The power of observation 2024

Raul reply :

I haven 't been a member from this forum for a long time however I 've been a member of other forums for quite a while and I have noticed that the same questions posted here are exactly the same questions posted everywhere: how do I work this bait ?, how do I find the fish ?, what color do I have to use ? etc, etc, the same questions over and over again. The other day Roadwarrior posted a thread and to my surprise it didn 't get neither the kind or number of replies I could expect from a thread that 's fundamental in fishing, that is, how to locate the fish. No matter what bait you have tied, what color the bait is, what technique you are using one thing is for shure, all of that is useless if you are unable to locate the fish.

My reply to his thread was quite simple, I look for "my lake" in an unfamiliar lake, the deduction is pretty simple to me: bass behave the same way everywhere, I know where bass are located in the lakes I fish not only throughout the year but also throughout the day, if I know where to locate the fish in my lake what I do when fishing an unfamiliar is to look for similar places in the other lake; the principle is quite simple, for a spot to be productive it has to provide the fish with what it needs to survive: food, shelter and an escape route.

When you go fishing and arrive at the lake what do you do ?

When I arrive at the lake before doing anything I take a good look at the lake, the lake "speaks" to anyone willing to listen to him, I just stand there and listen to what the lake is trying to tell me, it may take a couple of minutes or as much as half an hour and only when I have listened enough then I 'm ready to fish. I know it sounds "poetic" actually what I 'm refering to is that if you take your time and use your power of observation you will be able to listen to what the lake is trying to tell you, lakes are not just a huge pool, lakes are dynamic systems that are always in motion, that motion and the way the system works depends on the weather conditions, the orographic and topographic features of the terrain that forms and surrounds the lake, the size, length, width, depth and age of the lake, the season of the year, the hour of the day. Nothing happens just because, everything happens because there 's a cause and an effect.

Luck has little to do with success, sucess comes through experience and experience only comes through practice, experimentation and the power of observation.

On a personal level I never enjoyed the benefit of having somebody to teach me how to fish, neither my father nor my grandfather were "outdoorsmen" so I had to learn the hard way by my own in a time when there was no Internet, no Bassresource ( outstanding job Glenn ) and living in Mexico, no Bassmasters Magazine, so all that I know really comes from "on the field" experiences and experimentation.

So next time you are out there use your power of observation, take a good look around at the lake, look at the terrain, what you see on the terrain above the water level: the degree of the slope, the composition of the terrain, any outstanding feature, it 's most likely to continue below the water level; look at the weather conditions, they dictate the behavior and activity of the fish and the baitfish, look at the insect activity, in other words listen all day long to what the lake is trying to tell you and when you have listened then you 're ready to fish and remember, the lake is never static, the lake is a dynamic system and it changes throughout the day.

Fly fisherman are much better anglers than bass fisherman because they are much more aware than us and they listen to what the surrounding environment is trying to tell them.

roadwarrior reply :

Grasshopper,

A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step in the right direction.

5bass reply :

Raul,have you been hangin' out with Rick Clunn again?? ;D

Good post nonetheless.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

Wow Raul, I am speachless

scbassin reply :

Cudo's to both R/W & Raul for their excellent posts.

Raul reply :

Quote
Raul,have you been hangin' out with Rick Clunn again?? ;D
Good post nonetheless.

I am Rick Clunn ! ;D j/k

Funny that you mentioned him Bassin 101, him along with Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin, Bill Dance and Doug Hannon are my favorite anglers, I don 't always agree with them but the knowledge they posses is vast and their impact in the "business of bass fishing" can 't be denied.

Hey Gloomisman it took me a good 2 hour typing with one finger ! :-X

Jagrrich reply :

Outstanding!!

I take my hat off to you Raul!

BASSMAN1301599783 reply :

Fantastic post. Thank you.

CJHooker reply :

Thats what I love about this forum.I do use observation,but I need to use it more.Anglers who think like that are likely to be one step ahead of the others.Thanks Raul!

Okeechobee_Cracker reply :

thanks raul...i put all that in play today and i think its gonna help if i do it fer now on

Kana reply :

sometimes we over look the simplest of things ina rush to get out on the water. thanks raul, it was a good point to bring up, and many people will benefit from reading it, my self included.

piranha reply :

Raul and R/W - Your posts are always great. The thing I love about this forum is that is helps me to use my observation and turn them into better fish-catching opportunites. Observation has always been my strong suit, but I don't know how to translate those into fish. Like last night, the baitfish and baby bass were breaking the water for the first time this year. I watched when, where and how. I stuck it in my head for future use. I still didn't know what to throw as a result of seeing what I saw. That is where this forum helps me. I never did catch one of the buggers chasing the baitfish but I know that I will with continues study and practice. Keep up the great posts guys!

James Dollenmaier reply :

A friend caught some bass (SM-I think) in the Obed area twixt TN & KY. The meat or flesh was permeated with little, black, firm beads-smaller than match heads. Wuzzup? Thanks.

Raul reply :

the baitfish and baby bass were breaking the water for the first time this year.

Ok Piranha let 's translate what you saw into fish like you say. After the spawn, when the eggs have hatched and the males guarding them leave the nests they move into deeper water with the females to take a break, rest and prepare themselves for the rest of the year, let 's take in consideration that they haven 't eaten in quite a while, all their energy requirements have been filled from their fat reserves, they are lean, have lost a lot of weight and are literally starved, during all that resting period the fry that they have produced has grown, they are no longer the teeny tiny fish the were, guess what ? they are bitesize morsels ready to be eaten by their parents, it 's exactly the time when larger bass congregate and form "wolf packs" to hunt them down and feed heavily on them, it 's the time to take out you baby bass pattern cranks and give them the job of catching fish, but don 't use the baits that are the same size of those fish, use a larger size, for example if the baby fish you 're looking are 2 inches in length tie on a 2.5-3 inch bait, there 's a reason for that, a larger bait is more likely to be hit because it stands out from the rest of the crowd, also, it represents a larger meal for the fish, more energy with the same effort.

Muddpuppy reply :

Great post as usual, hate it about the shoulder.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

[quote author=Raul

Hey Gloomisman it took me a good 2 hour typing with one finger ! :-X

piranha reply :

Thanks Raul...great post as usual. The majority of the schools of baby bass I have seen have been less than one inch in length. I will try the smallest baby bass swmbaits and cranks I have and see what happens. If the fish were breaking the surface, should I be attempting a top water crank? The follow-up to that is that in the area I saw the bass breaking, the grass has become so thick in just the last few days that it would not be possible to fish cranks there, but I will try as close as possible. Would you recommend another option, like a two-inch bass colored worm?

Thanks again.

Raul reply :

Shallow running cranks like the Shallow Shad Rap SR5BB, C 'ultiva Bug Eye Bait, Subwart SW04 will mimic those tiny fish to the perfection and they just dive at much 3 ft, soft plastic jerkbaits like the Baby Assasin, Wild Eye Swim Shad and the Wild Eye Curl Tail Minnow are ideal for that too.

Rebbasser reply :

Great post, amigo.

Nitro 882 reply :

Quote
Thanks Raul...great post as usual. The majority of the schools of baby bass I have seen have been less than one inch in length. I will try the smallest baby bass swmbaits and cranks I have and see what happens. If the fish were breaking the surface, should I be attempting a top water crank? The follow-up to that is that in the area I saw the bass breaking, the grass has become so thick in just the last few days that it would not be possible to fish cranks there, but I will try as close as possible. Would you recommend another option, like a two-inch bass colored worm?
Thanks again.

Try a 3" green pumpkin grub on a 1/8 oz jig head. Dipping the tail in chartruese "Spike It" seems to improve performance-------

Gatorbassman reply :

Nitro, I don't mean this in a bad way but piranha hasn't been on the forum in nearly two years. I don't think he will read your good advise.

PS. I would use JJ's Magic instead of Spike-it.

Grey Wolf reply :

There's nothing like bringing back the oldies , I think.

ba7ss3in reply :

Good post, I enjoyed reading it.

=Matt 5.0= reply :

Quote
Raul,have you been hangin' out with Rick Clunn again?? ;D
Good post nonetheless.

LOL, my thoughts exactly. Great post Raul.

"Study the mouse, not the owl."

senile1 reply :

Raul, I would place your post to start this thread among my favorites. Excellent! In addition to helping us find fish, I think that the more observant we are the more we find in this beautiful world of ours to enjoy. Nature is full of wonder. We just need to pay attention.

jrhennecke reply :

Excellent post. A very interesting approach.

Popeye reply :

SUPERB!!! Another testiment as to why I personally consider BR to be THE BEST bass fishing forum on the Internet, bar none!!! Great members, great advice, great founder and great moderators. IMO:o)

GobbleDog reply :

Thanks Popeye. It's true, I am great.

islandbass reply :

Raul,

Excellent advice and post. I wonder if there might be a connection with the closeness of Easter and the resurrection of old posts for the benefit of all.

I tend to be aware of my surroundings and take in everything too. It seems we have learning on our own in common as well. I think I just need to catch up in the acquisition of Japaese Domestic items. ;D

-ib

Raul reply :

Quote
I wonder if there might be a connection with the closeness of Easter and the resurrection of old posts

;D ;D ;D

HesterIsGod reply :

Quote
Nitro, I don't mean this in a bad way but piranha hasn't been on the forum in nearly two years. I don't think he will read your good advise.

Why do people keep doing this.

Willzx225 reply :

I absolutely love this post, Raul! Thanks for pointing out that it was started so long ago. I think everyone can take something away from post from the newbies to the veterans as well. I feel that I am pretty good at taking in my surroundings but I may have been getting lazy in the last year or two. This is just the ticket to make me analyze everything in more depth. Thanks again Raul and BR!

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