NOT MUCH HAPPENING near the boat here, but...
I think it’s pretty much understood by today’s bass fishermen that you have to pay attention to the slightest clues about what bass are doing at a given moment. That often includes observing the immediate environment with things as subtle as a riffled surface or possible bottom sensations you may have noted before the last bite.
But coming off the U.S. Open, clear water slugfest, I was reminded of one occurrence that probably happens far more often than you think–unless you already make a point of watching for it. That’s the presence of other bass following your hooked fish up through the water column.
IS THAT A SHADOW to the right of the image?
That’s because these “followers” are often in an agitated state, and willing to bite, if you or your partner is ready to put something down there quickly. I say down there, meaning in the view and reach of those followers. Makes sense, right?
But it never hurts for partners to discuss what to do before it happens. Randy Best, former Classic qualifier from Norco, told me a tale that has resonated for years. In the U.S. Open, he was fighting a fish to the boat, when he noticed a pack of good sized keepers come darting up, right below his hooked fish.
LOOK, there's a follower above and to the right.
Instantly he called out to his partner: “Throw!, Throw!” And that’s just what happened. His partner dropped the net, turned around and threw a 50-foot cast in the other direction. Lesson, here’s a detail worth discussing.
But note the images from Lake Skinner yesterday. In this case, I was just trying to get some photos of bass coming out of clear water. It wasn’t until I got a look on the computer screen that I noticed what else was happening right in front of me. That I had flat missed.
Good lesson for me.
that’s why there is always a rod with a dart head ready at any time