OK, So Maybe You're No Good at Reading Tea Leaves, But...

How good are you at reading what fish are trying to tell you by the way they're hooked? Don't laugh, 'cause there's a message in how every fish you catch is hooked. That's not what I say, but rather, what the folks at Wired2Fish say.

They understand it's tempting to unhook your catch quickly and keep casting, but their advice is to first take a few seconds and make note of a few things...important things, that is, which may spell the difference between your having a good or bad day.

For example, if you're fishing a lure that the bass are continuously sucking down toward the back of their throats, it's a safe bet you're doing the right thing. Major adjustments aren't required in this situation.

To drill down a bit farther, though, this also can help you determine the most productive areas on a particular fishery. When you're only getting a few bites, but the fish are choking your lure, that might signal that you're missing part of the puzzle. Your bait selection is spot-on, but perhaps it's time to start checking other areas. It can be as simple as switching from primary to secondary points, or even a slight change in casting angles can be a huge difference maker. If the bites are few and far between, don't be afraid to branch out to different areas.

On the other hand, when you're fishing crankbaits or jerkbaits, you'll sometimes notice the fish are being hooked in the bottom of the jaw...not in the mouth, but under their chin. This isn't a big deal for your landing percentage, as that's usually a high-percentage area for hooks to grab. However, it signals you could be missing out on an even hotter bite.

This situation often means you're fishing a bit too deep in a particular area. Given the popular belief that bass prefer to feed upward...attacking baits from underneath...you should try keeping your moving baits a bit higher in the water column than where you believe the bass are sitting. You'll likely catch a few fish while running your jerkbaits and crankbaits under them, but you'll catch a lot more with a slight depth adjustment.

As an example, if you're fishing a 10-foot diving crankbait over a point and hooking bass under the jaw, try switching to a 6-foot diving crankbait. The difference sometimes can be remarkable.

Then, there are those times when you'll hook a big bass on the outside of the mouth. When using treble hooks, this gives a bass a lot more opportunity...and leverage...to twist the hooks during the fight and come unbuttoned.

Bass hooked outside the mouth also can mean they swiped at your lure out of reaction or pure predatory instinct...not because they're actively feeding. This can be your clue that repeated casts will produce more action on that particular day. When bass are lethargic, it's not unusual to have outstanding success by making up to a dozen casts at each good-looking piece of cover. A big bass very well could be there, but you'll have to make it mad enough to swat at your lure.

And finally, there's the situation that can result in your losing fish throughout the day. When using treble-hooked moving baits, it's never ideal to hook fish on only the back hook. The message here is that they want your lure, but something isn't quite right. This  is where experimentation comes into play.

It's tough to change baits when you're getting bit, but more times than not, it leads to greater things. Avoid being stubborn, and try several different things. Understand that there's no cut-and-dried solution here. It could be a slight color change, switching to rattling vs. non-rattling model, or even adding a dot with a marker that gives the bass something to target. Some people even may try changing to a red hook on the front of their bait. If those changes don't work, you might try switching from a 1.5 to a 2.5-sized squarebill (or vice versa). Try not to be robotic or resistant to change. Small things can make a big difference.