| Cats and Bass. What is this all about you ask? A cat will eat a bass, a cat hates water, a bass lives its life there and can not survive with out a good fresh nutrient full supply of it. Unless you fish very clear water and are one of the ones who regularly observe the habits of a Largemouth Bass either by observation in it's natural habitat or you have access to artificial controlled environments, then much of what is going on with this critter will take a little guess work. This is the position I find myself in most of the time when leaving out for a day of bass fishing,there will be some guess work involved. Of course there are ways to narrow down the task at hand of finding and landing largemouth. We all gain or should gain knowledge about the fish we are after every trip that we take to help us become better fishermen for the future. Unless you visit stock ponds and the fish are always starving then every trip is not going to be a bass bonanza. There are many ways to determine the location of bass and finding those locations can be solved by a little research or study. Of course the easiest is to ask a few questions about the water you plan to fish. Local fisherman who enjoy seeing others have success and that are willing to divulge a few secrets is a good place to start. I never ask a fishermen to divulge all of his secrets though, honey holes for example, it's just rude, I think. Observation on the water and staying alert to what others are having success with is recommended.I try never to move in on another fishermen,I make a mental note of it for the future and give it a try later. What your going to find though is that one fishermens success does not always mean that same success will come to you. Being an individual and coming up with your own plan can also work at obtaining success. Now what is success in your mind? You will need to work that out and what your expectation and goal should be for a day of fishing. Don't live to my expectations and I won't live to yours. Seem fair enough? I think we are both going to enjoy our time on the water a lot more if we try and follow that simple rule. The best advice,, enjoy it,, have fun fishing. Rules can be applied to bass fishing. You will learn that largemouth tend to be near deeper water. Creek channels and drop offs are a couple of examples but they do move up to feed on occasion on shallow ledges or weed and timber flats near channels or drop offs. Sometimes bass enjoy the benefits of a windy point and the food source it provides or other times your going to find they will be a little more inactive in calm pockets around those points. Or at times you will find bass in a deeper channel depending on conditions. Sometimes you might find your largest fish just lazily waiting for something to make a mistake and find its way to a bass dinner table. This could be on or near a mid lake shallow hump or in the darkest pockets of a creek channel. Have you ever observed a cat? I know, either you love cats or you hate them, but have you ever observed one and it's habits?Sometimes they can be very aggressive and attack any thing that moves. The faster it moves or the more erratic it moves the better they like it. Other times they are very spooked and will always be aware and observant about what is around them. Have you ever tossed something out and watched a cats reaction to it? Again at times they can be very aggressive to your offering. Other times you will find they have to be enticed. This mood might change in a heart beat depending on the cats mood or the conditions that present it's self around that cat. Have you noticed a cat never ventures far away from its food source for very long? If you have one, two or more cats you might see that at times they really don't want what you have to offer individually but will make sure that the others don't have a chance at it either. Nature has a pecking order to it. I think this happens a lot in bass fishing, especially when you catch a few fish in an area but know there must be many more. A bass will pick and spit a lure, keeping it away from others, I think. I think bass will follow lures a long way at times too, like you might observe a cat do, observing the prey and waiting for the precise moment to strike and devour it. Cats are stalkers but can be very patient, hiding in the shadows and observing a potential meal. Of course when I fish I always think about what a Largemouth Bass might be interested in or what it might be up to. And now also when I fish, and you might laugh, but I always think about cats and what they might be interested in, or for the most part, how I might fool the cat. Spend a little time observing cat habits. It's just a little advice from me to you. You might be surprised at the similarities you find in a cat and a bass. And learning those similarities just might help you catch a few of those Largemouth Bass your after. Good fishing to you, Jerry (okiebass56) |
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