Contest Question of the Week Archive

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Week of 7/02/01 #156 You are on the lake when a very large fierce thunderstorm approaches. You decide to head for a close by marina to wait it out with a cup of coffee and danish. The afternoon has been slow fishing with the water temps in the 80’s and bright sun. When the storm is over you head for the entrance of a large cove where you see baitfish breaking on the surface near a long tapering point. You go back to throwing your 9 inch black/blue worm that produced a couple of good fish during the day. Buddy #1 says the fish should be a little more active and has chosen a white 3/4 oz spinnerbait. Buddy #2 thinks that the fish will be very active and has chosen a 1/2 oz silver/black rat-l-trap. Who do think will catch the most fish in the next two hours? Winner The answer is buddy #2. The bass should be very active because th thunder storm cooled the water enough to make the bait fish come out of hiding on a hot day. And as we all know where the baitfish go the bass will follow, right? Week of 7/15/01 #157 You are fishing a familiar lake on a warm summer day. It is partly sunny and the water temperature is in the low eighties and is slightly off-color. The lake is shallow and you have been fishing the edges and pockets of large weed beds. You are using soft jerk baits like super flukes and bass assassins. You have a nail weight inserted in the body of the lure. Fishing has been somewhat slow but you are picking up a bass here and there. Always looking to try something a little different, you make one small change and now you are catching twice as many fish. What did you change? Winner I removed the weight. Week of 11/01/01 #158 You are fishing with two buddies on a deep, central U.S. reservoir. The local bait shop has told you that the lake has “turned over”. As you head out from the launch you and your two buddies are discussing the day’s plan of attack. Buddy A says that you should fish shallow because the lake is all one temperature now and the fish should be in a strong fall feeding frenzy. Buddy B says that you should be fishing the deeper drop offs because the water has cooled substantially. Your opinion is that you should head for the main lake points because that’s where schooling bass should be located. Who is right? Buddy A, B or you? Or, do think another plan would be better? Winner During the fall turn over, the entire lake is at pretty much the same temperature from the surface right down to the bottom. As a result of this constant temperature fish can be found at any depth. So, I would follow my own instincts and fish the main lake points. There are certainly fish somewhere on that point. I would just change depths along those points until I found the fish. I would keep in mind though that it is tough to pattern fish under these conditions. So, when moving from point to point, I would not be surprised if the fish where not at the same depth. Week of 11/23/01 #159 It’s a brisk fall day and you are spinnerbait fishing the back of a few feeder creeks. The water is fairly clear and the weather has been pretty stable over the last several days with partly sunny conditions. There is a small channel that winds down the creek about 100 feet from the bank. All morning you have done pretty well using a chartreuse and white, single leaf spinner bait. You have been following the creek channel fishing the edges. As the day goes on it seems like the bite has pretty much stopped on this pattern. What is you next course of action as the afternoon suns warms the water? Winner: The pattern may have changed due to increased surface temperature. If this is late fall, the surface water was too cool in the morning, keeping the bass near the channel. As the sun has warmed the surface, the bass may have moved shallower. Plan A is to position in a creek bend that is close to one bank. From there, fan a series of casts from shallow water to deep. Use the same bait you have been using. Reel it just fast enough to allow it to bump the bottom often and keep the blade turning. If you get no fish, it is time for plan B. Move close to shore, and burn the bait along the surface. If you still have not found them, it is time for Plan C. Try plan A with a different lure. I suggest a diving crainkbait that bounces the bottom when retrieved at a reasonable speed. I am not particular about brand names, but a light color is important in clear water. Plan D is to go shallow again with a slower surface lure. A Zara Spook is a good choice. You should have found them by now, or I missed my call when I said they moved shallower. Week of 2/5/02 It is late March, and you have been prefishing for an upcoming tournemant. The past few weeks have been warm with air temps in the 65 - 70 range and water surface temps hovering around the low 50's. You had located some nice fish holding along some flats and points about halfway back in a couple of small creeks off the main lake. These fish were holding in water from 6 - 10' and were hitting crankbaits. Of course, on tournament morning, you are faced with air temps in the mid 30's and there are 20-30mph winds blowing. The cold front which pushed through over night, has now left forecasts for High Pressure and Bluebird skies, with winds to contibue all day long. What is your game plan for the day? Winner When conditions change like this, getting on the fish can be a task for even the most skilled angler. However, in a situation like this, I wouldn't change too much. The fish would still be in the creeks, maybe more to the mouth of the creek in deeper water, but they'd still be there. I would start out the crankbait approach and from there a slow rolling spinnerbait.   Bass Fishing USA Home Page