Not a Normal Guided Fishing Trip

When a fishing guide takes a group of clients fishing, the usual expectations are that the guide will help everyone catch some fish. In this instance, however, the clients...three avid hunters...ended up showing the guide, an avid bass fisherman, a thing or two. The hunters' approach was very different from the guide's...and, at times, admittedly more effective. As a result, the latter spent a bit of time each day analyzing exactly what his clients were doing.

In a couple of days, on a very pressured lake (with a major tournament in town) and so much wind that they were limited to only one creek, the guide watched his clients demonstrate success, utilizing the following tips:

     * Slowing down. Dragging a small worm slowly along the bottom out-produced proven reaction-type presentations on schools of fish that obviously had been fished for regularly. "I would pull out my power offerings, like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and more and get a bite or two," said the guide, "while they would drag worms and drop shots along the bottom, slowly and steadily, and get bit regularly."

     * Focusing on presentation. "Granted, I was on the trolling motor, helping three folks untangle lines, unhook fish, rig up worms, retie lines, and trying to keep us close to the fish in 25-to-30-mph winds," said the guide, "but I quickly realized they were back there focused every second on what their bait was doing." The guide noted that avid anglers usually are guilty of always thinking ahead, keeping up with the wind and current, deciding what waypoint to hit next...all of which takes your mind off the task at hand.

     * Using little lures. Said the guide, "The fish had been slamming big jigs and 12-inch worms on heavy Eco Pro tungsten weights just days prior to our trips. I continued to throw those lures and got out-fished 3 to 1 both afternoons by folks who don't fish near as often as I do on drop shots with 4-to-6-inch straight-tail worms. And they caught just as big or bigger bass than the bigger lures...a sign that pressured bass sometimes need something new, not always something bigger."

     * Working baits with little or no movement. The guide admitted that, in recent years, he has learned that leaving a bait in the strike zone longer actually can have a better result than ripping a bait through there, especially when you're talking about bass grouped up in a small area. "Smaller subtle movements and, more importantly, long pauses seem to produce as well or better than conventional 'chunk and wind' options. This really was driven home," he continued, "when one of the clients reeled in a bass weighing more than 6 pounds (see photo top left) on a minuscule drop-shot worm she just had basically left soaking on one spot for a long while."

     * Being satisfied with catching all sizes. When you fish lakes full of good bass, a fisherman often expects to catch a good bass on every cast. Some might catch 20 smaller bass in a row and be disappointed or even disgusted. As the guide asked, "Why not just be happy catching fish after fish and enjoy the fact you're outsmarting them? Sure, there probably are bigger fish to catch somewhere in the lake, but if we get too focused on what could have been and not what's going on, then we lose our love for fishing...in my opinion."

The guide concluded by saying, "I appreciated a reminder from a few outdoors friends and, hopefully, you will, too, as we all strive to be better bass fishermen and stay out of our normal routines that often lead to ruts."