Bassing's biggest myth's

[housework101]

I ran across this article and found it intresting,some of them I already knew and some were new's to me.
If you have a few minutes to kill take a look. 8)
http://home.comcast.net/~rkrz/infoarch/fyimyths.htm

[basstech]

dang....that cleared up maybe....3 things...not too bad. I thought that bass usually followed bait.

[catfishtonyd]

Praise the Lord. Someone else sees through the bunk.

[mallard]

I disagree with 6, 9, and 23 to an extent.

6: PROLONGED sunlight will hurt their eyes. A couple minutes of exposure won't do too much harm, and they can swim fine in sunny, clear water. But I did a large report on largemouth bass before ( ) and found that bass do tend to develop cataracts from prolonged exposure.

A few minutes won't hurt them, but they should clarify what they mean.

9? They use both methods of getting prey.

23 is just plain laughable, and so misleading.

Good luck finding 95 degree water with 4-5 ppm of saturated oxygen. Just because it can hold up to 7 doesn't mean it does.

[housework101]

Good luck finding 95 degree water with 4-5 ppm of saturated oxygen. Just because it can hold up to 7 doesn't mean it does.

Actually temerature has alot less effect on DO than most people think.
I mean the DO does fall as the temp increases but there are several other factors that play a larger role in the depletion of DO.
Giong from memory the same water at say 40 degree's that has an initial DO of 9.00ppm will have in the nieghborhood of 7.00 ppm at 90 degree's.
I only know this because it's what I do for a living(lab tech)
I agree that 9 is kinda misleading.
And I plan to research 6 a little more before I draw any conclusions.

[catfishtonyd]

Lone. The point of 23 is that bass do not move to get out of shallow, hot water. Not too long ago George Cochran won the classic fishing just such a place. When the "Book" said that in the hot summer, the fish would be out in deep water, George went against the book and won. Something anybody that ever did much river fishing could have told them. Nor do they move to find "warm" water. A fish isn't "uncomfortable" no matter what the water temp is. Being cold blooded they are the same temp as the water.

Same thing with the point about sunlight. Your point about cataracts is true. However the fish don't know that. Nor do they care. Again the point is that they don't avoid sunlight because the sun "hurts" their eyes. As in physical pain. Not as in damage. The reason bass hide in shade is the same reason a Peeping Tom stays in the dark. It makes it harder for his victim to see. Tonight look out of your bedroom window. How well can you see? Now go outside in the dark, and look in. Big difference.

Yes. Bass feed by both methods. (I'm working from memory here.) The point is that they don't just sit and wait for something to ambush. They go out and hunt. What ambush feeding opportunities they take come when they aren't activly feeding. When a bass is hungry. They go hunting.

[mike0062466]

That was an interesting read. But I question one of his statements that appeared under myth 20:

"Scientific reports show that spawning is the only bass behavior strongly influenced by specific water temperatures."

Water temps change metabolism. In cold temps, the metabolism slows way down, it takes much longer to digest food and the fish eats less. Therefore, temp alters feeding behavior and I disagree with his statement.

[Slayem9]

Good points! If all are valid (and I believe most are) then many anglers are still under the spell of misinformation and traditional thinking. Homer Circle spouted a great deal of misinformation over the years and has lost a great deal of credibility in my eyes concerning why bass hit and their behavior.

One piece of information alway sticks in my mind that he has always maintained: Bass hate lizards because they steal eggs and go out of their way to destroy them versus eat them.

1. Bass don't hate or have emotions (even when mating)
2. Bass eat a wide range of food items, including lizards.
3. How many lizards attack nesting sites in force, in spring when the water temp is around 60? (if at all!)
4. As the article suggested, bass roam to hunt for food and when inactive, don't go out of their way for anything, except to escape danger or when environmental conditions become severe.

Homer at one time maintained that bass eyes experience pain in bright light and was a primary reason for seeking the shadows. A bunch of other preferences, not supported by anything but his imagination and need to make a living, are the stuff of his old videos. He is a good writer, but more fiction than fact surfaces more than I prefer.

Thanks for the article.

Sam

[catfishtonyd]

You have to remember that when Homer was doing most of his writhing and doing his video's this type stuff was accepted as FACT. Â*It's only been in the last few years that a lot of it has been proven to just not be so. Â*Homer and the other outdoor writers of their day were not biologists. Â*They were writers who happened to love the outdoors. Â*The information they wrote was based more on trial and error and personal observations than any scientific basis. Â*

I have a number of books from the 70's Â*that tell you that if you find 72 deg water, you've found the temp that bass "prefer". Â*That bass hid behind stumps because the sunlight "hurt" their eyes. Â*Hey it made sense. Â*Sunlight hurts OUR eyes doesn't it? Â*That's why we make sunglasses. Â*WE prefer 72 degrees don't we? Â* Look. Â*The wind is blowing onto this bank. Â*All the baitfish are here. Â*The wind must have blown them across the lake. Â*We just accepted these things as fact.

As far as lizards eating bass eggs, it's been proven over and over that they don't. Â*Period. Â*It's fishermen who continue to spred this one. Â*Why? Â*Because they catch fish in the spring on lizards. Â*Bass are spawing in the spring. Â*Hence bass must "hate" lizards because they eat their egss. Â*Well of course as anyone who fishes them all year knows, bass hit lizards all year long.

Personally I think the most important factor in seasonal movements of fish and any other animal or even plants, is the length of the day. Â*It's the only reliable clock in nature. Â*As the days get longer in the spring, nature is programed to recognize this as the indication that winter is over. Â*Temperaturesof course usually warm up along with longer days, but not always. Â*

The reverse occurs in the fall. Â*As the days get shorter, animals and plants recognize the approach of winter and begin to prepare for it, no matter what the air temp is. Â*

[BaSsFiShEr20]

Sorry, i disagree with most of them. Some species of salamanders do eat fish eggs and bass will protect thier nest from them. As well as crawdads and bluegill and even other bass. And personally, after all these years of fishing, I have NEVER caught a bass on a lizard other than the spawn. I am sure you can, just not me.

Bass will remain in shallow warm water only IF there is some current to keep the water oxygenated.

Baitfish are not blown onto the downwind shore. this one i agree with.
The baitfish FOOD, (plankton, ect) is blown downwind, this in turn draws the baitfish, which draws the bass. you will find more bass on windy banks than leeward banks because of this.

Bass don't use thier lateral line to feed in dark conditions. This one is just ridiculous. It is the most sensitve tool the bass has for finding prey.

Bass do ambush thier prey. If not, you would catch all of them in open water roaming around, rather than where the majority are caught, close to cover, where they can hide and ambush the food.

I am not one to believe to much what I read. I have 30 years fishing under my belt, and have based my opinions on what i have learned from observing and fishing for bass. They may not nessecarily be right, but they work for me. Nothing is set in stone when it comes to fishing.My last tournament proves that. Where they should have been, they were not, and where they should not have been, they were. Fishing is like forcasting the weather. You can ask three differant people the same question and get three different answers, based on THIER knowledge.

JMO

Charles

[inland27]

The reading is great and thanks for the site, but the articles seem to contradict one another. I picked this out on the very next read.

"During the hottest months, bass often move daily from deep water to the shore as the water cools, returning to the cooler depths as midday approaches".

I guess one might heed the advice that reassures their confidence.

Thanks again for the site.

Boldt

[Slayem9]

Excellent points Cajun!
But I guess what has disillusioned me over the years is the hype supported by facts. Whose facts, what basis, how proven to differentiate between theory or reliable test results, etc. Just because a sport's writer surmisses this or that or is regurgitating accepted regurgitations, smacks of superstition.

Human's can't just casually rewrite the laws of nature and publish them without being ridiculed sooner or later, as would happen in scientific journals. Sometimes I think the thought that went into the articles tried to make sense, be familiar to anglers that have read the information many times before and to build a case for the central theme.( i.e. snakes are creepy - bass hate creepy things - therefore buy snake imitators because you'll get more viscious strikes.)

The same for color schemes and a slew of other unique lure characteristics that one must have.
In a sense, I like what Bassmaster has done in the last few years (including ESPN) - tell the audience what the person used to catch fish and show him where the fish were caught and under what conditions. We can make up our own minds because the facts are in the videos:
muddy water, tree stumps, jigs, post front, black or chartreuse was used etc. These are one page in the life of an angler and allow us the liberty to decide how we can use the info under similar conditions without having to read Â*the filler magazines are famous for.

I agree with Bassboss - the lateral line is key under more conditions than we'd like to believe. The statement suggests that bass don't feed efficiently on moonless nights. Of course I don't have any proof to suggest they do, except my own experiences.

But concerning bass or pickerel in ambush positions, I've seen enough underwater videos of bass swimming with the little fishies and then out of the blue, attacking and eating one. Prey fish are oblivious of predators and don't seem to go out of their way to be on the other side of the lake when they're around. To me, that means that in nature's scheme of things - predators don't need to ambush because baitfish don't usually seek cover or distance themselves away from them, especially in schools. I've seen this many times over the years, on videos taken in the wild, underwater. The improved vision into light from a shaded area makes more sense.

Sam

[Rob Mak]

sam is right on one thing during the winter the bass hold close to vertical structure as they do not want to waste energy . they move up and down this vertical structure to feed. to me this lone statement is about right i belive it is less strenious on a bass to inflate or deflate his/her air bladder then it is to swim. so -i am guessing- they work the vertical structure during winter to save energy and can also nab bait fish.

bassboss
i have caught bass on lizards during the summer and into late fall. while a bass may tap a worm. i have never had a bass tap a lizard. normally they hammer a lizard hard. why they do this i do not know. but they surely act like they hate a lizard for some reason..

zooker

[BaSsFiShEr20]

[quote author=zooker link=board=news;num=1111348142;start=0#12 date=03/21/05 at 17:23:28]
bassboss
i have caught bass on lizards during the summer and into late fall. while a bass may tap a worm. i have never had a bass tap a lizard. normally they hammer a lizard hard. why they do this i do not know. but they surely act like they hate a lizard for some reason..

zooker[/quote]

I agree. The ones I have caught, and I catch a bunch during spawn on them, never do anything less than try to anniahilate them. they dont eat them, they inhale them.I really think they hate em.and I know they work other times of the year, I just havent had any success with them. Of course I am generally throwing a crankbait the rest of the season.

HMMM, could that be the reason for my lack of confidence in late season lizards?

Charles

[Slayem9]

Charlie, I generally use lizards on a Carolina rig or on top with no weight. The C-rigged lizard strike feels the same as the C-rigged creature bait strike and the topwater strike is variable. Don't usually use them with a T-rigged bullet weight, but a worm strike is the same regardless of the style of soft plastic - sometimes strong, sometimes less obvious.

[profishermenkid16]

It appears that there are alot of crap with the truth in those statements in my opinion.Of course I am not an expert on Bass,but I have opposite opinions on alot of the list,more so the way they state the wording is not exactly correct.How the hell do we know if bass like to kill prey ? I know if you imitate a wounded bait fish with a zara spook jr they will come from a long ways off to hit it.It sounds like the weather man are moonlighting with a second income in mind.If its raining out the weather man will tell you theres a 80% chance of precipitation ? Just go fishing and leave the facts to someone else to know myth from the real facts. ;D P N J

[housework101]

Just go fishing and leave the facts to someone else to know myth from the real facts. P N J

I wish I could..................stupid weather :'(
For now all I can do is read about it

[mikee051]

funny read, but let me ask you this. if i tell you the wind blew the baitfish to one side of the lake and you went over there and caught a bass, would you care that my reason was a lie? most people dont and thats why rumors get spread, people want to catch fish, when you tell them you landed a big one they will say where and how. you tell them what you know and they try, after awhile alot of people do it and figure out what really causes baitfish to migrate. dont blame the guy for trying to help. he could have said "i caught a bigger fish than you..... oh and good luck."

[macgyver]

Man you guys are throwing my name around like you didn't even care if I was Reading or not


LIZARDS

Fish em anytime

Lizards

[BaSsFiShEr20]

[quote author=lizardsrule link=board=news;num=1111348142;start=0#18 date=03/22/05 at 07:12:45]Man you guys are throwing my name around like you didn't even care if I was Reading or not


Lizards[/quote]

We don't. ;D

Just kidding.

Charles

[United_Bass_._Com]

I think bass are alot like humans. I feel that all animals have a personality like humans. Everyone on this board could be asked the same question and there would be a number of different answeres. I think thats the same with fish. Some fish on certains days will move to shallow water when some will go to deep water. Some fish will feed in the morning some late in the evening and some in the middle of the day. Some will hold the lay downs when others will be on rocky banks.

To prove my point, in bass trnys the guy that wins maybe throwning a spinnerbait in shallow pockets with grass. The fisherman that gets second may have been throwing a crankbait on deep rocky points and the third place guy caught fish on a carolina rigged lizard(which will catch fish anytime of the year ;D ) in a creek channel.

Fish will do what they want to you just have to have your bait in the water before you can catch them.