Match The Hatch

[CiK]

Match the hatch is a very important component to bass fishing. When matching the hatch, an angler should always try to mimic the size and color of baitfish or other prey in their local waters. In other words, don't use a frog bait when frogs aren't present in your pond. Sure sure sure, you might get a reaction strike and that is another topic.

Here are some of my questions about matching the hatch:
- What is the average size of shad in the spring?
- What is the average size of shad in the fall?
- What is the average size of bluegill in the spring?
- What is the average size of bluegill in the fall

River to river, lake to lake, region to region.........these could be different. Any rules of thumb out there? I often avoid buying 4" crankbaits because 1) I fish out of the back of the boat and like to downsize my presentation, and 2) they don't look normal to me. If matching the hatch is so important, then a 4" crankbait should work better than a 2" crankbait during a certain time of year (when that hatch is at that size).

I guess this post isn't about a single question, but more of a request for your thoughts on it.

[walkeraviator]

Well again, in my book when you discuss crankbaits, that is more about reaction strike as well. They will different size crankbaits based on how aggressive they are, and not whether the lure matches teh size of a bait fish. I tend to simply stick to three color "ranges" when i fish based on water clarity and light.

If it is a low light day and muddy water... I want dark colors like rootbeer or even black and i want rattles and a larger size making it easier to find.

Here is an article about color selection for reaction lures. It is written for saltwater fish like red's and speck's but applies here as well in my opinion....

http://www.texastacklefactory.com/in...d=5&Itemid=111

If the water is clear and there is a lot of light. I down size, go silent and look for natural patterns... this is my favorite time to throw a Shad color ShadRap

Clear water and low light.. i like white baits of moderate size and if it makes noise i like clackers instead of lots of BBs inside rattling.

Bright sunny days and stained water i like flashy lures... chrome, firetiger, clown, chartreuse blue back... rattles and big profiles...


For me, matching the hatch is a big deal with soft plastics. Simply getting the colors of senkos, drop shots, etc to match local forage in color and size.

[Raul]

My experience of more than 2 and a half decades of bass fishing has taught me that I do not need to match anything.

Let´s put an example of "no need to match the hatch", speaking of forage base: down here at my neck of the woods there´s no shad, no trout, no shiners, no perch, not always there´s bluegill, not always there´s minnows,not always there´s tilapia, well, guess what ? trout patterned or trout imitating lures are effective, so are shad, minnow bluegill, shiner, walleye, and in practical terms any imitator work even if bass have never seen it and in most cases will never see it.

Them baby tilapia ( if there are tilapia available ) are 2 inches long, well 3 inch imitators or not do work.

It´s more a matter of good action, good presentation and precise location.

You don´t see schools of spinnerbaits swimming around in your lakes/rivers on a daily basis, do you ?

On the other hand, you beleive in match the hatch, red hooks, UV lures, scents, moonphases n´such? I´m the first one to tell you that you should follow them, anything that gives you confidence is important.

[WatterBoy]

I echo all of what Raul said.

.

[Carver]

When it comes to cranks I think action and depth are the two most important things to start with. There are days however when size can be the major consideration, simply dropping from a 3 inch lure to one 2 1/2 inches can be a major triggering factor.

[Ebbetsguy]

Wow, my experience, over several decades of bass fishing has show that in most cases ( overwhelming most ) matching the hatch means nothing in bass fishing
I have caught good fish in bodies of water, where there are no shad, with shad colored cranks
I have caught good fish , out of lakes without any crawfish , on jigs that look very much like a crawfish

For me the bottom line has always been
Find them first
then convince them that what you are throwing is the most amount of food they are going to get with the least amount of energy expended on their parts

This is not rocket science, they don't think or reason, they are wired to be opportunistic/ambush feeders

[BigBassin144]

I've got to agree with what Raul said.

I've caught fish on baits in lakes where the baits don't resemble anything.

BB

[Marty]

Match the hatch is a very important component to bass fishing. When matching the hatch, an angler should always try to mimic the size and color of baitfish or other prey in their local waters. In other words, don't use a frog bait when frogs aren't present in your pond.

Sorry, I respectfully disagree. Over the course of 40 years of fishing, I've caught and seen caught too many fish caught on too many styles, size, shape, color. etc. lures to believe that there is validity to the match-the-hatch theory. I sincerely believe that people hold that theory based on their perception of how fish ought to behave, not evidence. But if it gives you confidence, go for it.

In fact, science tells us that fish respond to a variety of stimuli and those stimuli don't have to resemble anything that swims, hops or crawls.

[CiK]

I guess I am one of those duped consumers.

When presented with the opportunity to match the hatch, I will. I would rather throw bluegill patterned baits instead of chartreuse when I know blue Gill are prevalent.

[3dkicker]

I catch a heck of a lot of bass on chatterbaits that have custom skirts and trailers that match the shad perfectly.

But then again they smash merthiolate floating worms in the ponds I fish and I've never seen anything in nature that looks like it.

I think opportunistic feeding is the key.......(kinda what Marty said)

[CiK]

I had caught a lot of fish o chartreuse too................in stained water.

[3dkicker]

Originally Posted by CiK

Here are some of my questions about matching the hatch:
- What is the average size of shad in the spring?
- What is the average size of shad in the fall?
- What is the average size of bluegill in the spring?
- What is the average size of bluegill in the fall

Depends on what type of shad you are talking about. We have gizzard shad that we catch in the winter that weigh two pounds or better.

Also fish grow dependent on the amount of food available to them and how aggressive they are. The more food and more aggressive the fish the larger they will become in 12 months.

Threadfin shad grow to an average of 4" and live for 2-3 years so you have to assume that within the first year they are already close to that. Since the spawning fish are 4" I doubt the larger bass will key in on 1/2" or 1" shad.

Bluegill in Indiana grow to 1.7" in the first year. Are 4"+ in the second and add one inch per year after.

From this information I would believe that if each species spawns well and there is plenty of food then 4" crankbaits or larger would be the ideal bait to throw.

[Tavery5]

I think that match the hatch has a useful purpose in my bass fishing. Not so much that I try to exactly imitate the common forage, but I do use it to help me decide what size of bait I am going to start with, if the bass are feeding on bluegill, I might throw something with a spot of orange or blue on it. If they are feeding on shad, I will throw something that has a black spot on it. To me it is just another tool to help you get an idea of what might work in a body of water on a particular day, I don't believe it is, nor do I practice it as a hard and fast rule of fishing. One thing I do like to do if I have the time, is to catch a few of the crayfish out of the water I am fishing in. I like to match their color and size, but then again I caught allot of fish on a blue/black lake fork tube craw this year, and I have not seen a crayfish that is colored like that.

[cassidyta]

I will not disagree with what anyone has said, but I will offer this.

Personally, I think that match the hatch does have its place, but is not as important as we sometimes make it out to be.

If the fish are agressively hunting the shad and are boiling on them, then I will attempt to match them the best I can.
My big trout swimbaits work best the week of a trout stock.

I think that if any bait is plentiful and the bass are agressively hunting that bait, then match it. However, one of the best swimbait days I ever had involved throwing a trout swimbait into water where no trout had ever been stocked. In that case, I think it was just different enough to get their attention.

[George_Welcome]

"Match the Hatch" is a phrase that was started from a book written by Ernie Schwiebert
in the 50's about trout fishing. The phrase has a tremendous amount of validity when fishing for trout but not as much when fishing for bass.

The "put it in my mouth to test it - oops I swallowed it" approach to eating that is the bass's way of life, is far different than the discriminating methods that trout eat by.

Can "Match the Hatch" be a justified thought process with your approach to bass fishing? Absolutely, but as with any approach to catching this critter: don't get too hung up on the method.

Bass do live by rules: it's just that no one has learned what those rules are yet.

As to the question of average size of various fish at a given time: There is no such thing as the mix of a given species has far too many variables from one body of water to another to make any sound appraisal of average.

[HarveysMinnow]

Originally Posted by George_Welcome

"Match the Hatch" is a phrase that was started from a book written by Ernie Schwiebert in the 50's about trout fishing. The phrase has a tremendous amount of validity when fishing for trout but not as much when fishing for bass.

A lot of hard core trout fishermen live by the "Match the Hatch" concept. Some of them will actually sit down by the stream bank and try to wrap a reasonable facimile of whatever the trout are eating on that partucular day. I guess to them it's all part of the overall satisfaction. However, for Bass fishermen, I don't think it's too likely to catch on.

/

[3dkicker]

I've got to say that not all trout live by "match the hatch" cuz I've caught some dumb trout, cut throat and rainbows, over the years on bass and crappie gear.

[HarveysMinnow]

Originally Posted by 3dkicker

I've got to say that not all trout live by "match the hatch" cuz I've caught some dumb trout, cut throat and rainbows, over the years on bass and crappie gear.

Yeah, I've experienced that too, Smitty. In fact I have probably caught as many trout on spinner baits as I have on wet flies. I guess somebody forgot to tell those trout they were supposed to be more finicky. Of course, fly tying is a hobby in itself and I suppose those who pursue it to that extent somehow derive more pleasure from catching trout on a fly they've tied to match the hatch.

/

[screwballl]

One problem in my area is many times the baitfish will attract more than just bass... I tend to catch more turtles than bass on most of my "match the hatch" lures. Heck these turtles go after or eat any type of bait you toss in there; cranks, spinners, worms, tubes, as well as any type of bluegill/bream bait you may be using (like I use cut up hot dogs sometimes).



This is usually why I prefer to go to certain lakes and rivers to stay away from the dang turtles.

[Texan4Liberty]

Good info in this topic of matching the hatch. I do consider colors during the spawn phase of bass fishing. I personally like structure fishing so I try and figure out that pattern. I realized a couple of years ago that a bass is a opportunist, and will attack almost anything you put in or near its space.