ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a freelance writer and photographer , Rob Newell has been reporting on fishing tournaments for 20 years , finding the stories between fish and angler to be a stretched line of heroes , heartache , triumph , torture , inspiration and exasperation .

ass that disappear and reappear are like magic .

Perhaps it ’ s because bass are actually pelagic .

I ’ m sorry , that attempt at rhyming was … tragic .

I had planned to use poetry to plead my case that freshwater bass are actually a pelagic fish , but apparently that ’ s not going to work too well .

I know what you ’ re thinking : Certainly he doesn ’ t mean pelagic as in open-water saltwater fish . Like marlin or tuna ?

Granted , Webster ’ s definition of pelagic is “ relating to the open sea .” Obviously , our favorite bass species don ’ t live in the sea , but before we close

the case right there , let ’ s consider the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’ s definition of pelagic fish : “ fish that inhabit the water column ( not near the bottom or the shore ) of coasts , open oceans and lakes .”

Look at that last word : lakes ! I ’ m officially in the door .

I came around to this pelagic stuff

Thirty years ago , I ’ d be the first person to say that freshwater bass are in no way pelagic fish that wander around aimlessly in the middle of the lake like a bunch of

nomads . Bass are much more refined fish . They have actual homes like laydowns , stumps , riprap , lily pads , timber , docks and vegetation . Bass aren ’ t just squatters that are here today and gone tomorrow . Right ?

After covering the sport for the last 20 years , seeing it evolve and watching each generation of pros sneak further off the bank with better electronics , I ’ ve decided freshwater bass are just as much wayfarers as saltwater tarpon .

The easiest bass species to start building my case on is the smallmouth – especially the Great Lakes smallmouth .