10 MISTAKES YOU ’ RE PROBABLY MAKING
According to MLF pro Jared Lintner , fishing the same patterns and areas year-round is the kiss of death when it comes to chasing bass .
“ YOU DON ’ T FISH THE SEASONAL PATTERNS .”
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By far , this was the most common mistake identified by the pros , and several admitted that they fall prey to it at times . It usually happens like this : We visit your favorite lake in April and absolutely whack ‘ em on a chartreuse-and-white spinnerbait in a shallow creek . Nothing wrong with that , but when we go back in July or August and hit the same creek with the same spinnerbait and have nothing to show for it , we have only ourselves to blame .
The bass that made the creek an April mother lode are long gone by summer , and no amount of chunking and winding will conjure them up again until next spring .
“ You have to adapt and pay attention to the seasonal patterns ,” says Bass Pro Tour pro Jared Lintner . “ Things are always changing week to week , and usually day to day or even hour to hour . Learn the habits of bass and focus your efforts on where they ’ re most likely to be found at the time of year and under the current conditions .”
“ YOU WON ’ T GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONES .” This is closely related to No . 1 , but 34-year moon phase ? The moon phase might not tell us what bait to throw , but it ’ s often a great clue to determine when the bite will be best .
Changing conditions demand a change of approach … even if it ’ s out of our comfort zone .
“ YOU FISH SPOTS INSTEAD OF PATTERNS .”
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South Carolina MLF pro Andy Montgomery has a saying you ’ ve probably heard on a Major League Fishing telecast : “ One is luck ; two is a pattern .”
He ’ s referring to what can be learned about catching fish by catching fish . The first bass of the day typically comes from some educated guesses about bass location and feeding preferences . But we can go to school on that fish — and every subsequent bite — and turn it into a great day on the water . All we have to do is pay attention .
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tournament veteran Mark Davis has a few key refinements that will make us all better . In addition |
“ ONE IS LUCK ; TWO IS A PATTERN .” |
to the nostalgia error — fishing the same spots with the |
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same methods but at the wrong time of year — Davis has seen a lot of weekend anglers hesitate to get away from their comfort zone when it comes to baits and techniques .
“ Don ' t hesitate to try something new or to make a change ,” he recommends . “ That ’ s how you get better . And pay close attention to how conditions may have changed since you last had success on the water .”
Davis pays close attention to the weather and how it ’ s changed in the last 48 hours before he fishes . Are the skies clear or cloudy ? What ’ s the water temperature and the water color ? Has the lake level changed recently ? And what ’ s the
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“ After you catch that first bass , try to figure out why it bit and try to duplicate it ,” Montgomery advises . “ Every subsequent bite should tell you something . Maybe you can narrow things down a little . Maybe they ’ re not everywhere on the dock . Maybe it ’ s just the deepest posts . Maybe you can refine the retrieve .”
Deep posts on docks might be the big-picture pattern , but a black-and-blue jig and a certain retrieve is the pattern within the pattern that pros like Montgomery use to succeed not just in one spot , but in spots like it all over the lake .
Simply put , patterns produce more fish than spots .
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PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
52 FLWFISHING . COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2021