Because conversation today often has less to do with fish motivation and more about baits and conditions, we don’t so often hear what used to be spoken commonly. That is, that advancing in the ranks of better fish catchers, it was seemingly necessary to “think like a fish.”

However, whether we’re conscious about the issue or not, the fact is, our most successful anglers do think like a fish–and like a predator. What catches our attention most certainly catches theirs. We’re on the lookout for “breaks” in the available cover or topography, and so are the bass.

We know, from experience, that when bass are moving through and feeding in an area, the “zone” is not particularly well-defined. That means we may have to resort to anything from crankbaits to Carolina rigs (and everything inbetween) to make sure our bait can be seen in the broadest area.

But when there is no apparent feeding going on, what draws our eye with regard to cover or breaks in the existing cover is the same thing that a fish sees as it moves in its territory.

Holes, boulders, material changes or transitions: seawall to natural bank, wood to grass, broken rock to sand, plus isolated cover, “distinctive” cover (as in unique in thickness, height, color, composition or angle to the water) are known to stop fish in transit.

In the primarily visual world of the bass, surely these structural variations or cover anomalies help fish track their way. But, certainly, they also may mark places where certain forage dwells, whether its bluegill in the shade of cliff or tree, crawfish emergent from burrows in the mud, and probably other things even more subtle.

Of course, the mere presence of distinctive cover does not guarantee a bite, but such “markers” can certainly help in tracking fish down. For example, checking long banks with homogeneous cover can be time-consuming. But checking a few irregularities on a plain bank helps you eliminate water more quickly.

Tree lines also tend to hold fish because they are both linear and often span or connect shallower and deeper water. Willows, because such variety of insect life is found with them, are always worth checking. Depth around them in spring can be quite shallow, but don’t discount these trees’ ability to hold fish. Pre-spawners huddle here, and the ever present insect life draws assorted bait and sunfish to the area, and that’s all good for the bass as well.

Just don’t get bogged down with the traditional thinking of what “looks good.” What looks different is a much better gauge to their desirability for the angler. And I’m pretty sure, that’s how the fish think as well.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 2:10 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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