Forage

[jooleyen]

I have been wondering how to find what the bass are eating. I haven't seen any crayfish, but I see bluegill and lots of little minnows under docks and shallow brush. I've been catching them mostly on worm style baits. In the last 2-3 weeks I've caught them on :

-Blue Neon Worms
-X-Raps
-Wooly Bugs
-Powerworms
-Spinnerbaits
-Dropshot
-Baby Brush Hogs
-One on a jig

I don't know if the list will help determine what they're feeding on. The ones in red have been my most successful lately.

Thanks.

[JB]

I'd say most of the time on your body of water at this particuliar point in time they are hitting plastics rather than chasing a bait...it could change any day

[jooleyen]

Yeah. I've been wondering why I have been catching them on plastics and not much else. Water still a little too cold?

[jooleyen]

How do you guys find out what the forage is? I can't seem to do it. I don't know wether it's bluegill, shad, minnows, or craws.

[zooker]

if it is a pond unless a big one shad are unlikly.. bass will hit just about all the rest fairly well..

if they are on gills you can find out by throwing a fire tiger crank in clear water..-funny huh-

speed normally tells all a faster bait is minnows and shad a slower bottom hugger is craws..

zooker

[InEccess]

Fishing the club scene, the way I "research" for the following year is to check out people's live-wells AFTER they remove thier fish. As an example, this past tournament on Mosquito Lake in Ohio, I found several livewells with pieces of Crawfish settled at the bottom. In one perticular livewell, I found a whole claw EXACTLY the same color as the Alabama Craw that Paca Craw makes. So next year, I know exactly what I'm throwing.

Another way to tell what the fish are feeding on is to catch one and feel it's gut. If it feels like they're eating broken glass, that's Crawfish. If it feels like a plate, that's a bluegill.

[WIUbassin]

This method isn't for everyone, but if you want to maybe have alittle fish fry, or you gut hook a fish really bad just slice open its belly and see what its been gobbling on.

[3dkicker]

Largemouth bass prey upon bluegill or sunfish, shad, minnows, smaller bass, crawfish, birds, insects/bugs and amphibians (snakes, turtles, gators, frogs, etc.). Basically whatever swims in or around the water that they can get their mouths around. Throw these types of baits and see what you catch. If you do catch a couple and if you are hungry take a couple home and fillet them and check the stomach contents.
You can set crawfish traps to see what color craws you have in your body of water.