BaCk ON TRaCk
Michigan as a group. Bolstered by
the successes we found there, we
gave ourselves three days to find
consistent bass on Lake Superior.
By the time we arrived back home
in mid-June, our entire perspective on
bass fishing had changed. We no
longer wondered if we could find fish
on a new lake. We knew exactly what
it took to eliminate unproductive
water in a matter of hours. We knew
how to do it with a swimbait, and we
knew how to do it with a Ned rig.
Most of all, we learned that bass fish-
ing in this entire country is incredible.
In fact, some of the overlooked cen-
tral states proved to be our favorites.
Sure, you might not catch a 10-
pounder on your first stop in Indiana,
but that doesn’t mean you can’t have
an amazing time catching quality fish.
And that’s what we accomplished:
a better understanding of what it
takes to be a consistently successful
bass angler anywhere in the country.
WHaT WE LEaRNED
Though it’d take a book to docu-
ment all of our experiences on the
road last season, there were certain
lessons that stood out from the trip
that we’ve dubbed the six keys to
catching bass from coast to coast.
1. Spend time researching the fishery.
A few well-spent minutes before
you reach the lake can change the
course of your day. Quickly catching
bass on a lake is much easier with
basic information. Try to answer
these questions:
• Which species of bass live there?
• What are their predators?
• What baitfish are in the lake?
• How large is the lake?
• Is the water rising or falling?
• What is the typical water color?
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April 2019 came quickly, and
before we knew it, CC and I were
traveling east, her navigating beside
me, with our 2-year-old daughter,
Sierra, riding along in the backseat
for the adventure of a lifetime. We
traveled across the deserts of the
Southwest with a truck, cab-over
camper and 21-foot bass boat.
The schedule was tight. We only
allowed half-days on most lakes. The
plan was to drive all morning, fish a
half-day, then drive again. Only the
largest bodies of water were afforded
extra days for exploring. To further
complicate matters, we were filming
every stop for TacticalBassin.com –
the website CC and I run with Tim
and Tonya Little – so anglers every-
where could learn from our experi-
ences in near real time.
As we worked our way east, it
became apparent that weather
would dictate our trip.
Thunderstorms, tornadoes and
repeated deluges added to the chal-
lenge. We routed and rerouted in an
attempt to dodge severe weather. We
ate donuts in Roswell after finding
amazing fishing on Elephant Butte.
We hid from a tornado in Missouri
before catching grand slams of quali-
ty bass on Table Rock. We ran from
floodwaters in Arkansas, and wished
we’d quit just a few minutes earlier at
Guntersville where we learned how
hard rain could fall.
Accepting the inevitable complica-
tions that living on the road brings,
we pushed on. Each new lake
brought surprises. We fished rising
water on Tenkiller, navigated churn-
ing water below Wilson Dam on
Pickwick, tested our offshore skills on
Chickamauga and explored flooded
Timber on Indiana’s Patoka Lake. At
every stop we strived to avoid local
knowledge. We weren’t just trying to
catch fish. We were there to test our
skills and our theories, something
that could only be done by truly
exploring the fisheries unaided. The
results were amazing.
By the time we turned north in
mid-May, our confidence in breaking
down water and finding fish was at
an all-time high. To cap it off, Tim
and Tonya, as well as a few other
friends, flew in and met with us in
Green Bay, and we explored Lake
Early research will narrow your
learning curve on many fronts. The
presence of large open-water preda-
tors such as striped bass might push
bass tighter to cover, while shallow-
cover predators such as pike can
push bass to deeper offshore hard
structure.
Knowing “average” water color is
critical because a bass that lives in
muddy water will aggressively hunt in
it, while a bass that is suddenly thrust
into muddy water overnight will pull
to cover and is far less reactive to
moving presentations. Rising water
will tend to push fish to the shoreline,
and falling water will tend to pull
them out into the open.
DO NOT fall into the temptation of
studying local anglers’ habits.
Following “local knowledge” on spots
or lures is the fastest way to have an
average day on the water. Your goal
should never be to mimic local anglers
because what they do can rarely be
duplicated with satisfactory results.
Instead, apply your own style to a new
fishery. Show the fish something dif-
ferent, and you might unlock a lake in
ways no one ever dreamed possible.
2. Focus on building patterns.
This is true on your home lake
and on the other side of the country.
The worst mistake an angler can
make is falling into the trap of slow
fishing too soon. There are times
when a slow-moving offering is all a
bass will eat, but these times are
rare. You are better off moving quick-
ly, covering water in search of active
fish. If you have no history on a fish-
ery, fish even faster.
Your entire goal should be finding
that first sign of life. When the first
bite occurs, you have something to
build from. Take the second bite as
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