Far Afield
For bass: Seek the right time and the right depth
With Oak Duke

Oak Duke is publisher of The Wellsville Daily Reporter and a frequest outdoors writer.

Logic would tell us that bass can be caught virtually anywhere in the lake at any given time.

Of course, it is impossible to verify.

Theoretically it makes sense.

After all, bass can swim anywhere in the lake. Right?

Historically, the emphasis of the question has been placed on the "where," much more so than on the "when."

But the "when" may be as important as "location."

That notion, the importance of timing, may seem heretical, at the least unorthodox.

The popular idea of "location," especially in a relatively deep lake, is actually a two-dimensional question.

Imagine a boat bobbing out on a lake.

The fisherman is fishing at a specific location, right?

But depth determines "location" actually more than GPS coordinates do, in this understanding.

Where is the angler fishing in the water column?

Some bass fishermen are what we could call, "deep water specialists." These anglers prefer to work deep weed beds, rocks and other structure. And sometimes they simply fish the bottom of a deep aspect of a body of water.

They are often smallmouth bass specialists and use artificials like plastic grubs, small worms and minnow replications, or live bait such as crayfish and leeches. Often times it's a slow, jigging style and their equipment reflects it.

Other bass fishermen spend their preferred time in the mid-depth range. They will fish suspending lures, slow roll spinner baits and weight their plastics. They hit the edge of the underwater weed beds, and jig in the holes and clear spots. Classic jig and pig combos and probably the classic Texasrigged worm are some of the most popular styles.

Others prefer the shallower presentations and will toss baits such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits to tickle the tops of the weeds. Or they will entice the bass to the surface with everything from "trick worms" to Pop- R's.

And then there are the "shoreline guys." Bass often can be found sometimes in lily pad fields and hanging under shallow structure such as logs docks and overhanging trees. Sometimes, it seems the only way to catch bass is to toss a lure right up against a shoreline, like a floating Rapala, at least in the early part of the season.

Shallow water fishermen use many lures from plastic worms, jigs, to spinnerbaits and floating crankbaits.

But the right equipment, the right techniques and that all-important, "right spot," or "right location" are not enough. Successful anglers hit the right depth at the same time as the fish do.

That's why tournament pre-fishing is so important to tournament bass anglers. And too, the knowledge of a lake or "knowing the water" is all-important for success.

Simply stated, (even though some lure manufacturers would disagree) the best information that anyone can give a bass angler is not so much what the fish are hitting as when and at what depth. Of course it's nice to know what they are hitting too, (good luck getting that info.)

But really, despite all the hype of having the "right" lure for the job, that is almost a matter of taste and style.

Personally, I could care less knowing the specific lure type or manufacturer's pattern the fish are hitting. Just let me know where they are feeding (depth) and what time and I'll catch them my way.

And it's not that we can't pick up a bass here and there throughout the lake, tossing just about anything. "Hunt and peck." That goes back to the original premise, fish can swim anywhere in the lake.

But they don't.

Bass anglers seek the concentrations and key on the feeding modes. It's

what we seek most. And when they turn on, it's a ball. When "the feed is on," it seems for a while that you can't do anything wrong.

(Except let the big one get away!)

Seeking the right time can be frustrating too. There's a lot of "down time" for all bass fishermen.

Factors impact the feeding times.

Water temperatures can fluctuate not only from day to day but actually throughout the day. And bass, being cold-blooded critters are very sensitive to the changes. Anyone who has gone swimming in a lake or pond can testify to the different temperatures at various levels.

The top of the lake is warm, but just a few feet down the temperature starts dropping. Bass prefer 80 degrees F., according to the biologists. They say that's when the fishes' metabolism is running at top efficiency.

Other factors such as light (amount of sunlight), wind, oxygen content of the water, pH, and changes in water clarity all effect movement, not to mention baitfish fluctuations and spawn patterns all effect the fish.

We shake our heads in disbelief as we learn. Where we pounded the fish on one day at a certain time the next day may be a wash. Fishless.

Usually though, we can be assured that when we do find the proverbial "hot spot;" no matter if it's deep, mid-depth or shallow, we'll get some action. That is, until things change, what ever those "things" may be.

The fish "turn on" and then they "turn off."

There are different hot spots on a given lake at different times.

Experienced bass anglers who have done their homework have a couple of these places in mind. These places are remembered, analyzed, and anticipated.

But what is the right time to fish it?

Be there at dawn?

How 'bout 2 a.m.?

Late afternoon when the shadows get long?

Just at "last light?" That's the thing dreams are made of.