Matt_Magnone
02-21-2015, 05:40 PM
Made it a big focus this year to get back to fun. I'm not fishing for "Big Fish" per say but am working on identifying Big Fish migration. I don't care if I have a spinning rod in my hand all day and most certainly don't care if I'm not hanging with the cool crowd. Not that I ever do. Needless to say, in doing so, I've been putting a great deal of thought into fish movement based on seasonal, daily and hourly patterns. While fishing the swim bait without a doubt does and will teach you a lot about quality per spot, it can often cloud your judgement as you'll fall victim to being okay with not getting a bite all day. The ultimate goal is to keep your rod bent and in the process catch big fish! So late last year I asked a question to myself and this is what it was.
"Do 3000 unproductive casts with a swim bait equal 3000 perfect casts with the right bait?"
In general, with the swim bait, I do my best to target the best possible piece of cover and structure in the fewest amount of casts various times of the day under different conditions I'm given. Sounds like a lot but it's very simple. I pick productive water and rotate ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. While a Swimbait can be fished at all parts of the water column and at various speeds you still have to count on a fish to commit when they are ready to tackle a big meal. Often times we're faced with horrible conditions where we continue to throw the "Big Bait" for hours only to chalk an unproductive day as "Just how it goes...." when it doesn't have to be that way.
Why not go straight to the fish. If you know the fish are there; Scale down.
The last few months I've been focused on Structure. I've been diving back into the "Old School". Methodical, perfect casts and perfect presentation.
In doing so I've come up with a better average of fish. While still not giants, the fish are averaging 3-6 pounds and are coming FREQUENT. All I had to do was scale down a smidge and fish a big bait but not a swimbait. I'm throwing baits in the 8-13" range. The key is understanding bottom content. Just because it looks right doesn't mean it is right. Hell, even if you find the spot or be like many anglers that spot me across the lake and then come cruising over the spot when I leave, it's all about the angles and how you manipulate the bait. Be patient and understand what the fish are wanting.
For the guys that are "on the fence" about fishing DVL right now, get out there. The bite is ON and if you're open minded to any and ALL techniques whether they be the drop shot or the swimbait absolutely do not settle for a bad day. The lake is as healthy as it's ever been in recent years and the amount of 3 pound fish is mind boggling. Lots and lots of beautiful bass.
The key lately has been focusing on 30-40' of water. There's a big push of pre pre spawn bass working their way up. Ignore the fish on beds. Fish the deep ones and above everything else, keep care in fish handling. Many of the deeper fish are transitioning from deeper depths to shallower 25-30' spots all day long in different waves. Much of these fish need to be needled. If anybody has any questions I'll be more than happy to answer.
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"Do 3000 unproductive casts with a swim bait equal 3000 perfect casts with the right bait?"
In general, with the swim bait, I do my best to target the best possible piece of cover and structure in the fewest amount of casts various times of the day under different conditions I'm given. Sounds like a lot but it's very simple. I pick productive water and rotate ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. While a Swimbait can be fished at all parts of the water column and at various speeds you still have to count on a fish to commit when they are ready to tackle a big meal. Often times we're faced with horrible conditions where we continue to throw the "Big Bait" for hours only to chalk an unproductive day as "Just how it goes...." when it doesn't have to be that way.
Why not go straight to the fish. If you know the fish are there; Scale down.
The last few months I've been focused on Structure. I've been diving back into the "Old School". Methodical, perfect casts and perfect presentation.
In doing so I've come up with a better average of fish. While still not giants, the fish are averaging 3-6 pounds and are coming FREQUENT. All I had to do was scale down a smidge and fish a big bait but not a swimbait. I'm throwing baits in the 8-13" range. The key is understanding bottom content. Just because it looks right doesn't mean it is right. Hell, even if you find the spot or be like many anglers that spot me across the lake and then come cruising over the spot when I leave, it's all about the angles and how you manipulate the bait. Be patient and understand what the fish are wanting.
For the guys that are "on the fence" about fishing DVL right now, get out there. The bite is ON and if you're open minded to any and ALL techniques whether they be the drop shot or the swimbait absolutely do not settle for a bad day. The lake is as healthy as it's ever been in recent years and the amount of 3 pound fish is mind boggling. Lots and lots of beautiful bass.
The key lately has been focusing on 30-40' of water. There's a big push of pre pre spawn bass working their way up. Ignore the fish on beds. Fish the deep ones and above everything else, keep care in fish handling. Many of the deeper fish are transitioning from deeper depths to shallower 25-30' spots all day long in different waves. Much of these fish need to be needled. If anybody has any questions I'll be more than happy to answer.
45847
45848
45849