One of the most powerful presentations in bass fishing is the “fleeing” baitfish method. (Here is an article about how to cast finesse lures a distance.) And believe me, I have seen it happen many times. If we actually knew how often this happens, it would be quite disheartening. Usually, this swimming away happens right after we give the lure a big hop. They will follow the lure down, observe it, and most often swim away. While it is dropping, bass will come from all over to see what the commotion is. This has been a pattern I have seen repeated again-and-again.įor example, a lure will fall through the water column and rest on the bottom. I have also observed hundreds of times how curious bass are. (This largemouth chased this lure down and did not wait for it to pass by.) When watching the actual video it is interesting to see the bass appear from the distance and chase down what it thought was prey. In the below snapshot, I was filming a Rage Swimmer in open water when this nice largemouth came from nowhere and demolished it. Even when they are holding under something like a dock, they still wander from one end of the dock to the other. In fact, bass are moving about much more than we realize.ĭuring all my hundreds of hours filming underwater, I see them moving probably 80-90% of the time. When bass are hungry they will actively roam and hunt. Even when they are positioned under brush or in weeds, they by no means have the concealment expertise that true ambush predators possess. True ambush predators are masters of disguise.) The fish is nearly invisible as you can see from the below photo. This ocean fish will sit, motionless, flat on the bottom of the sea, and bury itself into the surrounding silt, sand, and debris. They hide, blended into their environment, and wait for prey to pass by. All we know is that we caught a bass near cover.įish that are true ambush predators are masters of camouflage. We can’t see what is happening from above the water. This is why we mistake our favorite gamefish for an ambush predator.Īnd it is easy to see why we make this incorrect assumption. It is exactly like how we would respond if someone kept flicking their hands in our face or if a bug buzzes by our head.Ī reaction bite is the most powerful tool a bass angler has because it forces bass to eat when they don’t want to and don’t intend to. Our lure flashes right by the bass and it reacts. What actually happens when we catch that loafing bass on the dock post is an instinctual reaction bite. The point is, they are not actively pursuing prey. That could be suspended along a dock post like mentioned above, it could be circling under the shade of a dock or laydown, or slowly meandering down an edge. Sometimes when bass are loafing, they sit in a confined area. They then attack.īass are most often in one of two general moods – loafing and feeding. In our mind, we envision the bass sitting there, motionless, waiting for prey to happen by. A reaction bite is the best way to catch this fish.) (This bass is loafing, and not waiting to ambush prey. You set the hook on a 5lb’er and are beyond happy. The lure drops down vertically alongside the structure and suddenly you see the line jump. Think about pitching a soft plastic or a jig to a dock post. How We Confuse This Term and Bass Behavior Merriam-Webster’s definition of ambush is as follows: To attack by surprise from a hidden place. Anglers often mistake reaction bites near cover for bass lying in wait.įilming bass underwater for the last several years has taught me a lot about their behavior and the common misconceptions we have as anglers. When observing bass in their natural environment it is clear that they pursue their food sources.īass actively hunt their prey. Bass anglers have heard this term for decades and it’s just not correct.
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