Pattern Fishing For Bass

When I first started fishing for bass I would go out and pound the bank, fishing visual cover like reeds, pads, docks, etc.. That is what everyone else did and it seemed to work on most days. When I went to that lake again I would go to the same spots I caught fish the week before, the month before, or the year before, and throw the same lures that worked the last time I was there. If I didn’t catch many I just figured that they were not biting. It wasn’t until I started fishing tournaments that I heard about “pattern fishing”. A good definition of a pattern is a certain set of circumstances or conditions that influence the behavior of the fish in a predictable manner.

If I caught fish on a spinnerbait in the pads in June and went to the same spot the following June and fished with a spinnerbait I thought that was a pattern. It is in one sense, it is called a “seasonal pattern”. The fish will naturally behave in a certain way depending on the season. In the early spring they are concerned about spawning and will head toward the shallows. In the late fall the fish sense that winter is coming and will typically feed heavily on the most available food source. These are just two of the many seasonal patterns that will guide you in your search for fish. However, we all want to make the most of our time on the water and be as successful as we can be every day. That is why you need to develop a pattern for the day.
You still go to those same spots that you caught fish on the week before or the month before. You still throw the same lure you caught fish on before. If your strategy works, you try to duplicate it. Instead of fishing the pads first, then the reeds, then the docks; you stick with the pattern that the fish just told you will work. Let’s say it was a white spinnerbait in the reeds that caught you your first two fish in the morning. Instead of going to the pads or docks next, find another patch of reeds. What are you going to throw? That same white spinnerbait. A pattern is listening to what the fish tell you. Those first two fish told you that there are active fish in the reeds and they will bite a white spinnerbait. You go to the next patch of reeds, throw that white spinnerbait, go to the next patch of reeds, etc. You do not go fish docks or weedlines when you know that active fish are in the reeds. One of the cardinal rules of tournament fishing is: “Never leave biting fish!” You keep listening to the fish until they tell you “no, I don’t want to eat a white spinnerbait in the reeds." When that happens (and it will!) you need to find the next pattern for the day.
Patterns change. Sometimes daily, sometimes hourly. Sometimes there are many patterns that will work on a given lake. The key is to find out what works for you, then listen to the fish, and keep doing what works until they tell you different. What if throwing a white spinnerbait in the reeds does not work? Then you try something different. You may want to slow your presentation down and fish a worm in those same reeds. If you caught fish in a certain location in the past it is worth trying different techniques before you head to a different type of structure. If you are unsuccessful on your first choice of patterns, it is time to try something else. Keep the seasonal patterns in mind, let the time of year help you decide what area to try next. You need to catch that first fish so he will tell you what you need to do to develop the pattern for the day. Once you get that first fish in the boat, listen to what he says about how to catch his brothers and sisters. (Remember that these fish are called “bigmouth” bass and they will tell on each other!) You just have to listen!

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