Doug Hannon - The Bass Professor - Catching Big Bass (1986)

[Music] [Music] [Music] boy what a bass what sort of lure does it take to catch a big fish like this we're gonna talk about that let me get this hook out of her and give her a dip in our catch and release solution there we go this will keep her from getting a fungus give her a better chance to survive what a beautiful fish that's where one belongs back in the lake as i said we're going to talk about those lures lines reels hooks and rods all for big bass in this tape we're also going to deal with how to find a big bass territory and the influence of the moon on big fish you'll learn what qualities present fishing lures serve to attract bass and what qualities actually trigger strikes you'll learn how to select your lures by blending triggering and attracting qualities depending on the water you're fishing we'll discuss quiet versus noisy lures and the factor of lore action you'll learn about lore choices for a big bass and why to pick these lures over thousands of others on the market we'll talk about hooks and how to sharpen them to greatly increase your chances of landing a trophy fish finally you'll understand how a simplified streamlined approach to lure selection will vastly increase your potential of catching big bass every lure you use has certain qualities i call these attracting and triggering qualities attracting qualities are enough to arouse a fish's curiosity perhaps make him approach your lure but not enough to make him hit it common attracting qualities are large size bright colors a short squat shape a slow retrieve and perhaps a fish attracting rattle common triggering qualities include a natural color or appearance a compact small size triggering marks such as a false eye spot a long thin streamlined shape erratic action and a fast retrieve ideally it takes a particular combination of attracting and triggering qualities to catch bass in a given situation how do i choose which lure to use simply by understanding the relationship between these attracting and triggering qualities and adjusting them to fit the situation in clearwater i rely heavily on triggering versus attracting qualities bass have excellent eyesight and can see a great distance and it is not necessary to attract their attention the important thing is to get them to strike your lure that's why hannan chooses lures that have an abundance of triggering qualities and a relatively small number of attracting qualities too many attracting qualities will overload the senses and turn off a big bass in clear water for example a lure that makes an excessive amount of noise or a short fat lure won't be as productive in clear water or during the middle of the day as a quiet discrete lure or a long thin one that's because the bass can easily spot all your lures flaws in clear water or in high light conditions the object is to make the bass hit it instinctively not swim up and examine it the longer the bass looks over your lure in clear water the greater the possibility that it will reject it that's why hannan chooses lures with a more natural look in clear water and he fishes them with a relatively fast retrieve [Music] in stained water or during low light conditions the eyesight of the bass is reduced considerably we now need to present lures that have a greater degree of attracting qualities to enhance the chances that the bass will notice them under these conditions of reduced visibility lures that rattle or create vibrations might work as will lures that crawl slowly along the bottom but remember it simply is not the case that the bass will notice a vibration created by your lure by using its lateral line the lateral lines primary function is as a directional aid this function is more useful to a schooling fish than to a bass the lateral line has never been conclusively proven to be a feeding sense traditional thinking has always dictated the use of flashy fish attracting lures in dirty and stained water however i prefer to substitute slow retrieve and repeated presentation very close to fish holding objects for these fish attracting qualities it just seems to work better with big fish if you get the impression that i favor triggering over attracting qualities in my lure you're absolutely right you see we're dealing with the caution and experience level of big fish here that's why we need to emphasize natural over the unnatural noise and flash and attracting qualities in other lures let me show you the lures i use and have come to depend on to take big bass it's not going to take long because you're going to be surprised at how few there really are the natural swimming action of this worm rig makes it one of my favorites [Music] the plastic worm is a proven big bass lure because it has an abundance of triggering qualities [Music] the worm has random action it never moves in exactly the same way twice it resembles a living thing to the bass [Music] also the worm when fished in the familiar texas rig style keeps in contact with one of the major edges in the world of the bass the bottom the worm is straight and streamlined as are most creatures that live and travel through the water of course an attracting twist tail may be used on some worms and hannah would recommend their use especially in stained or muddy water as opposed to clear water most fishermen believe the plastic worm resembles a worm or an eel to the bass however hannan believes the lure more closely resembles a darting minnow or a bait fish these unusual fish live on the bottom of virtually every body of water that bass inhabit they're straight and stick-like and when it rests support themselves on their hand-like fins when disturbed they don't swim away but dart off the bottom then settle back this is very similar to a texas rigged worm being bounced along the bottom [Music] the jig is a very conservative and discreet lure and i've caught bass up to 13 pounds on it it's one of the lures i'd carry if i was going after a world record bass like the worm the jig may be fished right on the bottom to cover that major edge where predatory bass lurk it may also be fished in heavy cover due to its compact size and weedlessness the jig has a great advantage over many other lures in that it can be retrieved in a wide variety of ways it can be crawled slowly across the bottom in cold muddy water giving a sluggish bass ample opportunity to locate it when fished in this manner lure probably resembles a crayfish to the bass the jig can be hopped or bounced also in the manner of the texas rigged worm it can also be fished with a swimming retrieve where it is brought back to the boat slowly and steadily like a bait fish moving through the water tournament fishermen today are catching larger fish than in years past by using the flipping technique in which a jig is pitched directly into the heaviest cover using a long rod and a short length of heavy line minnow imitators such as the rapala are also excellent for big bass they have the look of living prey the rapala is long and thin with eye spots and a scaled finish that flashes and reflects light compare this lure to the live wild shiner and you'll understand why big bass can be taken on both minnow imitating lures are excellent choices for clear water they may be fished in a quiet discreet manner hannan especially likes to fish minnow imitating lures in natural lakes where live bait works along the grassy shoreline the lure has an advantage in that you can let it sit for a long time without moving it and it'll still draw strikes that's nice when the fish are sticking to a relatively confined area when fished with a fast retrieve the lure strongly resembles the profile of an escaping bait fish and triggers strikes in clear water the spinnerbait is a much misunderstood lure but an extremely effective one for big bass it's one of haddon's favorites for stained or muddy water and is an excellent choice in the early spring or in the fall when the water's in the 50s most bass fishermen believe that the bass locates the spinner bait with its lateral line in muddy water sensing the strong vibrations that the fisherman feels pulsing through his rod actually as we have learned this is not the case at all the bass cannot feel the spinner bait with its lateral line because the lower is making sounds that are above the frequency range of this organ because you feel the pulsing vibrating action through your rod tip you assume that the lure is making a lot of noise and vibration in the water but tests show that the lure actually makes very little noise [Music] this tells us that rather than fighting water as we once supposed the spinnerbait is moving in harmony with the water the way that a bait fish moves it creates a very real sensory profile to the bass there are other lures that may produce big bats for you in specific situations such as weedless plugs this burke topwater plug can be fished in the thickest weeds in cover where other topwater baits would be hung up even if you're properly using all the lures we've just discussed you're gonna have trouble catching big bass if your hooks aren't strong and sharp most hooks lack the sharpness required to penetrate the tough bony jaw of a big bass many hooks that come on lures are made of inferior metal that'll bend or break easily hannan sharpens his hooks religiously it's one of the reasons he's successful at catching big bass here's how to do it first you make two flats on the inside here and here thus making a sharp spine down the bar it can be done with a file as i'm doing here when there are a lot of hooks to do i use a rotary tool in the interest of speed [Music] so use a file to reduce the bar turn the hook over [Music] and with a file or rotary tool make two more class making a very sharp point [Music] remember when using a rotary tool be careful not to overheat the hook changing the temper of the metal to test the sharpness slide the hook point gently up your thumbnail when it is sharp it will dig in and stop quickly the hook will make a plucking sound as you move your thumb away most people think that the treble hook is such a fish catcher that it doesn't require sharpening the points are smaller on a treble hook so while we need to establish the spine down the barb for easy penetration we really don't need any heavy grinding on the outside of the hook to make a sharp point against that so you know a stone with a hamstone type affair is very easy to bring a very nice sharp point up on these small little treble hook points but pay attention to your treble hooks and do sharpen them because it will make the difference between the big bass on those lures it may seem like a lot of trouble but once a hook has been sharpened in this manner the prepared point can be honed with a stone in just seconds while on the water hannad readies his hooks not only by sharpening them but by removing much of the barb we've been conditioned to look for hooks that have these big open barbs because they look strong and mean however it does not take a big barb to hold strongly that big barb makes it harder for the point of the hook to penetrate sharpening and making sure you have top quality hooks like these takes time putting your rod down and laying the stone on your hooks requires a little discipline but it can make all the difference in the world so you see we've simplified your big bass fishing tremendously we've reduced your tackle selection to a few well-chosen lures we've emphasized the importance of quality sharp hooks and we've left you free to concentrate a hundred percent on thinking like a bass how do we choose the best monofilament line for our bass fishing if we stick with the premium grade from the major manufacturers we're on pretty safe ground it's false economy to try to save money on that vital link between you and your fish beyond that we need to consider the best line test for our fishing situation and the tackle we're using and don't forget the importance of line color and rendering your line invisible underwater [Music] for flipping or working extremely heavy cover 17 20 and 25 pound tests are preferred in clear water with few obstructions big bass have been landed on ten six four or even two pound test obviously you must match your line test to the lures and water that you're fishing line color is a factor to be considered in big bass fishing a look underwater demonstrates that any natural color makes your line less visible avoid yellow and fluorescent blue fishing lines they're extremely visible underwater the loss in line visibility by using green brown or clear lines is significant as we see here even clear line is not as clear as we'd like to think for it reflects light in certain water conditions is there any such thing as a truly invisible fishing line unfortunately not but here's a trick that i use to make my line a lot less visible underwater take a green felt tipped waterproof marker run the marker over the spool turn your clear line into a dotted line in the water the dotted line effect makes the line virtually disappear this allows the use of heavy line in clear water a tremendous asset when big bass fishing when using green line use a blue or purple marker in the very same manner again the line disappears even the best line gets nicked and abraded after coming into contact with rocks stumps many grasses weeds and other underwater hazards it pays to check your line frequently by simply running your line through your fingers if you feel any rough spots clip it off and re-tie store your line out of the sunlight as ultraviolet light makes monofilament line deteriorate contrary to popular belief line does not age and can be stored for years if kept out of direct sunlight allowing you to buy in bulk and as a result save money in summary use a premium grade monofilament line and avoid bargain basement brands match your line to your lures hooks and rods keeping in mind that 14 pound test is a good all-around choice for most situations for extremely heavy cover go to 17 20 or 25 pound test avoid yellow gold or so-called high visibility fluorescent lines as these are highly visible to the bass when using heavier line in clear water camouflage your line with a green or blue permanent marking pen [Music] check your line frequently and re-tie when it becomes abraded learn the loop palomar and improved clinch knots these are described in the literature included with most premium lines and are proven knots for big bass we've had a good look at lures hooks and lines but what about the best rods and reels for bass fishing for a while there was a trend towards shorter and shorter rods however fishermen today are using six seven and even eight foot rods with increased frequency they're rediscovering the fact that a long rod puts you in much greater control of your fishing a long rod enables you to make a longer cast a nice attribute when the water is clear and you can't get too close to the fish a long cast runs deeper a long rod moves a lot more line when you set the hook helping you to exert a far more powerful hook set a long rod enables you to keep your line up off the weeds and other obstructions to avoid tangles finally a long rod puts you in control when you're fighting a big bass rod building technology over the last 35 years has left us with three major rod materials to choose from they are fiberglass graphite and boron fiberglass is the least expensive and also the least sensitive of the three however this should not rule out the use of fiberglass for big bass many professional fishermen stick with a fiberglass rod for certain lures such as spinner baits and buzzbaits because fiberglass is less stiff and tends to give slightly when the bass inhales the lure this gives the bass a split second longer to take these lures graphite rods have come into popularity now that the price has dropped they're more sensitive than fiberglass and stiffer boron is the strongest and most sensitive of these materials it is however quite expensive but you may find its advantages worth the cost rod action should be medium heavy or heavy as opposed to light when going after big bass the rod must withstand the impact of a jarring hook set and must turn a bass that is likely to head into heavy cover when hooked as a rule of thumb go to the heavy action rods for single hooked lures such as plastic worms or jigs that require a strong hook set medium-heavy action is preferred for crack baits spinner baits and top waters tomorrow's bass fishing rods will be lighter more sensitive and stronger than ever thanks to new high-tech materials and composites look for composites of graphite boron even silicon carbide in the immediate future and for ceramics to be the next revolution in rod building rod guides are often totally ignored by bass fishermen yet they have a tremendous bearing on rod action line wear and the amount of control you can exert on a heavy bass today's modern materials that they're using for rod guides really bears mentioning the new silicones and ceramics are 15 or 20 times as hard as steels used to be and they make a rod guide last a lot longer and they also prevent line wear this is a very important factor in new rods you'll also notice that this particular rod uses a triple foot guide this is probably the gold standard for a durable yet flexible guide that still preserves rod flex but will take the beating that a consumer will give it actually the most flexible guide is the single foot guide it's really a standard on lots of our spinning tackle today the very good rods as you can see there's the rod can bend very freely because there's no straight point from guide foot to guide foot to bind that rod that guide is also available on custom casting rods as this one here now guide placement is also a very critical thing in the handling of your fish you'll notice on this custom rod my guides go from the top of the rod around to the bottom of the rod even though the reels on top this gives me much greater lifting power and much more control of a fish in a fight now let's move on to bass fishing reels the bait casting reel is by far the most popular and for good reason it's a winch-like mechanism and its simplicity assures long life and ease of operation bait casting reels are typically more durable than most spinning and spin cast reels today's bait casting reels often feature magnetic brakes to avoid backlash that bane of the bait caster spinning in spin cast gear can and do catch big bass hannan likes spinning equipment more for small mouths they're common in the deep clear lakes that are relatively devoid of cover where a fish's lightweight lures deep with four to eight pound test line spin cast gear is fine for beginners as it allows them to utilize the same rod later when they graduate to bait casting gear however recent technology with magnetic feathering of the line high tech materials and drags make them a choice to consider for any fisherman's arsenal many bass fishermen lock down their drags as tight as they'll go this is a big mistake when you're after a big bass and often results in straightened hooks broken lines or having the hook rip out of the mouth of the bass here's the proper method for checking your drag using your thumb pressure to stop the spool turn the reel handle forcefully it should slip somewhat adjust the drag accordingly don't pull the line sharply to test the drag this buries the line in the spool which will abrade the line and could cause tangles on a spinning reel twist the spool with your fingers to check the drag rather than by pulling on the line you should try to develop a feel for your drag setting by turning the handle as i've demonstrated rather than by guesswork also it's very important to check your drag setting frequently for several reasons one if a reel has been stored for any length of time the drag disc can become flattened out and the drag is reduced also a drag that has not been loosened or altered for some time tends to get stuck and requires a good degree of force to free itself if a fish were to hit before you could manually unstick the drag your line might break no matter what type of rods and reels you prefer buy good equipment and make sure your choices are both straightforward and functional remember too much equipment in the boat only serves to distract you from concentrating on the basic principles of good bass fishing simplicity and versatility are key words and picking out a bass boat that's why i start with a simple 15 foot john boat it's small enough for me to take around and get on any small water and yet it's large enough for me to fish in good weather on even big water one of the other important concepts in rigging your boat is to avoid duplication of any kind and that means building yourself a seat that you can fish from and run the boat from at the same time and then literally setting your whole system up around you my controls for the big engine are right here with an easy reach the fact that i have a light boat lets me use a 40 horsepower or less engine and allows me to use a simple stick steering which is out of the way and doesn't take up a lot of space [Music] from this point i also have front and rear anchor controls simple reel up jobs that let me anchor the boat in any position both front and rear all from the front seat again i also use an lcd type depth sounder which gives me a chart picture rather than the flasher this keeps me from having to have a flasher and a chart as a lot of boats have back in the console seat and i don't need a flasher up front just one unit giving me this chart picture is all i need i also have my electric trolling motor right here in front along with the foot control [Music] [Music] and so as you can see i have a simple fishing system built all around one seat i have my gauges and instruments up here again no duplication because i'm running the boat and fishing from the same chair and i even have my ice chest for refreshments in that when i'm on the water as you go back toward the back of the boat this has left me room for a very large live well this is an 84 quart insulated box that's aerated from a switch up on my control panel up here it allows me to chemically treat my water and keep my fish alive for safe release and also to handle very large fish just to release one back in the water is releasing them at a lower state of health than they were when you originally hooked them sometimes especially in warmer water that takes a bass beyond his ability to tolerate the stress and release fish will actually die this is a result of the exertion that they that they put forth when they're caught in the struggle of the fight all this also works on the spirit of the fish and on the body chemistry they're uh their muscles are tired they've generated a lot of waste material the blood electrolyte levels have gone out of balance um so there's several factors where the fish really need some help to be put back to normal again before being released and this is where i rely on a good compound of chemical treatments and to put in my live well to sum up we have salt and potassium for the blood electrolytes we have a slime generator to regenerate the slime that the fish is lost from contact both with your tackle and objects during the fight and also your hands when you have to handle them and turn them loose and then we have a antibiotic and fungicide in there for long-term good solid chemical protection from an infection until every system of the basket's back to normal and we have a tranquilizer to protect him during the time that we've held and 20 minutes in this solution will greatly enhance a fish's chance of survival after release a small engine is all that's necessary to get good performance from a boat as light as this i also add a vertical jacking plate which allows me to lift the engine two or three inches higher on the transom letting me get back into those hard-to-find shallow places and also increasing motor efficiency these two braces protect my transom when trailering down rough bumpy roads also i've put in two built-in stainless steel gas tanks giving me plenty of cruising range and freeing up the floor space that those would otherwise take [Music] we've discussed hooks lines and rods individually now let's see how those three elements come together at the moment of truth when we have to hook a really big bass most bass fishermen wait for the bass to tighten down then jerk back like this this method may be okay for a small fish but it'll merely turn the head of a lunker when using a single hook lure like a jig or a plastic worm as opposed to treble hooks we have to set the hook with great authority there's an excellent technique for doing this i use a reverse load hook set which imparts a sharp shock down the line to the lure as opposed to the relatively slow forceful pull of the conventional method the difference between these two techniques might be best described this way it's the difference between trying to push a nail into a board and trying to pound it in one works and the other doesn't at this point we've learned much about the bass as a living thing and about the lures and tackle we'll need to catch big fish now it's time to look for big bass territory those places where big bass live and grow let's join doug hannon and learn more about exactly what we should look for [Music] when we start seeking out places that would hold a big bass it's important that we remember exactly what we're looking for first the bass as a species requires shallow water it's a matter of record that most huge bass and that includes the world record we're caught in less than three feet of water i consider eight feet and less to be the magic depth range for big fish bass tend to be found in shallows and natural lakes where the primary food source is concentrated around the shoreline in man-made reservoirs the bass are part of a food chain that is not based on bottom-rooted plants but rather on plankton the basic forage fish the shad feeds on this plankton and the bass an adaptable creature moves out into deeper water in pursuit but seldom deeper than 20 feet while the bass is typically a shallow water fish the giant 18 to 20 pound bass being caught in the california reservoirs demonstrate the extreme adaptability of the bass species these reservoirs offer special feeding opportunities at depths of more than 60 feet where trout a good bass forage live in its preferred temperature of about 54 degrees the trout go to this thermocline level and the bass follow reservoirs provide very cold and very deep water as well as shallows a versatile feeding environment a chance to get fat on both ends of the living scale to keep things in perspective southern california's huge reservoir bass should probably be viewed as a man-made exception to the rule that big bass prefer shallow water big bass also relate strongly to weeds for several reasons weeds provide excellent cover for bait fish and the bass use weeds as an ambush point bait fish are attracted to the weeds to feed on microorganisms that thrive there weeds produce oxygen which bass and other living things require weeds and other living cover act as a nucleus to spur on the growth and development of other organisms in effect a patch of weeds is its own little ecosystem many living things are attracted to such places but just locating a lake with weeds doesn't mean big bass will be nearby the best weeds are those in bloom particularly any green oxygen producing weeds such as potomac eden eelgrass and hydrilla in reservoirs due to the fluctuation of the water levels weeds are not as common as brush this unstable shoreline does not support weeds in the case of brush the concept of surface area becomes extremely important as we have seen tiny organisms grow on brush stumps and other submerged cover this provides a pasture for small fish and other creatures which in turn provide a forage base for bass many fishermen would rather leave a brushy stumpy place alone yet in a reservoir these may be the best places for catching big bass when considering the big bass potential of a particular piece of cover it's very important to bear in mind that the amount of sunlight reaching that cover has a very direct bearing on the amount of aquatic life and forage that will be supported by it thus this shallow weed patch in clear water is potentially a better place to find big bass than a brush pile in 12 feet of murky water big bass tend to be found in a place that can supply all their needs in a relatively small area it is detrimental to growth to have to swim great distances to spawn or to feed so we should seek big bass where they can live out their lives without roaming far such a place would have to provide a food shelf or area where abundant forage was available in natural lakes this would be a large weedy shallow flat with plenty of available sunlight in a reservoir it might be a long timbered point with plenty of brush and fallen tree tops bass also need warm water for their eggs to hatch and sunlight is the energy that provides this heat and in fact powers the entire chain of life bass also need protection from the cold northwesterly winds in the early spring when they lay their eggs hadden refers to this as the northwest factor [Music] a deep water sanctuary must also be close at hand in the south this might mean 25 feet of water but in the north up to 50 feet modern depth sounders are a great tool to help the fishermen find those deep water sanctuaries close to the shallows where fish go either because of the encroachment of man or because of adverse natural conditions like cold fronts okay what we're doing is coming off of this shallow food shelf here with weed bed you can see the weeds and into a steep deep hole we've got fish in the hole and then back up out of the hole which is about 17 feet deep and into the eight foot water in the lake cold fronts are one of the real big questions in our bass fishing success and it's one i get asked a lot about the problem is why do bass react the way they do in these cold frontal passages and why do they become so difficult to catch a cold front interrupts important links in the food chain the predator bass exploiter of the life cycle of other fish is sensitive to the changing food elements in his environment caused by the cold front insect hatches are destroyed as the water chills the bloom of plankton and algae stop minnows lacking their prime food source are driven from the shallow water bluegills which feed on the minnows also leave when the food chain is broken the bass predicts unsuccessful energy expenditure and stops attempting to feed he reacts by moving to the deepest part of the weed bed under a tree trunk or to a steep ledge he conserves his energy as if in hibernation and waits for a better and more efficient feeding opportunity so he reacts in essence to the cold front as say a wall street investor would to a bad stock market climate he's going to shut off feeding just as that investor is going to shut off his buying a stock while the fisherman notes a barometric change indicating an approaching cold front the bass in his world is constantly responding to barometric change every time he moves as little as six inches up or down in the water light and temperature conditions affect him only when they affect the other life both terrestrial and aquatic in the food chain in clear springs where the water temperature stays constant year round the bass react in exactly the same way to a cold front as they do in a shallow body of water that is cloudy where light penetration does not affect the fish and where the water temperature has a great shift in it overnight from this cold front the knowledge of a cold front's effect on the bass food chain is important for the fishermen the fisherman must move to the bass resting areas he must be aware that the bass's metabolism is lowered so that he requires less food to attract the bass's attention the fishman should place the lure directly in front of him and use a slow retrieve in deep cover use the flipping technique the fisherman does have other options during a cold front he may choose to fish in a river where the effect is not as great the moving currents in a river quickly mix the chilled shallow water with the mass thus the shock to the fish feeding areas is not persistent or long lasting lakes recover more slowly because of the stable water warm springs or warm water and power plants are also options because the fish can choose any temperature they want or need to feed fish in warm water areas will react to a cold front because once again the insect life link in the chain is broken but the links are quickly repaired because the effect of the cold on aquatic life is minimized a good clue for the fishermen that the food chain is coming back to normal is the return of the minnows to shallow water so that's what we need to accept and once we understand the reaction of the bass and the ways that he deals with it then we're better equipped to find him and catch him other factors might serve to make the environment even more ideal for the big bass if you can find them you may latch onto a big bass bonanza underwater springs provide a constant temperature zone that would enable a bass to live an extremely long life without suffering drastic temperature [Music] extremes inflowing creeks also moderate water temperature and provide an influx of freshly oxygenated water variety of cover is more important than a large expanse of light cover a single species of weed is a specialized environment and therefore not a broad-based food source for a wide variety of organisms [Music] remoteness for man has always been a requirement for big bass such natural havens are rapidly disappearing in our search for them we cannot afford to overlook those areas in heavily fished water where other fishermen fail to go consider the basic requirements of bass when looking for big bass territory these include food oxygen light and a place to breed fishing areas that combine all of these qualities in the smallest possible area will dramatically increase your success while the basic life requirements of the bass remain constant throughout the year the influence of the changing seasons on the activity of the fish make it possible for us to predict how and where to catch bass throughout the year in the spring spawning is a major focus of activity for bass as such they seek shelter protected water water that's protected from the northwest winds will warm up fastest and ensure hatching of the eggs another such sheltered place might be a canal where bass could spawn undisturbed by the high winds and waves which reduce solar the backs of creeks and coves afford such a sheltered area especially if such places are located in the northwest section of a lake [Music] summer is a period of maximum growth and feeding activity for the bass this causes them to spread out horizontally over the large flats and weed beds where the maximum forage exists at this time of year bass have the greatest opportunity for a variety of prey species as a result we should select our lures accordingly and try many different things so i tend to pick medium to shallow running lures as well as many of the top water lures and don't forget the noise making propeller type lures in the summer as the water warms up hannan thinks about the concept of food shelves when looking for big bass hannan would pick the summer not the spring as the very best time to catch a huge bass it is at this time that its metabolic activity level and food intake is at its highest remember george perry's world record largemouth bass was caught in june and david hayes world record smallmouth was taken in july spring is thought of by most fishermen as virtually the only time to catch a big bass however even a big female full of eggs in the spring will not reach her maximum weight until summer when she's in her feeding prime and has her fat reserves this means that we should continue to fish and fish shallow throughout the summer for big bass they are there they're just not as concentrated as they are in the spring and remember the world record largemouth was caught in june and the world record smallmouth in july the summer time is also a good time to seek out moderating factors such as underwater springs [Music] submerged creek channels inflowing creeks and the like which will bring down the steadily rising water temperatures in their immediate area and keep bass at an active level fall is a time when bass are active and concentrated the feeding urge is still strong in anticipation of winter however they are having to deal with increasingly frequent and severe weather changes that's why i concentrate my fall bass fishing on points where shallow forage water comes closest to the deep water sanctuaries look for the last green weeds in the fall as this will be a major attraction for bass winter's cold water temperatures slow a bass's metabolism to the point where his feeding capabilities are greatly reduced also he has to respond to extreme changes in weather at this time of year conserving energy and minimizing movement become his primary concerns and he tends to orient his activities vertically this is why i fish shear banks and steep drop-offs at this time of year we've just come off a 10-foot water here onto a steep drop it makes a sheer wall and there's bass holing on that wall this is a perfect winter situation and i'd choose a small spoon or a jig here use a slow retrieve preferably with a bottom bumping lure such as a jig which allows the bass plenty of opportunity to find the lure understanding the effects of the changing season on the bass will help you catch more fish all year long another major yet often misunderstood natural influence on the vas is the moon [Music] one reason many people scoff at the influence of the moon is because ancient man while he knew the moon's influence was real was incapable of explaining it in anything but mythical or easily disprovable terms as a result many people today doubt the moon's influence on the earth even though this influence can be documented as an indication of the intensity of the gravitational pull by the moon against the earth every time the moon passes your area it moves the earth's center of gravity one thousand miles and heaves up the earth's crust by one foot just because we don't realize the impact of the moon's gravitational pull doesn't mean that it doesn't exist lesser life forms such as insects time massive hatches to the lunar clock as a survival method when billions hatch it once the chances are greater that some will survive if they hatched out a few at a time they'd be easy targets for predators this predator overload principle is very important to survival being predators are naturally drawn to any general increase in life activity that's why bass fishing is best during the full and new moon when lesser creatures are hatching out smaller minnows move in to feed on these insects and bass move in to eat the forage fish the biggest bass being the most perfect member of the species will stick to this lunar clock the closest that's because in bass as in all living things organization is the key to survival baths stay organized in their world by spawning by the only clock they know the moon in this manner millions of genetically superior bass fryer hatched at once assuring that some will survive to maturity i've always kept meticulous fishing records but during one particular 10-year period when i caught over 400 bass exceeding 10 pounds apiece i found that 65 of them were caught within three days of the new or full moon nine out of ten of the biggest of those came within those same periods what this tells us is that the bigger the fish are the more closely they follow the rules of the moon this is even more dramatically emphasized by the fact that the world record bass came within two days of the new moon just as the ancients did you too can use your knowledge of the moon to improve your fishing success and plan your trips hannan's records point out the powerful influence of the full and dark moons you can plainly see that the dark moon produces positive results throughout the year and that the full moon tends to vary from season to season summer marks the greatest influence of the full moon for the entire year during the winter months the full and dark moon seem to have practically the same influence according to the catch records in the spring and fall the dark moon clearly outperforms the full moon producing far more fish this could be due to spawning the days around the full moon in these seasons show fewer fish caught than other days it seems tough for the hunter or fisherman to take a trophy during the full moon in the spring and fall [Music] big bass get big by hatching out in the right place at the right time even if a fish is born with the genetic capabilities of reaching record size those assets will be wasted if its home lake or home territory is in an area that's subject to pollution channelization harsh climate or other uncertainties in the final analysis many factors must come into play for a bass to reach record size if any of them goes out of kilter the chances of that bass getting really big are greatly diminished [Applause] [Applause] we've discussed how to find big bass territory the effects of the moon on your fishing and how to select and prepare your equipment you've been given a lot of information you need to review it regularly so you'll be ready when you come face to face with the bass of your dreams i've really enjoyed having the chance to share with you my knowledge experience and techniques on bass fishing i feel certain that as your experience with this great game fish increases that you'll come to realize as i have that we need to release more of the big fish we catch for the future of the sport and the future of the species i'll see you on the water [Music] come on alrighty yeah [Music] [Applause] good [Music] [Applause] [Music] do [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Old School Bass Fishing Vids

Views: 240,902

Keywords: Quantum Fishing, Big Bass, Trophy Bass, Swimming Worm, Topwater, Rapala, Spinnerbait, Plastic Worm, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Randy Blaukat, Larry Nixon, Rick Clunn, Denny Brauer, Scott Martin, Flipping, Pitching, Prespawn, Postspawn, Bassmaster, FLW, MLF, Major League Fishing, Floating Worm, Uncle Josh Pork, Pork Frog, Hook Sharpening, Fishing Line, John Boat, Stanley Jigs, Lonnie Stanley, Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait

Id: QW64lwC_eEY

Length: 56min 34sec (3394 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 28 2021