What do you think causes Bass to.... 2024
Hammer 4 reply :
Short strike a lure, i.e. most have had them short strike spinnerbaits, hence the trailer hooks.
Is the fish just tasting, investigating...or what..?
Your thoughts..?
Carrington reply :
ive heard that the color causes the bass to short strike. i know when i change the color when they are short striking alot, all of the short strikes stop.
Bass_Akwards reply :
Every home run hitter strikes out once in a while. Bass sometimes swing and whiff as well, especially with fast moving baits like buzzbaits.
Once in a while however, I swear it seems that it could also be the basses instincts taking over at the very last second as it senses something is "wrong."
Gatorbassman reply :
A follow or a swing and a miss usually means that you almost have it. It usually means you need to change either the color or the action to something more natural. I go with color first and then I will change the action. If it's a Crankbait I'll go with a tighter wobble. If it's a spinnerbait I'll go with a smaller blade or a single blade.
simplejoe reply :
QuoteIf it's a Crankbait I'll go with a tighter wobble.
I never knew that Gene.
I usually change color or pick a different bait all together. Like If I'm throwing a crankbait and they short strike it, I'll put that rod down and grab a spinnerbait.
Glenn reply :
It means the bass are amatures!
bigfruits reply :
like mentioned above, size, color or action arent exactly ideal. if you keep getting short strikes, change it up a bit.
CJ reply :
I think the cause of it is the fish's mood at that given time. Say if the conditions have them somewhat inactive or in a neutral or negative state their instincts may cause them to react but not follow up.
Catt reply :
I agree with CJ that "mood" that causes short strikes everything else listed are ways to compensate; I would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.
Simp reply :
Many times I think it's a territorial strike and not a feeding strike. I think many time it's simply intending to bite the tail and tell it to get out of here.
George Welcome reply :
Cure that short or missed strike: downsize
Paul Roberts reply :
One reason doesn't cover all. It could be any one of the above. I assume we're talking about a pattern of short strikes as fish can and do simply miss on occasion. But not that often I believe bc missing is costly and mature bass tend to know what is catchable.
As a long time fly-fisher for trout I found the most common reasons were:
1. The fish was testing something that might be edible. I also kept trout in an stream aquarium and I saw them do this pretty regularly. They don't have hands and often the way they did this was with a closed mouth, brushing the jaw and cheek against the item. This is why we sometimes hook fish such outside the jaw. I believe I've had this happen with crankbaits and bass too.
2. Something wasn't right with the presentation and they didn't really know until they got close, and aborted the attack.
3. Here's the odd one I cannot explain: In water too warm for trout comfort (like 80F), trout would boil frenetically at a fly, as though they were acting crazy. They would literally blow up on a fly but NEVER take. It was enormously frustrating. Then again, I shouldn't be hooking trout in 80 water unless I plan to kill em anyway. The crazy part was they might do this repeatedly, whereas in comfortable conditions they make decisions about whether it's worth trying again -usually it's not.
4. Short strikes on frogs: A member (forget his handle -from FL) brought this up as an explanation and I think it's a good one and more common than one might think -at least in my neck of the woods. Sometimes these are simply misses, but other times it's too frequent for that. I believe this is likely the bass chasing bluegills following the frog under the mat.
Fishing Rhino reply :
It's a vision thing from having their eyes crossed too often during hook sets.
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteIt's a vision thing from having their eyes crossed too often during hook sets.
Oh yes...that's #5!
There HAVE to be more!
WRB reply :
Most tandem blade spinner baits have the trailing blade too far back. The trailing blade shouldn't extend beyond the hook bend. What happens is the bass strikes the blade and misses the hook. Putting a trailer hook may solve that problem, why not use a spinnerbait that is design properly to start with?
Next time you are shopping for spinnerbaits, take a close look at where the trailing blade is located.
WRB
Sam reply :
The bass is knocking it out of the way as it is annoying to the fish.
This is the "aggressive" strike you read and hear about.
The bass is not feeding, it just is ticked off that your bait is bothering him/her.
And then you have the spastic bass..... ;D ;D ;D
brushhoggin reply :
i've had days fishing frogs in the pads, when bass would not for the love of moses, finish it off. just a violent headbutt to get them out of their territory. probably thirty misses for two people no exaggerations. i took the hint eventually and cleaned up finally by switching to my paddle tail tube, more vulnerable looking i suppose.
NasTMcfingas reply :
QuoteI agree with CJ that "mood" that causes short strikes everything else listed are ways to compensate; I would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.
X2
Hammer 4 reply :
Good info fellas...I don't experience short strikes that often. I was reading a thread on spinnerbaits, and the thought of short strikes entered my head, so, I thought I would ask what your opinions are on the subject.
As usual ...lots of good info...hope this helps someone that experiences short strikes for Amature fish..lol
ww2farmer reply :
QuoteI would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.
Funny how your the only one to mention that 
Thats what I do first as well. If that didn't work I would change bait size before color.
jaymc reply :
Most people don't much care about finely analyzing why a bass strikes. Most fisherman are empircists. They look a t a lake, on a particular day, with a particular weather situation and say to themselves "I'm going to use whatever because it always works in this situation."
Fly fisherman for trout are used to seeing short strikes which they call refusals. Often you see a trout come up to your fy then drift back in the current under as the fly floats down stream, only to slip away into the depths. Usually the failure of the fly is not the fly tself but drag caused by the line moving at a different speed than the fly.
So when you get a short strike I'd think presentation first. A lure ripping across the surface might easily attract a bass that then is alarmed by the action at the last instant.
Here's the deal with all artificials. All artificials are to an extent an exaggeration of nature. The greater the exaggeration, be it sound, lure speed, size or color the more the lure will attract. By the same token the more that exaggeration is likely to spook a bass at the last instant or more often, without the bass even moving. However, a less exaggerated lure and presentation might not get the bass' attention at all. Everything in bass fishing is a trade off.
Finesse techniques work because the lure and presentation is only a little exaggeration of reality. At the same time they put the lure very close to the fish. When fish are mainly agressive a finesse fisherman hampers himself by showing his lure to less fish that a guy ripping a spinnerbait. But if the fish aren't agressive at all, you may have no other choice than to put a slow moving, non-threatening morsel, directly under the fishes nose. In fly fishing it is the difference between using a deeply sunk nymph and a dry fly on the surface.
Hammer 4 reply :
Interesting point Jay.. 
Catt reply :
QuoteQuoteI would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.Funny how your the only one to mention that
Thats what I do first as well. If that didn't work I would change bait size before color.
Most anglers fail to understand the importance of retrieval speed or rate of fall
jaymc reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteI would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.Funny how your the only one to mention that
Most anglers fail to understand the importance of retrieval speed or rate of fall
For that very reason, I've always liked baits that I can fish more than one way. Whenyou think about it most of the baits that are the most popular, are those we can fish a variety of ways.
Catt reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteI would try speeding up or slowing down my retrieval rate before I change anything else.Funny how your the only one to mention that
Most anglers fail to understand the importance of retrieval speed or rate of fall
For that very reason, I've always liked baits that I can fish more than one way. Whenyou think about it most of the baits that are the most popular, are those we can fish a variety of ways.
When you think about it most of the baits that are the most "productive", are those we can fish a variety of ways.
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteMost people don't much care about finely analyzing why a bass strikes. Most fisherman are empircists. They look a t a lake, on a particular day, with a particular weather situation and say to themselves "I'm going to use whatever because it always works in this situation."Fly fisherman for trout are used to seeing short strikes which they call refusals. Often you see a trout come up to your fy then drift back in the current under as the fly floats down stream, only to slip away into the depths. Usually the failure of the fly is not the fly tself but drag caused by the line moving at a different speed than the fly.
So when you get a short strike I'd think presentation first. A lure ripping across the surface might easily attract a bass that then is alarmed by the action at the last instant.
Here's the deal with all artificials. All artificials are to an extent an exaggeration of nature. The greater the exaggeration, be it sound, lure speed, size or color the more the lure will attract. By the same token the more that exaggeration is likely to spook a bass at the last instant or more often, without the bass even moving. However, a less exaggerated lure and presentation might not get the bass' attention at all. Everything in bass fishing is a trade off.
Finesse techniques work because the lure and presentation is only a little exaggeration of reality. At the same time they put the lure very close to the fish. When fish are mainly agressive a finesse fisherman hampers himself by showing his lure to less fish that a guy ripping a spinnerbait. But if the fish aren't agressive at all, you may have no other choice than to put a slow moving, non-threatening morsel, directly under the fishes nose. In fly fishing it is the difference between using a deeply sunk nymph and a dry fly on the surface.
This is good; a good description of artificial lures. I think it's too easy to breath WAY too much into them -as if the magic is in the lures. There's some of that in there, but our manipulations (starting with depth and speed) make or break that magic on any given day, and at times, on every given fish.
CAdeltaLipRipper reply :
Sometimes they are being territorial,curious,or just trying to wound or kill it before they eat it
Fish M4ST3R reply :
Yes, I agree that many anglers do not understand the patience of the slow retrievel. 90% of bass strikes occur on the fall of a lure and not the jigging motion that most believe. Bass arnt all dumb, they know that they can attack prey better when it does not move(a no brainer). Jigs especially<---
Taylor Fishin 4 life reply :
have ya ever thought that bass are just trying to stun there pray before they eat it?
Dalton Tam reply :
I believe that it depends on the mood of the fish also. Sometimes when they just aren't quite as interested in the bait they will just strike the bait to strike it instead of striking to eat. Everyone on this thread is right about what they do but what I like to do is just pop my bait three or four times or just stop the bait on the retrieve in. This sometimes causes the fish to be ontop of the bait if they are chasing it and will cause them to take it.
Fish M4ST3R reply :
Quotehave ya ever thought that bass are just trying to stun there pray before they eat it?
Yes, that is a the case sometimes too, and like what Magician said, the fishes mood contributes greatly to how it strikes.
Hammer 4 reply :
Quotehave ya ever thought that bass are just trying to stun there pray before they eat it?
Hmmm, wouldn't a bass risk losing it's prey sometimes..? I mean if a fish is gonna expend the energy, why not just eat the dang thang..?
SBM-RL reply :
The first things i would try is shorten skirt, change speed and that could even mean try a faster one to provoke it more and draw a more agreesive strike, I would also change the color depending on the conditions if it real clear go more natural with your color selection if theres less clarity go with something that the fish can see better.
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