Match the Hatch

kanbass · 03-02-12, 10:21 PM

I agree with the "match the hatch" theory, but how can you tell what the hatch is? Do you cut open your first bass? Or what?

kennethdaysale · 03-02-12, 10:50 PM

Take a look in the shallow water...what do you see? Bluegill? Fathead minnows? Shad? Crawfish? Talk to local anglers. Ask DNR guys what the forage base is in the lake you're fishing. If there's a bait and tackle store that caters to the local fisherman, ask the owner what his best selling colors are.

There's a thread here somewhere that discussed a stomach pump method to flush the stomach contents of the first few fish you catch or you could just gut a few fish especially if you intended to kill them anyway when you got home.

There's an unconfirmed rumor floating around that if you do everything right, you can catch fish on a hot pink jerk bait

basstech · 03-02-12, 10:52 PM

Thankfully, in Bass fishing they don't get as particular as trout do. But know and understand the available forage in the water you fish. I don't think match the hatch is all that important when it comes to bass fishing, for me it's more like "match the structure, cover, and water conditions and the bass's activity level. In clear water, where you can see a white spinnerbait down 6 feet or more, that's when I worry about matching color and size of what bass are feeding on. I go by what forage I can find in a particular area.

Possum · 03-02-12, 11:13 PM

Matching the hatch in bass fishing refers to the type of bait fish or other critters (crawfish, leeches, etc.) that are in the water you're fishing. And that varies between different bodies of water and time of the year. A little non-surgical research will be needed. Ask around at the bait shop or marina, or if you're lucky, a big 'ol bucketmouth will have one half swallowed when you catch him, and that is a great way to determine what kind and just as important, what size.
But, bass don't always strike because they want to eat. A lot of times the strike is a reaction strike because you made 'em mad.
There are a few go-to baits that will still catch fish without a match. One would be a 3/8 oz. blue/black jig with a twin tail trailer, another would be a brown jig in the same size and trailer type. These can be flipped/pitched slowly or used as a swim jig. Another would be a shakey head or wacky rigged worm in the green pumpkin or motor oil colors.
I've never seen anyone cut the first open to find out and I hope I never do.
Hope this helps.

lilmule · 03-03-12, 07:23 AM

Fall bassin we were catching bass with tails sticking out,rather large shad.
But often when placed in a live well for a bit they toss whatever it is up.
And tossing a worm around a point where they have been chasing but not currently is productive.sort of the subtle approach to eek out a few more.

kanbass · 03-03-12, 02:10 PM

Possom, I'm with you. If I had to cut a bass open to see the hatch, I guess I wouldn't know the hatch--catch and release only.

Bassboss · 03-03-12, 02:46 PM

When I first moved here to wisconsin, the first thing I did was email my local DNR too find what the main forage species are in my lakes.

Bluegills, Crappie, small bass, and crawdads, was the answer I got.

3dkicker · 03-03-12, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanbass

I agree with the "match the hatch" theory, but how can you tell what the hatch is? Do you cut open your first bass? Or what?

Some will spit up what's in their stomach's while in the livewell. That will give you a clue. Also knowing what's in the water....frogs, salamanders, turtles, ducks, birds and other fish. They are very opportunistic feeders.

On tidal rivers it can be very challanging to figure out what species of fish they may be feeding on since there can be 60+ different types of fish in the river alone. And that doesn't include all of the other animal species that live in and around the river.

My suggestion is to stick with the basics.

finessefishin · 03-06-12, 09:12 AM

You can get a decent idea what they will be feeding on just from past experience. Also just look around for schools of bait and try to match them. I personally think people go overboard trying to match sometimes. One thing to remember is that you don't have to resemble the bait species exactly. I see crankbaits with color patterns that have scales and insane amounts of detail on them but bass really don't pay attention to that. All you really have to do is resemble the profile. The more active a bass is, the less it cares about matching the hatch. Also, bass are very opportunistic feeders and they will eat almost anything that come by. The only time that it is very important to match the hatch is when bass are schooling up and feeding on one certain thing such as large schools of shad. Normally a bass will eat almost anything that comes by that seems real.

jig fisherman · 03-06-12, 04:16 PM

I've heard that you can feel the stomach to get a decent idea. Hard means crayfish and if it's softer its probably shad or bluegill or whatever other baitfish are in the lake. If you see a lot of one or the other( shad, bass,bluegill, etc.) its probably the one that you see the most of.

03-02-12, 10:21 PM	#1
kanbass BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 3	Match the Hatch I agree with the "match the hatch" theory, but how can you tell what the hatch is? Do you cut open your first bass? Or what?

03-02-12, 10:50 PM	#2
kennethdaysale BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: rock hill, sc Posts: 2,315	Take a look in the shallow water...what do you see? Bluegill? Fathead minnows? Shad? Crawfish? Talk to local anglers. Ask DNR guys what the forage base is in the lake you're fishing. If there's a bait and tackle store that caters to the local fisherman, ask the owner what his best selling colors are. There's a thread here somewhere that discussed a stomach pump method to flush the stomach contents of the first few fish you catch or you could just gut a few fish especially if you intended to kill them anyway when you got home. There's an unconfirmed rumor floating around that if you do everything right, you can catch fish on a hot pink jerk bait __________________ Sometimes you gotta risk it to get the biscuit.

03-02-12, 10:52 PM	#3
basstech BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rockford, Ill Posts: 489	Thankfully, in Bass fishing they don't get as particular as trout do. But know and understand the available forage in the water you fish. I don't think match the hatch is all that important when it comes to bass fishing, for me it's more like "match the structure, cover, and water conditions and the bass's activity level. In clear water, where you can see a white spinnerbait down 6 feet or more, that's when I worry about matching color and size of what bass are feeding on. I go by what forage I can find in a particular area. __________________ The words just won't come to me!:confused:

03-02-12, 11:13 PM	#4
Possum BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: northern MS & TX Posts: 61	Matching the hatch in bass fishing refers to the type of bait fish or other critters (crawfish, leeches, etc.) that are in the water you're fishing. And that varies between different bodies of water and time of the year. A little non-surgical research will be needed. Ask around at the bait shop or marina, or if you're lucky, a big 'ol bucketmouth will have one half swallowed when you catch him, and that is a great way to determine what kind and just as important, what size. But, bass don't always strike because they want to eat. A lot of times the strike is a reaction strike because you made 'em mad. There are a few go-to baits that will still catch fish without a match. One would be a 3/8 oz. blue/black jig with a twin tail trailer, another would be a brown jig in the same size and trailer type. These can be flipped/pitched slowly or used as a swim jig. Another would be a shakey head or wacky rigged worm in the green pumpkin or motor oil colors. I've never seen anyone cut the first open to find out and I hope I never do. Hope this helps. __________________ That's not a backlash, my spool just sneezed.

03-03-12, 02:10 PM	#6
kanbass BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 3	match the hatch Possom, I'm with you. If I had to cut a bass open to see the hatch, I guess I wouldn't know the hatch--catch and release only.

03-03-12, 07:23 AM	#5
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	Fall bassin we were catching bass with tails sticking out,rather large shad. But often when placed in a live well for a bit they toss whatever it is up. And tossing a worm around a point where they have been chasing but not currently is productive.sort of the subtle approach to eek out a few more.

03-03-12, 02:46 PM	#7
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	When I first moved here to wisconsin, the first thing I did was email my local DNR too find what the main forage species are in my lakes. Bluegills, Crappie, small bass, and crawdads, was the answer I got. __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

03-06-12, 09:12 AM	#9
finessefishin BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SW Michigan Posts: 49	You can get a decent idea what they will be feeding on just from past experience. Also just look around for schools of bait and try to match them. I personally think people go overboard trying to match sometimes. One thing to remember is that you don't have to resemble the bait species exactly. I see crankbaits with color patterns that have scales and insane amounts of detail on them but bass really don't pay attention to that. All you really have to do is resemble the profile. The more active a bass is, the less it cares about matching the hatch. Also, bass are very opportunistic feeders and they will eat almost anything that come by. The only time that it is very important to match the hatch is when bass are schooling up and feeding on one certain thing such as large schools of shad. Normally a bass will eat almost anything that comes by that seems real.

03-06-12, 04:16 PM	#10
jig fisherman BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: south eastern PA Posts: 290	I've heard that you can feel the stomach to get a decent idea. Hard means crayfish and if it's softer its probably shad or bluegill or whatever other baitfish are in the lake. If you see a lot of one or the other( shad, bass,bluegill, etc.) its probably the one that you see the most of.

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