Test Your Bass Fishing IQ with Outdoor Writer John E. Phillips
Day 4: Study These Ideas to Catch More Bass with Outdoor Writer John E. Phillips
Editor’s Note: Successful bass fishing basically involves problem-solving and decision-making. You must make decisions concerning where to fish, how to fish, what lures to fish with, what time of day to fish and where to catch the biggest fish. Let's look at some bass-fishing situations to see how to handle them. We'll base the scoring system on 5 points for the best answer, 3 points for the second-best answer and 1 point for an answer that can work but probably won't. These answers are based on hundreds of interviews I’ve had with professional bass fishermen over the last 40 years.
  1) Where are you most likely to take the biggest bass in any lake during the spawn?
a) the backside of a boathouse with cables on both ends of it that secure the boathouse to the bank to stabilize it;
b) an isolated bush or stump on the end of a point; or
c) along a bridge piling going over a small creek.
An isolated bush on a point is a productive place to catch a bass during the spring spawning season. But every bass fisherman on the lake probably has fished that same bush. Therefore you'll only have a slight chance of taking spawning or prespawn bass there. You receive 3 points for this choice. A spawning bass has no reason to hold on a bridge piling during spawning season. You may catch a bass there, but you only get 1 point for this choice.
2) The best time to catch bass on a main river point is:
  a) early in the morning;
b) late in the evening; or
c) when the current is being pulled through the lake.
To learn more about bass fishing, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks and some print books, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro,” “How to Win a Bass Tournament,” “Catch the Most and Biggest Bass in Any Lake: 18 Pro Fishermen’s Best Tactics, “Hot Weather Bass Tactics” and “How to Become A Tournament Bass Fisherman” or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of the books, and download them to your Kindle and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.
Answers:
1) A is the best selection. Although bass will hold on these types of structures during the spawn, bass tend to prefer to spawn where they won't have anglers harassing them. The difficulty of reaching the backside of a boathouse with cables attached to the bank will prevent most anglers from casting to this spot. If you've picked A, award yourself 5 points.
2) C is a choice that will help you catch bass. In most lakes throughout the nation, bass begin to feed on main river points when current starts moving through a lake. Give yourself 5 points for choosing C.
3) Early in the morning, before the current starts moving, the bass often will school-up on the points. You get 3 points for this choice. Late in the evening, the bass may move up on the points and into the shallows to feed. Give yourself 1 point for this answer.
About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.
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