Largemouth Bass: Finding the Pattern

Largemouth Bass: Finding the Pattern

When fishing for any type of fish, it is very important to find the pattern
and it is no different for largemouth bass. There is always a pattern
and the pattern can change daily and it will change from season to
season. You need to know the basics for how bass are affected by
the weather and their different movements throughout the season.

Once you know more about where bass move throughout the season
and how the weather affects them, you can start figuring out where the
bass should be for that particular day you are fishing. If it's late
spring, you're not going to be fishing deep water because most bass
will be moving shallow to get ready to spawn. If it's the day after a bad
thunderstorm combined with a cold front, you're not going to be fishing
open water in the shallows. If you are fishing the shallows, you're
going to be looking for the heaviest cover possible. If you can find a
spillway in the shallows, that will work, but in most situations, you're
looking at heavy cover or drop-offs that are located near shallow
feeding areas. After a severe cold front, most bass are going to move
deeper and be less active. These are just a couple of situations that
could come up. Every time you are out on the water, try to be more
aware of the conditions and your results and you should start building
some valuable experience that will help you on future trips.

Here is an example of Finding the Pattern for a specific day.

Let's say you start fishing deep weeds in 12 to 17 feet of water. As
you start casting your crankbait over the area, you make a long cast
and get a hit immediately. You make another cast and you catch
another fish. After a 3rd bass, you move your boat closer to that
area. Once you get to the spot, you look at your fish finder and see
that you are in 8 feet of water with weeds. You just found a pattern.
Bass are in 8 feet of water with weeds. Fish every area you can that
has weeds in 8 feet of water until it is time to go home or they stop
biting. If they stop biting, try to figure out if they moved deeper or if
they are less aggressive. I would start by slowing down with soft
plastics or even live bait to see if the bass are still there, but just less
active. If that doesn't work, throw your crankbait again in deeper water
with weeds.

Can you see how you have to constantly adjust to find the bass that
are feeding? Sometimes a certain pattern can work for 3 or 4 days in
a row. Sometimes it works for half an hour or less and then you have
to switch to something else. Find the pattern and you will catch more
bass. As a general rule, it you catch one bass you have something to
refer to. When you catch two bass, you're onto something. If you
catch 3 bass in a similar area or type of cover or with a specific lure,
you've found a pattern. If I can catch 3 bass early in the morning
along a wooded area, I am going to find as many wooded areas with
the same depth as the first spot. You can put a lot more fish in the
boat by finding the pattern and targeting similar areas with similar
baits. Remember, there are some general patterns that will always
work, but don't be afraid to adjust because the fish can pick up and
move at any time.

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