Finding 'em as fast as 1-2-3 - BAG

FINDING ‘EM AS FAST AS 1-2-3!
By Aaron Coleman
Article reprinted with permission from Bass Anglers Guide

In today's fast paced world, most people want results yesterday, in the world of tournament bass fishing it's no different. In fact, with the pressure, competition and ever changing conditions of your typical tournament, you just might want today's results last week. Let's talk about how and where to find today's limit as quickly as possible.

POINTS

Every body of water has at least one “point,” and that's a great place to start fishing, but why? Because points give prey and predators a horizontal and vertical route between shallow and deep water.  With multiple directions for shad, blue gill, trout and other fish to maneuver it's easy to see why an apex predator like bass would be there. Point's present bass with so many feeding opportunities, it's like living in a supermarket. So let's go shopping!

HUMPS

These are some of my favorite places to fish. There's something about not being able to see my target that gets me excited. Humps are shallower than the surrounding structure and are a magnet for bass. Whenever you find a foot or more of depth change there's a good chance “a big dog” could be lurking nearby. Humps consist of rock, clay, sand or some other firm structure. The surrounding landscape can give you a pretty good idea of where they're likely to be. Islands, rocky banks and landslide areas are a tip-off  that you could be in the right place. When you find a hump always make your first cast to the shallowest part and then work deeper. The most active fish are on the shallowest part of the hump while the inactive bass hang on the edges.

ROCKS, TULES & WEEDS

This combination is usually found in river systems like the California Delta or natural waters like Clear Lake. I think the combination of structure and cover attracts the bass.

A lot of times they have a tendency to look for deeper spots near the bank where the rock/tule/weed combination is present. When I say “deeper”, I mean as little as 6 inches deeper. Even during low-tide at the California Delta those little holes are going to hold fish. On high tide these are one of the first places to turn-on because the bass are already there, they don't have to move to the spot. So what makes this combination so good? 

1. Rocks provide a vertical structure that give bass something to put their tail or nose against. Rocks tend to hold heat in the winter and provide shade in the summer. They also attract crawdads, insects and other critters for bass to feed on.

2. Tules give bass great vertical cover to suspend in. I say this because most of my bites in the tules come while the lure is falling. Tules generally grow on hard or gravelly bottom, which is an ideal place for bass to spawn and live.

3. Weeds are the equivalent of an apartment building full of prey and predators. The weed-stalks acts like a wall, with the tips serving as a roof. Living weeds produce oxygen, dead ones produce heat. Bass are attracted to green weeds in warm weather and dead ones when it's cold.

Using the formula I've laid out above can make finding the fish is as easy as “1-2-3”!

Check out my website at: www.Stillfishin.com

You can find any gear you may need at Monster Fishing Tackle