Such an approach has led Barrack to develop his traits based – almost entirely – on awareness . He believes nothing is haphazard , and examples of that are everywhere . A case in point : During an obsessive period of night fishing , Barrack found an overlooked clue .
“ Shadow lines ( from the moon ) can totally influence fish location in clear lakes ,” he claims . Who knew ? Barrack ’ s early days on the Delta taught him valuable lessons on water movement and fluctuations . Immediately , he learned the importance of tidal changes , the influence of the moon and how they each affect feeding periods of bass – what he calls “ bite windows .”
“ I ’ m a moon guy ,” he claims , adding that such influence results in “ sixteen days a month , the fish bite moving baits , but the other 14 days , bottom baits are far better .”
Those exact days , however , remain a mystery known only to Barrack , despite my prodding .
In any case , fluctuations of activity can also be counted on to occur within every day on the water .
“ They ( the bass ) talk to you about 50 minutes every day , and you better be listening ,” he says . “ When it ends , the information stops .”
Here , Barrack illustrates an unparalleled belief in peak periods that can be credited , he says , to solunar cycles . The important takeaway is to be ready when it happens and “ work your best stuff when it goes off .”
Barrack ’ s belief in these feeding sprees discounts fishing pressure (“ they can ’ t get beat up if they ’ re not eating ”), as well as pre-fishing and previous successes .
“ You went fishing today and your tournament is seven days later ? Are you kidding me ?” he says , somewhat sarcastically .
But bite windows can prove the validity of a location or technique on any given day . Often , Barrack pushes the envelope to do so , testing under the most extreme conditions .
“ I ’ ll frog fish in 46-degree water ,” he says . “ That ’ s when you really get to understand about solunar windows .”
By applying fishing practices based around fluctuating periods of activity , Barrack accomplishes several overlooked goals . First , he keeps himself in the game . Throughout my time speaking with him , Barrack referred to the need for tournament anglers to trust in themselves .
“ You need to ask , ‘ Who am I as a fisherman ?’ and pick out what honestly works for you ,” Barrack explains . “ If you ’ re struggling , you have to trust that your fish just haven ’ t eaten yet .”
Also , uncovering bite windows allows anglers to maximize their catch based on current conditions , rather than history .
“ You can ’ t find them on Wednesday and take them to the scale on Saturday ” he adds . “ Best days are just that , and not always necessary to win a tournament .
PHOTO COURTESY BOBBY BARRACK
Herein lies another Barrack policy : Only fish during tournament hours . Other times produce results that offer unreliable data . And never listen to dock talk that only serves to make you question your own decisions and instinct .
According to Barrack , each body of water contains a set of parameters that can be dissected . This , he refers to as the lake ’ s “ recipe .” Great anglers may find success in a number of ways , or with multiple lures , but each will correspond to the underlying recipe .
“ There ’ s lots of ovens ; I can use my own oven ,” he quips . “ But I need the recipe for the cake .”
It ’ s this underlying principle that keeps Barrack fishing day after day , attempting to unlock the secrets of any given body of water . Now a resident of Texas , Barrack finds himself on a quest to do so on some of the country ’ s largest reservoirs , where navigation alone can be a real challenge .
“ Right now , I ’ m just learning to get from A to B without dying ,” Barrack jokes .
It will be interesting to see if Barrack ’ s mastery of the Delta can be duplicated in his new southern home . He ’ s currently finishing up a number of projects to launch a rental home business , but he plans to get back to his priorities very soon .
“ Once I ’ m done , my boat will never be unhooked from my truck ,” he says .
Time on the water . Recognizing peak periods . Taking maximum advantage of the bite . For Bobby Barrack , it seems simple ; but is it ? Maybe this reasoning oversimplifies the works of living , breathing things .
Or , perhaps , the recipe has been there all along .
Finding the right recipe for consistently catching fish often comes down to experience , time on the water and always paying attention to what the fish are telling you .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FLWFISHING . COM 19