Fishing with Kenny | Predator Vs. Prey

article by Kenny Covington

“In order to understand the owl, you must first study the mouse.” — Apache Indian Chief

One of the biggest misconceptions of fishing is why a fish will strike a lure.  Fishing legend Roland Martin compiled a list of ten reasons why bass strikes a lure, some listed are predatory instinct, curiosity, anger, competition among others with one being hunger.  In this month’s BayouLife “Fishing with Kenny,” I want to focus on a few of these reasons and explain why they are important and why these reasons shouldn’t go unnoticed. 

The quote I put in the opening of this article was part of a conversation legendary angler Rick Clunn had with an Apache Indian Chief.  The chief told Clunn that he understood the concept of bass fishing, but he told Clunn, our thought processes about how to go about doing it were wrong.  “In order to understand the owl, you must first study the mouse.”  So, what exactly was the chief talking about? 

Bass are creatures of habit.  The spawn in the springtime, they chase bait and move all during the summer, in the fall they find themselves back in the shallows, and winter they tend to relate more to structure.  While this may seem like a simple cycle, that is the basic lifespan of a bass.  Over simplified?  Probably.  But each season is determined by the bass food source.   

Every time I catch a fish, no matter if it is in a tournament or pre-fishing for one, I ask myself, “Why was that fish there and why did he strike my lure?”  Everytime!  The more details I can get out of a fish catch, the more successful I have a chance to be.  You must remember, every detail, no matter how insignificant it may be, is important.  Let’s look at the mouse. 

One of the common strategies in bass fishing has always been, “find the bait, you will find the bass” and while I do believe to a degree this to be true, what we should ask ourselves is why is this forage the choice for the day.  Bass, being the predators that they are, usually always feed based on opportunities.  When bream move shallow and begin spawning, they make easy targets.  The same thing happens when the shad move shallow to spawn in April or May.  It is knowing the movements of both shad and bream that will allow you to uncover the behavior of the bass that are feeding on them. 

Along this same line, I have found I catch bigger fish when gizzard shad are more abundant.  Threadfin shad, especially when they are in schools of thousands, are a prime choice for smaller more aggressive fish.  Bigger bass, like big deer, like things to be easier and through age and experience, so they set up for such.  Their movements are determined by the abundance of natural forage.  If you can intercept these movements or opportunities and understand why they happen your angling success will increase. 

Here is an example of what I am talking about:  I have found I have had much better results in areas where there is an abundance of gizzard shad than I do where there is an overabundance of threadfin shad.  There can be such a thing as too much bait and since gizzard shad are generally larger and travel in smaller schools, it is their movements that usually trigger the feeding habits of larger bass.  Based on this simple observation, I am not worried about the bass movements as much as I am focusing on the presence of a preferred food source.  I know if I find an isolated area where the gizzard shad are present, potentially, I have found a tournament winning area because the larger fish will find this food source.  My logic is this: Why would a bigger bass expend energy chasing and catching smaller baitfish when they can expand less energy and feed less often by eating a larger gizzard shad?   

What about crawfish?  Certain times of the year, especially winter and early spring, bass tend to focus on a crawfish bite.  Where do we find crawfish on our lakes?  Are they found in grass beds, rocky shorelines, mud banks?  Are the shells hard or soft due to molting?  What about the size and color of them?  You must understand the crawfish before you can catch a bass feeding on them.  I have noticed most of the crawfish in a bass diet is usually no more than three inches in length.  For a bass this makes the capture, eating and digestion of the crawfish much easier. 

It is our basic knowledge of crawfish that allows us to pick our jig colors, sizes, and matching trailers.  We “match the hatch” when bass are feeding on shad or bream.  We understand the concepts of the bass prey and how they act when it comes to the feeding habits and behaviors of bass.  However, if we would go a step further and learn the feeding habits and behaviors of their prey, we would become better anglers. 

The predator/prey relationship is a continuing saga that becomes more complicated with the addition of advanced sonar technology.  Tracking the movements and feeding habits of bass has become much easier and an exact science.  On the other side of that, learning these same traits of the prey that drives the life cycle of the bass, will have to wait for another day.  Technology will have the final say. 

Well, it looks like we have run out of space and time again for another month.  Hopefully, we were able to shed some light on the predator vs prey relationship and the importance of it.  While I admit to only scratching the information surface, there is so much you, the angler, can do to research and discover while spending time on the water.  

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!  See you next month!