Observing Your Catch And Why It Matters

So, you’ve caught a bass.Awesome!High fives all around… Now what?If you’re like most anglers, you probably just slip it back into the water and go back to fishing. What you should be doing though is giving it a thorough once-over and paying attention to what you see – and doing so is necessary to maximize your success.Here’s what to look for and why:

Check their color

You can tell a lot about what a bass was doing prior to you catching it by looking at its color. If it has a black back and really vibrant colors, it was up really shallow recently and has been there a while. If it’s washed out, muted – almost ghostly, it was very recently out deep. This observation helps a lot in the pre-spawn and spawn as it tells you what stage the fish are predominantly in.Example: You’re throwing a shallow-running crankbait and catch a pale, washed out bass. This is a good sign as it likely means the bass are beginning to stage prior to spawning, and you should concentrate on fishing transition areas.

Check their throats

Always look down the throat of every bass you catch. You can learn a lot about what they’re eating. Oftentimes, you’ll see a set of pincers, a fish tail, or even a frog leg sticking out. Tailor your presentation to what you see.Example: You catch a bass on a rip rap bank that has a big claw sticking out the back of its throat. That indicates the bass in your area are feeding on large crayfish - tie on a big jig or crank to match the hatch.

Check Their Tails

A quick glance at the tail can tell you a lot about what stage of the spawn the bass are in. If it’s unmarred, and it’s springtime – it’s likely still prespawn. If it’s got open sores, it may be actively bedding. If it’s damaged but healing, it’s probably post-spawn.Example: You catch a bass on a spinnerbait that’s got a red, bleeding tail. Odds are that fish was on a bed, even if you couldn’t see it. Try slowing down and fan casting stick baits like the BioSpawn ExoStick to target additional spawners.