic bait such as a Yamamoto 6”
Lizard, or for that matter, an angler can use many different
baits on this rig. Next, I will work with a flippin’ or
pitchin’ bait such as a jig & pig combo or a crawl by
itself, pegged with a weight. Give each one of these
patterns again, about a dozen casts and if all of these
presentations don’t trigger a strike…..MOVE TO THE NEXT
SPOT!
If you may be interested in learning more or just want to go
out for a fun day of fishing you can inquire about my 3-day
bass fishing school where I can teach on my lake or yours,
or inquire about my bass charter service on Lake Champlain.
You can reach me at: Phone (518) 597-4240 or Email me at
rlbrown@capital.net or visit my site at www.capital.net/~rlbrown
. I certainly hope this article helps somebody overcome some
of the frustrations they may have had in the past with this
topic.
Until next time, take care & God bless!”Always”
The Bass Coach – Roger Lee Brown