“Will this bait catch fish?”
“You only need this one lure!”
“Why can’t I catch fish on this bait that everyone else is using?”
These are common questions I hear and see around the fishing community. To be fair, I think we’ve all asked these questions at some point. But to be honest, I believe they’re the completely wrong questions. While a large amount of money has been spent over the last century either in search of, or the marketing of, a single magic lure; there is no such thing. Here are a couple reasons why I feel confident in saying that.
The Right Questions
First, bass are opportunistic feeders. When they want to eat, they will eat. There are times when they become finnicky due to weather conditions, time of year, angling pressure, or many other variables that I believe it’s much more important to recognize than attempting to find some do all lure. That said, if they are not actively feeding, they may not bite the hottest and greatest bait ever created; then, there are times where they may choke on absolutely anything you put in their path. Thus, we must ask the questions that fill out that context that is often overlooked in times of frustration. What time of year is it? What’s the temperature? Is the wind blowing? Is the water rising or falling? What is the water clarity; muddy, stained, or clear? How much pressure is on this body of water? Is there current? I could go on and on, but answering these questions are what separates those who consistently catch fish from those who do not.
All About Location
This leads me to my next and most important point: location. That’s really the biggest piece of the puzzle that most of these questions lead us to solve. I mean, if we’re throwing a bait in places where the fish just aren’t, then it doesn’t matter what we throw at them. To become a more consistent angler, it is much more vital to understand how to locate fish more so than discovering the next big revolutionary bait. Once we locate fish, then comes the time to fine tune baits and presentations in order to land those fish.
Overall, as anglers we must continue to learn about the fish that we chase, and their behavior based on the many conditions that we are to face each time that we hit the water. We must have a variety of baits in our arsenal to choose from at any given time depending on these conditions and the mood of the fish. These are the things that will make us more productive on the water. Every bait has the potential to be THE MAGIC BAIT.
