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  • Why A Bass Strikes

    Bass are creatures of their environment, they respond to the current conditions. They do not have any control over it. Unlike us they live in the natural world 24 hours a day seven days a week. They hunt/eat when hungry or when an opportunity arrives. So a wise angler will pay attention to how to create an opportunity.

    So let’s review why a bass strikes. One is hunger, competing with other fish, out of reflex, curiosity, feeding, anger, and protective, territorial and killer instincts.

    • Hunger, this is when a bass is simply on the feed he is searching for food and is the easiest way to catch a bass.
    • Competitions, when bass are in a group, it may be a group of two or a group of twenty.
    • Reflex, this is how I catch a large number of my fish, it is when a bass will react/strike out of some type of quick or unexpected movement.
    • Curiosity, this pretty much explains itself, bass will investigate its immediate area and anything moving that is not the common place.
    • Feeding, when fish are on the feed like a school of fish feedig on a school of shad.
    • Anger, a bass will react out of anger when a angler will make repeated cast to an area, creating this strike.
    • Protective instincts, this is usually during the spawn, the bass will strike in order to protect its nest or newly hatched fry.
    • Territorial, like any other predator a bass will protect its territory.
    • Killer instincts, again because it is a predator its killer instincts are strong and will kill out of this. We all have caught a bass where the lure is as big if not bigger than the fish itself.

    Look over and study the list above, just give it some thought, and let it help you fishing skills. Awareness is the doorway to fishing success.

    Scott Patton: has fished the pro tour for over 11 yrs, and is sponsored by: Skeetr Boats, Yamaha outboards, B&J Marine, St. Croix Rods, Rattle Trap, Costa del mar sunglasses, ZOOM and Bluegrass