COLUMN: CONSERVATION
PHOTO BY ERIC ENGBRETSON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TJ Maglio is a tournament
angler and outdoor writer
based in Minnesota. He
has a degree in wildlife
ecology from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison and
has also worked professionally
as a wildlife biologist
and environmental
consultant.
FINDING BASS PART 2: forage availability
Knowing what bass eat, its prevalence and seasonal abundance
can lead to more successful days on the water
T
he focus of the last few
Conservation columns
has been this revolving
concept of using science and
critical thinking to help answer
this seemingly simple question
for your local fishery: “Where
are the bass?” As all bass
anglers know, in order to catch
them, you have to be around
them.
In prior installments, we
covered an overview of population
dynamics and took a deep
dive into habitat and how it can
help determine the presence or
absence of bass. In this piece,
we’ll look at another important
factor in the location and
catchability of bass: forage type
and availability.
A Bass Won’t be Where a
Bass Can’t Eat
This might sound like an
oversimplification, but except
for the week or so of the year
that bass are actively spawning
on a given fishery, they don’t
have much else to do other
than eat and grow. For that reason,
it shouldn’t be a surprise
that once the bass are off the
bed, you can guarantee that by
keeping yourself around potential
prey items, you’re probably
going to be near a bass or two.
It’s certainly true that there
are prey items available in
many places where there are
no bass. Look under any dock
or slowly troll through some lily
pads and you’ll no doubt see a
host of bugs, minnows and
other potential bass prey,
regardless of whether you see
any bass.
Bass are opportunists,
though, so when forced to
choose from a row of docks
that all have random minnows
and bugs around them, they
are more than likely going to
choose one that’s got relatively
more minnows and bugs, or
the one close to deep water or a
point, which might also offer
access to some random schools
of shad.
The key is to look for relative
abundances of prey
species. If they are eating
bluegills, look for areas with
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | JUNE-JULY 2020