Bass

Question
Hi Jack,
I have been bass fishing for just a few years now.  This past weekend during a bass tournament, I had a frustrating experience and would like to ask if you can offer an opinion on it.  I missed the first NINE bass who hit my worm.  Of course I have missed bass before, but never nine in a row.  The fish would hit, I would set the hook, and either he would get off right away, or he would get off halfway to the boat.  In one instance, about a 6 pounder was on my line all the way to the boat, and he got off too. I checked my hook and lure, both normal. I was convinced I should just give up fishing all together.  But when I got back to weigh-in, I heard others talking about missing fish that day also.  One guy said, "they just wouldnt commit to the lures today."  Was that just talk, or is there a real situation regarding fish not biting as they normally do?

Answer
Susan; In answer to your last question in the paragraph, the answer is definitely YES.  At times bass will simply grab the tail of the worm and not get hooked.  At other times they may get hooked but only in the fleshy part of the lip .  I do not use worms as much as I used to but when I do I disregard what the pros say and do it my way and seldom lose one.  Most pros say strike at the first tap or if you see your line moving or jumping to one side.  This may be good for many people but I learned to let the fish go for a short distance before setting the hook.  I fish a worm just like I do a topowater bait.  I never strike at the splash or the sight of a fish hitting my lure.  I wait until she begins to load my rod, in other words until I can feel her pull. The same often works with worms.  Yes, at times you will feel the tap and there will be no pull.  The fish may have touched it and spit it out. When this happens I do not move the worm except to make it jiggle in place in hopes that either that bass or another in the vicinity will take the worm.  I usually give them a full minute and then I reel in and cast again.

Again referring to the last sentence in your question; I am not sure there is a normal way that bass bite.  I have seen so many different situations where they would only bite one lure fished in particular way.  I have seen people pulling in fish after fish fishing with some either new and different lure or using the same lure I am using and me casting in exactly the same places he is casting and I catch nothing while He fills his limit.  I also remember one time in a tournament when we got to the lake it looked thick enough to plough.  My partner and I started down one side of the lake and found the water still stained abut much cleaner than the main lake.
Along the shoreline were bunches of Cyprus trees.  We cast among them for half hour and caught nothing.  I was using a 6 inch bright blue worm and he was using the same color but in an 8 inch size.  On one cast  I hit the trunk of one of the trees and my worm fell on a slack line.
The water was only about two feet deep but I saw my line jump.  I tightened up and felt the pull and set the hook.  I put him in the live well.  Next cast was intentionally hitting the trunk of a tree and letting the worm fall and another bass grabbed it.  When I felt him I set the hook and he also went into the live well.  Meanwhile my partner was catching nothing.   I Suggested he try my method but he stuck to casting between the trees.  I had caught my limit and was culling before he tried my tactic.  It didn't work of him.  I suggested a smaller worm and this time he listened to me and borrowed one of my smaller worms and cast to hit the trunk of a tree and sure enough he began casting like I was and began catching fish.  Between us we caught around 70 bass
and at weigh in we were the only ones with more than one or two bass and many zeroed.
All this to prove to you that bass can be extremely finicky.  Oh by the way we lost a fish or two in that day of fishing.  I have often found this method works in deeper water where you have standing timber.

I hope this gives you some hope. Try not to be too soon setting the hook unless you feel a big tug the first time the bass hits.  He will likely hook himself.  Also use the sharpest hooks you can buy.  Thank you for calling on me to answer your question and never never never give up bass fishing.

Jack L. Gaither          (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Siminole, Georgia