Unusual?

Early this year I prefished for a tournament. It was late post spawn, but
not quite summer pattern yet.

I hooked a few fish, and had a few fish that rolled on the boat. Every
place I rolled a fish I caught one on tournament day. Same spot, same bait.
More careful presentation and more careful hook set.

In most of the places where I had hooked fish I got nothing on tournament
day. In fact on close inspection I saw no fish, and didn't notice any
spooking from the area.

All single fish close to shore tight to cover, and all hits were within
seconds of entering the water. Weather was stable. Water level was
relatively stable.

What would this have taught you that you could use in the future?



--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

Bob La Londe wrote:


What would this have taught you that you could use in the future?


Not to fish where you'd been practicing.

Seriously. I never look for individual fish on/near the shoreline other
than bed fishing time, and then I'm just looking, maybe casting, but
never swinging, unless I know it's a small fish.

I always look for groups of fish when practicing for a tourney. and
hooking one or two from a group just helps me get a feel for what's
there. If soremouthing one is going to ruin a spot, it ain't a spot I
want to bother with anyway.

Bob, what bass were you fishing for LM or SM? A surface bite is always an
unpredictable event when and where it happens. If it is a large lake it is
hard to be in that part of the water where bass are surface feeding. Forage
can always be a factor or fish are using the warmer water to metabolise.
Somewhere on a body of water a school of hungry fish are feeding on another
school of smaller fish somewhere in the water column. I would say the
forage and that/those fish have simply moved on with there feeding pattern
and forage interests. Or they could have become a forage interest of a
larger group of predator and temporally disburse that group of fish you had
hitting. I personally like to see larger (3"-6") fish moving in a
direction, this almost always indicates larger fish are just below moving
them from the deeper water. (The surface is not a good place for smaller
fish to hangout in.) Cast to the opposite direction that the school is
moving and to the deeper end of the school and slow down your presentation.
It is usual that the foodchain is what is moving the 3"-6" stuff. If these
fish are just lazing near the surface chances are they are in no danger from
below and they will strike. Sooner or later a larger hungry fish(s) will
happen along. Even big fish fill up and stop eating. But it can be said
that somewhere on a big lake a big fish is hungry, all we have to do is find
her ;-) Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for but there it is.
Hope it helps.
--
Steve

"Steve & Chris Clark" wrote in message
...
Bob, what bass were you fishing for LM or SM? A surface bite is always an
unpredictable event when and where it happens. If it is a large lake it
is
hard to be in that part of the water where bass are surface feeding.
Forage
can always be a factor or fish are using the warmer water to metabolise.
Somewhere on a body of water a school of hungry fish are feeding on
another
school of smaller fish somewhere in the water column. I would say the
forage and that/those fish have simply moved on with there feeding pattern
and forage interests. Or they could have become a forage interest of a
larger group of predator and temporally disburse that group of fish you
had
hitting. I personally like to see larger (3"-6") fish moving in a
direction, this almost always indicates larger fish are just below moving
them from the deeper water. (The surface is not a good place for smaller
fish to hangout in.) Cast to the opposite direction that the school is
moving and to the deeper end of the school and slow down your
presentation.
It is usual that the foodchain is what is moving the 3"-6" stuff. If these
fish are just lazing near the surface chances are they are in no danger
from
below and they will strike. Sooner or later a larger hungry fish(s) will
happen along. Even big fish fill up and stop eating. But it can be said
that somewhere on a big lake a big fish is hungry, all we have to do is
find
her ;-) Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for but there it
is.
Hope it helps.
--


Well, none of these were really surface strikes. They were solitary fish in
or near floating cover and submerged cover in relatively shallow water.
When a bass (largmouth in this case) takes a swipe at a bait you can usually
see the flash of their body.


--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

.....maybe a slow sinking presentation, Slugo, sinking, countdown Rap,
dartfish or those thingies Rich Z likes so much, Finnish minnows, salty soft
bait, neutral buoyancy, bobber stopped rig, drop shot......?
--
S