a need for speed
We ’ ve always known that bass are fast , but just how fast are they really ?
I ’ m not talking just about a bass ’ ability to swim faster than its prey ; rather , I ’ m referring to how fast a bass can eat a lure , decide it ’ s not real and spit it out before an angler ever knows his or her lure was eaten and have a chance to set the hook .
One day , not too long ago , Matt and I were out fishing and filming , trying to get underwater footage of different types of shallow-running jerkbaits . We were lucky enough ( or unlucky enough depending on how you look at it ) to have a big largemouth come all the way up to the camera and engulf the jerkbait Matt was working beneath the surface . The bass was just out in front of the boat and visible to us above the water . I was recording the action underwater when the bass visibly ate the entire jerkbait and spit it out before Matt ever had a chance to set the hook .
Matt anticipated and watched this bass eat the jerkbait and spit it out before he could physically react to what his eyes were seeing . Having the ability to play back the footage in real time , we were able to time the bite-and-release maneuver at just 0.21 seconds . The average visual reaction time for a human is around 0.25 seconds , meaning that bass was physically impossible to catch based on average reaction time .
That chance encounter opened our eyes ( no pun intended ) to just how fast bass can eat and spit out a bait , and it gave us something new to think about : How many bites have we gotten without even realizing it ?
Food for thought : This anecdote speaks volumes as to the importance of good , sharp hooks . I ’ ve always changed out stock hooks on my lures , but that instance just reaffirmed the importance of being a stickler for sharp hooks on all my lures .
bass know where ( and where not to ) bite
Have you ever been out fishing and your lure gets absolutely crushed , prompting you to set the hook immediately , yet you swing and miss ? Have you ever caught a bass on a topwater bait but it only got the very back treble hook in its mouth ? If so , you ’ re not alone , and there ’ s a very good reason for it .
Video after video has shown bass repeatedly eating or nipping at our lures directly behind the hook . It doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s a plastic worm on a shaky head , a finesse jig and trailer or a big glide bait – bass are extremely accurate with their bite placement . Unless they ’ re fully committed and just engulf your entire lure , sometimes you ’ re going to miss on the hookset because the hook just isn ’ t in the bass ’ mouth .
One thing that we ’ ve found to help with this when fishing lures with multiple treble hooks is to change the front hook to a red treble hook or to add a feathered treble to the rear of the lure . In our experience , it seems that changing the hook gives bass something to target when biting your bait .
some lures catch fishermen better than they catch fish
Have you ever heard a fisherman say , “ That bait just has it ” ( meaning “ it factor ” or some other indication of a lure just flat-out working )? Some baits look good in the package or in your hand but don ’ t catch fish as well as others when put to the test .
Recording lures underwater , in slow motion , and reviewing the footage afterward has allowed us to analyze and find subtle differences in action and sound .
The ability to review baits underwater has helped us with our bait selection , whether it ’ s a jerkbait that has a little extra shimmy , a not-so-popular swimbait that has a little bit of body roll to go along with a tail kick or a jig trailer that ’ s a little softer with subtle movements that drive bass crazy . We ’ ve learned subtleties about baits that you wouldn ’ t necessarily know or think about just seeing them in your hand or in the package .
When you can go underwater and slow a lure ’ s movement down , you really get to see how these baits do what they ’ re designed to do and what the key characteristics are that get bass to trigger and eat .
Sometimes , what we think we know about bass and how to catch them can steer us in the wrong general direction . Sometimes , to discern fact from fiction , it requires a different perspective . Check out our underwater videos and more on our YouTube channel , TacticalBassin .
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 31