Time on the Water: My Pick as No. 1 Factor in Catching Fish Regularly

"Big lures catch big bass." I hear it firsthand all the time, and I keep reading it in magazines and online, too. This much I'll admit: There are times when big lures do catch big bass, but there also are times when smaller lures work equally effectively--even better on occasion.

In defense of the "big lures" theory, I will say that I've caught a number of nice fish (in the 3- and 4-pound class, generally speaking) over the years on big buzzbaits, big-bladed spinnerbaits, and musky-sized Jitterbugs.

However, the biggest bass I've ever boated to date (slightly better than 7 lbs.) fell prey to a 1/4-oz. Johnson's Silver Spoon. The next four biggest fish (each weighing more than 6 lbs.) went for a 4-inch Slider worm, two for 3/8-oz.  crankbaits, and the most recent a 3/8-oz. chatterbait. None of those baits hardly qualify as "big," in my opinion.

So what do I think the overriding major factor is in catching a big bass? It's the same factor I think is the most important in catching fish period--"spending time on the water."

That's a phrase you'll often hear tossed around at bass seminars. As one angler I read about--reportedly among a handful who have caught hundreds of bass over 10 lbs.--commented, "I spend lots of time on the water, take good notes, and pay close attention to the factors that truly drive the big bass to move around and feed. The weather, moon and sun are the primary factors that make big bass migrate... to feed, and the more time you spend on the water, the more you will recognize the patterns. Now, after years of taking notes and building basically a big-bass map, with a schedule of when some of those big bass should be stopping in an area to feed, you're in a better position to catch them."

Two names immediately come to mind when I consider the amount of time they spend on the water. Those two anglers are Charlie Bruggemann (right) and Bob Glass.

For example, consider that, according to Charlie's records, he has made 107 trips so far this year, with each trip lasting approximately 5.5 hours, for a total time of 588.5 hours spent on the water. His bass count to date is 760, which means about 0.77 of an hour (or 46.2 minutes, to be more precise) pass between each catch, and his average catch per trip is slightly better than 7 fish.

Bob Glass, meanwhile, simply says he has logged "a lot of hours and a lot of fish." And anyone who follows all the local tournament results like I do knows that response to my question to be true. He not only fishes all or nearly all of the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series every year, but also a major percentage of the tournaments hosted each year at Bob's Fishing Hole. And that doesn't address all the additional hours he spends pre-fishing or just fishing for the pure fun of it on both the North Landing and Northwest Rivers.

As I saw expressed by one Elite Series pro, "When the opportunity presents itself, even if it's for a few hours, it's imperative for bass anglers wanting to elevate their games to have some seat time. Time on the water just makes you a better fisherman; there's no way around it," he said. "The more time you're able to spend on the water, the more proficient you become at all the capabilities necessary to improve your game."

Both Charlie and Bob (left) meet that criteria, and that, my friends--in my humble opinion--is why both of them score so well.

I remember an occasion this latest Dewey Mullins Memorial Tournament Series in which I had seen Bob fishing a particular area in West Neck Creek the Friday afternoon before a tournament. The next morning, then, I saw him and his partner working the same stretch as my partner and I were heading elsewhere. We even watched Bob boat a nice bass as we idled by him and his partner. During weigh-in, while Bob and I were talking, he said he had located several fish in that area the day before, and they still were there tourney morning. He and his partner went on to win that particular tournament.

To paraphrase the Elite Series pro I quoted a bit earlier, time on the water gets you tuned in to the environment, and you pick up on subtle clues more instinctively. In short, you simply learn to make better decisions day in and day out, all of which leads to greater success.