Fishing the Spawn-Part 3 in a Series Sight Fishing

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Catching Bass on Bed-”Sight Fishing”

Let’s start with the ethical stuff first. Spawning bass are in the process of keeping our natural resource stocked with fresh bass to help insure our sport will be alive for a very long time. There is a moral debate as to whether or not fish should be caught of the bed.  I will leave it up to the reader to decide.

• If fishing for fun treat the fish carefully, catch them, take a photo and put back in same spot as quickly as possible.
• If fishing a tournament, at a minimum treat the fish more carefully than otherwise, if you are culling fish try to cull at the spawn site where the fish were caught, if it is a local bass tournament and you are allowed, try to take your catch back to the area where they were caught.

For those anglers who have never tried to catch fish on bed, it is not as easy as it sounds. It requires a great deal of patience and dedication. But once mastered watching that lunker take your bait and landing the fish from five feet away can be the most exciting thing to see in bass fishing.

Gear: Your gear depends mostly on the area in which you have found bedding bass. Keep it simple, if the beds are in or around heavy cover, heavy gear must be used, fliiping stick, pitching stick with heavy line is fine. Do keep a lighter rod around with lighter line just in the event an open water finicky bass on bed is stumbled upon. If in sparse grass with clear water downsize your line and gear. It’s not brain surgery. The bass are more interested in spawning and protecting the bed.

Bait Selection: Again not to difficult, keep it simple. Tube baits, worms, craws and lizards are the old standby for sight fishermen. I will usually have a minimum of three rods rigged, one with a tube bait, one with a worm and finally one with crawfish type bait. I will usually cover most of the area with a worm which will catch bass on the bed and off. When I actually see the bed approaching I will switch to a tube bait, it has been my experience that the fall and twitching action of a tube creates more defensive strikes. Also a tube is preferred for the most finicky of bedding fish. In and around heavy cover I will switch to pitching or flipping the craw.

Hook Selection: To me this the most important part of your tackle and gear. The fish aren’t really interested in eating. They are in defense mode, they may eat your bait out of aggression, they may also simply grab your bait and spit it out of the bed. A thin wire extra sharp hook with a quick hook set is mandatory. I prefer a thin wire Gamakatsu hook-without exception.

When approaching a suspected bass on bed maintain a stealthy approach. Try not to get right on top of the bed, keep enough distance between you and the bed where you can barely see the fish, this is when you need those polarized sunglasses. If fish continue to take off off as soon as you approach you are trying to get to close. Once you have established your ground cast beyond the bed and SLOWLY approach your bait to the bed-Do Not Land your Bait On Top Of The Bed, your wasting your time.

When your bait approaches the bed do not simply drag or hop your bait right through the nest. Keep your line slack and and try to jiggle or shake your bait, your trying to aggravate the fish into biting. You are trying to finesse the bait and keep the bass’s attention. Simply use your rod tip to maneuver the bait without pulling it out of the bed too quickly. Many times the bass may just circle around your bait or he may nose down on your bait without taking it at all, this is where patience comes in. Watch the fish and your line carefully, once the fish “flares” up, colors turn and his fins raise out of a fit of anger and your line lines moves-Now its time–set the hook!! If that didn’t work, repeat the process again and sometimes again. If it still doesn’t work leave the bed and return at least a half hour later.

Another consideration in bed fishing is the fact that the bed will usually have whats called a “hot spot” within the bed. There will be times that you may follow the above instructions to the letter and-nothing. Within the bed there is usually a small area sometimes the size of a dime that is the “hot spot” of the bed. I don’t know if this is where the eggs actually are or what is going on, but it will usually be an area of the bed which may be cleaner than rest of the bed or just look slightly different. If the fish holding “tight” to an area of the bed and is simply not paying any attention to your bait no matter what you do, make several cast in several areas of the bed. Eventually you will disturb the “hot spot” and the bass will not refuse protecting this area of the bed.

In Summary: patience and determination is key. Be persistent and carefully dissect the entire bed from a reasonable distance, finesse your bait, keep trying  and you will become a pro “sight” fisherman in no time.