Bass Fishing: Tracking the Pre-Spawn to Spawn Transition: VFJ17

[@bassandtreblefishing]

I come back and watch these series once a year or so, really appreciate your time and effort on this channel.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, B and T. Wish I could get back to it. Little fishing/video time lately.

[@bassandtreblefishing]

@thenatureoffishing7591 I get it man, life is busy and this fishing thing probably shouldn't be on the top of the priorities list for anyone, unless they're winning 100k tourneys haha Whenever you get the time, I'm sure you'd have an eager audience. Hope you and your family are well brother!

[@freemind222]

you should call your channel "the science of fishing"... man oh man have i learned a lot by watching your videos. Thank you so much!!!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, freemind. Thanks. Good to hear. It could be, "the science of fishing", but "science" is only part of what informs me in my fishing. The point of science is to understand nature. I'm givin' it my best. :) Paul

[@DshaunBirch]

where is this guy at these days i hope he’s good im binging the hell out of these videos

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks Dshaun. He’s not fishing much these days. Other priorities are eating up my time. Looking to the future…

[@DshaunBirch]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 no worries appreciate the education you’re providing hook and line or not

[@TyPigPatrol]

Great info, and nice bass!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, TPP.

[@eddq-o4232]

I never see your videos before. I like your research on the subject. I definitely will keep watching your videos. I'm a new fisherman but I devoted my life towards biology.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Edgar. Thanks. Sounds like we are "birds of a feather".

[@NamathCB]

Great stuff. I enjoy watching all kinds of bass fishing videos. Normally guys like me with accents who say "biggun". But this is so directed with thorough description and works so well when watched in order. So if you just happened to find THIS video, I highly suggest going to his channel and starting from the beginning. If you're experienced you can pick and choose but often times there's underwater footage you will enjoy even if you have a good understanding of the video topic.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Namath 802. Thanks. Yeah, my video is a little different. Glad you are enjoying it. Paul

[@marlinhines5909]

Absolutely great info, glad to see you actually fishin! Looking forward to more videos, the Bassman

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Marlin. Yeah, it happens every now and again. :) Good to hear from you, sir. Cheers, Paul.

[@kellymason4190]

A very informative video as always. Thanks for your input on how to read fish behavior and understanding the body of water. Great job once again. 🤙🏻

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Kelly.

[@troyjohnson8248]

Thanks for your time, effort and great video! I could have watched it for hours

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

lol... I had to cut a lot out on this one. Assessing new water, or one altered by a major environmental event, entails... a lot. I could have ruminated, and lectured (background), on stuff... for hours. Carved it down to 38min. When I started this video thing, I though 15min was about right; Didn't want to inundate people with info, esp coming from talking head. Things are too "liquid" in the field to do it vlog-style. Or, I'm just not that articulate. But, to do things justice, my fishing journals have stretched to 30, and now beyond. Lotsa work they are. But, in my mind, necessary. I'm not terribly interested in running a purely entertainment channel. Done too much learnin' in my life to stop now. Trying to find the balance. Thanks for noticing, and being able to put 38min into one fishing vid.

[@Quagula]

You should write a book

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

I've been working on a book(s) for some time. I think this video work will actually help me with that. So... someday. Cheers, Paul

[@edgroves233]

I'm just now getting to this one, Paul, after a few days at Table Rock Lake. Nice work once again! There seems to be a good solid population of healthy fish in that pond. Too bad, you weren't able to land that big brown trout. I would have liked to have seen that one.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Ed. Yes, they appear to be growing well. Would love to know what they are eating in there. And curious how it'll pan out in the future. Glad to hear you got out onto Table Rock. That's a big clear high vis lake, isn't it? Finesse water?

[@edgroves233]

Sorry for the late reply, Paul. Yes, Table rock is very clear. The biggest fish came on a 3.75 inch Rage Swimmer but we discovered that if we wanted to catch more than one fish every three hours we had to scale down to a 2.8 inch Keitech Swing Impact or a Ned Rig on the bottom. I love to fish a jig and craw but they just weren't having it the days we were there.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Glad you got out there, Ed. I'm into shooting documentary stuff now, so I'm not getting much fishing in. Got some neat new shots though. Pretty psyched. Into Post-Spawn here now, so I'm going to have to get out. The girls are back on the hunt now.

[@PerrynBecky]

That dinner plate looked real tasty. I love trout.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Perry. Yes, so do I. Nice close to the day. :) Paul

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

:))

[@way2fishy678]

That shot of the Brown Trout invading the LMB space (Underwater), is amazing..

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Yes! I don’t always know what I’m going to have til I get home. But just like in fishing, the more I know the luckier I get.

[@way2fishy678]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 "the more I know the luckier I get." That is the most appropriate way of describing the anglers journey. Novice for life :)

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

@@way2fishy678 Journey it is.

[@44bthoj44]

Nice episode man! I was out today and found a lot of bass that seems to be staging under docks and roaming shallow flats - I agree, the well-feds are definitely getting ready for the spawn.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Bouafue. Yes, docks are great just prior to the spawn, with bass staging higher in the water column. Spawn struck our smaller ponds here this past week.

[@greatsoutherntrendkill79]

Storm arashi crank baits are some of the best. Also square bills are meant to be retrieved at fast speeds

[@FOLKES801]

Another great video my freind

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, FOLKES801. Hope you're are getting some fishing in too.

[@crankbait7228]

Nice. Hey Paul could you do a video on how to read a Sonar? I see you reading your sonar and then cast ahead. I thought sonar displayed a cone underneath your rig. No?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey CB72. I've been planning on doing one on reading sonar. I'm collecting shots as I go and will put something together eventually. In my shallow waters, my sonar is rarely used as a "fish finder", except when the opportunity presents itself. In this particular water, with so little cover, I'm more apt to mark bass in the open, and will short cast, or vertically jig, to them. But my sonar is really used to identify habitat elements that allow bass to make a living. There's a lot of water out there essentially useless to bass, and other fish bass might eat. So, what you saw was me identifying areas that might hold bass, and then fishing them.

[@xCrIscoDisCOx]

Oh man... When you had that fish strike over that wood pile I thought the rod was coming outta your hand!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Oh man, was right! Bass can hit hard, but they just don't have that kind of speed. Cool having it on video. When I see it, or even think about it now, my heart gets up in my throat. I really like having a camera on my chest, recording it all. I am a long-time photographer, and fisherman, and one of my laments was always the fact that I couldn't do both justice. And I couldn't just hand a camera off to someone else, bc the resulting snap-shots just didn't do those fish or the scenario justice. Now, I can do both, and share what I've found with others. How cool is that? It adds a ton of work to my fishing, but just thinking about shots like that one, make it worthwhile.

[@jesseshumaker2718]

Paul, I’ve been watching this while I try to figure out why my dad and I have been skunked the last 2 weeks when about 3 and 4 weeks ago we were catching lots of fish. Water temps are 62-63 surface at the start of the day and by noon around 67. I’m in Arizona so water temp doesn’t get below 55 very often. I don’t have a way to Measure the core. Water clarity is about 6-8” so it’s heavily stained. We have literally thrown the tackle box at em and covered the entire lake. It’s a dishpan style lake with rip rap in areas, overhanging brush, points, small grass stick ups in shallows, cement sea walls , the lakes deepest spot is 12 ft with the majority of the depth around 5ft. We’ve fished mostly from the bank out 30ft into the lake around the entire lake hitting all the structure mentioned above. what could we have done different to find success?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Jesse. Sorry to hear. I know how frustrating slumps can be. A lot to unpack there, with that list of conditions. My first thought is that you are into the spawn. Which means, unless you are targeting pre or post-spawn males, you are going to have to slow down. For females esp. The added low water clarity will likely require this too. Is this clarity an event, or the usual thing? With such low clarity, I would expect fish to be shallow. Water temps not dropping below 55F should create an extended drawn out spawn period too. This means there should be fish in spawn mode for some time. And with such low clarity their beds will be shallow. The females, since they cannot adjust their swim bladders quickly, should remain roughly at spawning depth (give or take 5ft). This means that, when they are not currently at a bed site, they will still be shallow. If there is vertical cover (wood, rock piles, high banks) they may be using that. If not, they may be suspended. Possibly you are fishing too fast? This is not likely to be a chuck-n-wind set of C&C, unless you are simply fishing under those fish. But, try a spinnerbait or shallow/med crankbait slow and steady through vertical cover. After that, target the bottom, probing with a plastic, jig, or tube, slowly with pauses. Kill, twitch, retrieve, repeat. It's not likely the specific lure as much as the method/technique that should be experimented with. Whatever it is, after dismissing that you are jsut fishing under everybody, I'd be staying shallow, and going slow. Make sure the fish can catch that lure, regardless of lure type. Last thing, if you want to fish for bedded/territorial bass, look for proper substrate, protected from wind, and shallow. And fish slow with a tube, jig, or stick-worm. My best guesses, from a 1000mi away. Let me know how you make out. Curious as usual. Paul

[@jesseshumaker2718]

@@thenatureoffishing7591Paul, great advice, wow. I'll answer some of your questions and also add some more intel on the body of water. The water clarity in this body of water is always around 8" give or take an inch or 2. So the fish would be used to the water clarity. My thought was also stay shallow due to low water clarity which we did. The fish can disguise themselves in this clarity much shallower. With this extended spawn out period are you saying fish will not bite for extended lengths of time because they will be more interested in the spawn than feeding? We threw cranksbaits grinding the bottom, lipless on the bottom and yoyoing, I threw a black senko into overhanging brush, we threw flukes into verticle dead brush, spinnerbaits, and tailspinners along the edges of brush, swinging jig heads bounced along the rip rap, ned rigs in the rip rap, so we fished mostly bottom contact lures, not as much suspended lures, and mostly fast reaction type baits. when I did fish the senko's, flukes', and ned rig type baits it was also fairly fast. I would cast it into the structure, let it fall, wait 5-10 seconds and pop it back towards me, wait another 3 seconds and pop it or twitch it back to me. I also keep thorough logs of past trips to find patterns and last year all throughout march I was having 12 fish + days, so this drastic shift has me scratching my head. on 3/9/2019 we caught 12 fish but started later in the day around 9am and fished until 3:00pm. water temps were 60 when we started and got upto 66 when we left, with water clarity closer to 10-11" so not very drastic c&c from how we found things yesterday except we fished later in the day and all the fish were caught using more finesse rigs (ned rig small craws, drop shots) . I'm wondering if we should be going mid day to later afternoon allowing temps to rise into that more comfortable 70 degree range which makes the bass more active and dedicating ourselves to the slower finesse rigs like dropshot, ned rigs, senkos. I'll send you an email with more details and send you some money to your patreon. thanks Paul.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

@Jesse Shumaker Bass are catchable during "the spawn". They are toughest when actually dropping eggs, which does not occupy all that much of an individual fish's time; A couple hours/day over a couple days. They then have to find another willing male and that may take a few days. Extended just means you may have fish spawning over a 3-4month period, rather than a 2-3month period. Doesn't change the behaviors as far as I know. The facts that you were fishing fairly fast, and the fish you've been catching were caught on finesse type presentations, suggests to me you may need to slow down. For peri-spawn fish, esp in dingy water, the lure must be close, and not move away too fast. You may need to be fishing more vertically and less horizontally. Some of my favorites are a bulky jig, killed; a light tube fished in falls, and killed; and a stick-worm like a Senko. Time of day might make a difference, but probably not due to temperature. If you are already over 60, and pushing into the 70's, then the bass are not slowed down activity wise, at least due to temperature. Only other stab might be that your shallows are ahead of things, as they would be here at those temps. I've been assuming you are much further along being in a warmer clime. Do you know when your usual spawning times are? By spawn maps, the S part of AZ shows a mid March spawn start, pushing into early April in the N. Not sure where you are. The way to tell in your water is to drop a thermometer down about 6ft feet; that should give you a ballpark core. If it's still in the mid-50's, you're early. Lemme know you two find. Thanks for considering supporting me. So far Patreon is the best option for a channel like mine, since I do not post at vlog pace. It's a monthly subscription, but you can cap it. If I come up with other ways I'll be letting people know. I'd rather be putting my TNF time into content, rather than promotion. Paul

[@thebeard0]

Its great to see some of this information from local waters, while the information can apply anywhere, the style of warm water lakes and ponds found here tend to be different than what you find to the east.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, chad. Thanks. Are you in CO? What differences do you see to the east. I assume you are still talking Colorado? Paul

[@thebeard0]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 I am in Colorado (Chatty is my home water), but I am comparing to the waters of the Mid South that I grew up fishing. Water clarity, lake structure and cover were vastly different. Fishing just feels different, with more visible targets along the shore holding fish most of the year. While we did have smaller basin style ponds, they tended to still have points, steeper drops along shorelines and more woody cover. Techniques will cross over, just have to adjust lure color and cadence based on water clarity. It looks like some of the smaller ponds between Denver and Ft. Collins offer some great opportunity.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

@@thebeard0 Yes waters vary regionally. Sounds like you are describing hilly terrain, back where you are from. Our bass waters here are pretty flat, like that land around them. If you get a map out and peruse the front range, there is a ton of water, mostly small. Lotsa bass fishing to be had. More than I can ever put much of a dent in! :)

[@googanslayer6675]

have any tips on how to catch more bass on waters with a heavy chain pickerel population those suckers are out for vengeance at my favorite fishing lake right now. Your videos are more than exceptional.

[@44bthoj44]

lol... pickerel/pikes target same prey so good luck!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing as Bouafue. They can be tough to avoid. I caught a lot of pickeral when I lived in NY. I actually loved them on light tackle, but yeah, they can be a pain when there are a lot of them. And big ones can bite you off. A couple things: With both pike and pickeral (but more with pike unfortunately) avoiding flashy lures can cut down on incidental catches of toothy ones. One thing I was taught years ago by a knowledgeable basser on the Finger Lakes was that pickeral don't turn as well as bass, so reeling baits more straight in tended to attract pickeral, while direction changes, and falls, tended to interest the bass more. Not perfect, but... something. Good luck with it. If you figure something out, let us know. Oh yeah, one thing with pike (not pickeral I know) was that there were days when the pike hit everything, they were just ON! Other days, same water, all bass, no pike. Never understood why. There IS a reason however.

[@darrylshisler2636]

I really enjoy your channel and the information you share. I have a question that I hope you could give some insight. I am in Ohio and fishing an egg shaped spring fed pond with mowed grass banks with no coverage or lay down. All banks are shallow (about 1 foot with the deepest depth guessing between 8-10 feet towards center) my question is where do pond fish spawn in these conditions?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Darryl. In general (and then I’ll address your pond), the most important parameters are: -Environmental stability. -Substrate quality. -Previous success in the population. Environmental Stability means: stable temperatures for development of eggs; protection from wind that can roll up cold deeper colder temperatures, or can roll up silt that will suffocate the eggs, and can physically destroy the nest from wave action. Shallow depth (usually

[@darrylshisler2636]

The Nature of Fishing thank you for sharing that, it will really help as I view. I am on the fence fishing a small pond during spawning as I don’t want to disrupt their cycles. After spawning I like to fish new lures and try new techniques as it very clear and I can visually see how they work in water. As of now, I anticipate using your info to view the life of a bass to understand them more. Thanks again!!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

If there aren't many people fishing the pond, and you are thoughtful about it, fishing to bedded fish shouldn't cause them too much stress. During the spawn, when I'm not shooting video, I often fish to non-bedded fish; There are still plenty of those. I'll usually target females and leave the males be. Up to you and your fisheries folks of course; It's different N and S.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, folks. There's an audio issue in this one, mysterious clicking sounds during my narration, most apt to be heard through ear buds or headphones. Could not find the cause, at first. Turned out to be loosened up screws in the chair I was sitting in while narrating. Ugh! I tightened them. Apologies.

[@mr.fatbasstard648]

The Nature of Fishing hey Paul just curious. Did you get the results back on the scales from the LM bass with the smaller mouth?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, MFB. I took two: one was distorted, the other had beautiful ring but was a regenerated scale ,lost early on and regrew. Neither would give accurate ages. The regen had 4 nice growth periods. If the fish was 4yrs old, that would be amazing growth here. But if it were 6yrs old, that wouldnt be out of line. What I've been able to learn about small headed bass is that they are likely fast growing. But fats weight gain doesn't always yield outsized bass. There's a reason most N bass die of old age never reaching 20"s. For truly big bass frame length matters. That's why I really liked the proportions on that one, first stick worm fish. She has some potential perhaps.

[@mr.fatbasstard648]

The Nature of Fishing I was curious because we have the opposite out here during drought years, big heads little bodies. During robust feeding years it's little heads big bodies lol. They seem to scale proportionally once they reach about 3lbs. I have another question for you when you have time. I sent a sample in for DNA on a possible LM+Spot. The results came back "80% probability of a hybrid". I haven't been able to call them back yet but is it common to not have 100% ID? I have seen this percentage scale before with Spot + Smallmouth results.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

My guess is that a given fish may not be an F1 (1st generation individual) but could be back-crossed. That is, a later generation individual that is progeny from a pure by hybrid mating. In other words, the amount of either species genetic material being present will vary depending on how many generations ago, or how many times, crossing happened. Hope that makes sense. Best to get their reporting interpretation to be sure.

[@thurminatorfishing206]

The bass here in north Alabama have done spawned for the most part and are now post spawn.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Yeah, the spawn marches its way north; pretty much with the sun. We're just starting here.

[@H8er-Maker]

Very detail oriented video, so far I've managed to learn sumthing that's genuinely applicable in each video you've posted since subbing. Curious what did you learn from fish scale you kept from 1st catch? I too fish a materials plant quarry that was flooded when a man made Tempe Town Lake dam bladder failed and emptied lake contents into it over 10 yrs ago. Quality not quantity population of fish thrive there.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hiya, Bruce. Great to hear! Yeah, you know, me too. I chip away at "The Great Mystery" on every trip; Actually, every day. Non-stop. Just this week I've been captivated by starlings.. birds related to mina's that mimic sounds. So I started shooting video of some males with impressive repertoires as I can identify bird songs pretty well. Trying not to get side-tracked here. :) The scales. I didn't include them bc they were inconclusive. The ones I collected were regenerated scales, that followed some damage when the fish was little (a cool story that fish lived to tell, or remember!). Regen scales are not terribly trustworthy. Bummer bc the remaininng growth rings were very nice and easy to read. There were 4 winters and 4 growth periods represented nicely, but anything earlier was not there to be read. If I had to guess, The fish was likely 6 yrs old; That's not out of line for a 16" bass here. I would love to get scales from all those bass, but... I've got enough on my plate right now. Maybe someday I'll garner enough support to spread my wings a bit. Right now, I'm just trying to keep up with the usual rapacious YT schedule; At least a video a week they say. Hmmmmm... I'm going to see if there's room for quality over quantity here. As to your water, yeah floods can change the waterscape. Minor flooding, and indeed every rain and snowmelt, actually brings nutrients in, which is good or bad depending on that water and the land around it. But big floods can scour deep enough into the land to dig up lots of inorganic materials that can inundate and suffocate critters that live in the spaces in the substrate (the more spaces the better). That's why siltation can be so bad. The water I really learned to bass fish on, was degraded very badly after a construction project nearby that wasn't well mitigated. Went from big LM's SM's and pickeral, to... little guys. Food chain was cut out from under them. Sad. I was PO'd. Still am in fact and that was back in the 70s. Not over it. :( So, I'm feeling for ya. These losses can take a long time to recoup. But they can recoup; Don't lose faith. Nature is amazingly resilient. We just have to grow old and wise while waiting. :) Good news on the quarry in my vid. The sheer number of midges indicate that some good fertile material came in. And the bass and trout are in great shape. Lost a few year classes likely, but... things look good for the future.

[@H8er-Maker]

Thx for your correspondence, a little info on my fishing spot. It's beginning to thrive. Most catches are 2lbs + with no visible signs of being caught before. Catfish & huge Tilapia + bluegill population reside as well. It doesn't get much pressure cuz it's not a regulated fishery. It's a basin on reservation land with difficult shoreline access. I walk about 4mi round trip. That's not sumthing every1 wants to do. A healthy population of rattlesnakes also reside here. If you search Tempe Town Lake dam bladder failed on KZbin you will see the birth of my semi secret spot.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Sounds awesome. The walk adds to that "awesomeness". Enjoy. Sounds wonderful with more to come.

[@H8er-Maker]

The Nature of Fishing I'm having good luck with curly tail works lately. As a result it seems like every other fish is swallowing them. I'm not gonna release a fish with hook in it's throat. I'm 90% successful at removal with little damage & remaining 10% I eat bass that night. My question is what can be done to limit them swallowing bait? Perhaps you could do video on gullett hook removal. I normally cut line, lift gill plate to access hook & turn it to remove. Any tips would be appreciated, thanks for your time man.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Good to hear you're catching. Curly or swimming tail worms are staples for me too. Killer post-spawn high in the water column. I get some deeply hooked bass too, on occasion. Unfortunately, the esophagus is the worst place to hook a fish bc mortality rates are apparently higher there due to infection. Here's what I try to do: -First, I've gone barbless for much of my soft plastics fishing. This works just fine, unless I'm using a heavy weight which can give the fish some leverage to throw the hook. Same reason I do not go barbless with jigs. But with T-rigged or wacky'd baits, barbless works very well. And hooks slip right out; Best case for esophagus hooked fish. -I try to detect takes in time, and judge or time the takes so I don't set too late. Here's what's usually happening below: Usually, bass worth catching can take a worm down pretty quickly. I don't wait to set the hook. Exceptions are: -Extra large, long worms that might take some "gobbling" -you'll feel that. -Takes on a short-line and/or sighted fish. If you can see the take it's easy to set too soon. They need "handling time": inhale the bait, expel the water, and then bite down. This generally takes a good sec and a half. Handling time is rarely noticed, or easily judged, on non-sighted takes at normal casting distances. So, I set immediately most of the time. In general, we don't tend to feel the suction part of the take. We can often feel the gobbling, and fish size can often be deciphered by the "power" behind each "gobble", if you know what I mean. Little bass go 'rat-tat-tat'. Bigger bass go 'tap-tap-tap", or if you are close enough, "thunk-thunk-thunk". The bite, is what we most often feel, and that's the single heavy 'tap' or 'thunk'. They then may swim away -how fast depends on competition with others. By the time they are swimming away, the chances for deep hooking goes way up. I try to detect before that. -Lastly, when I do esophagus hook a fish with a barbed hook... Sounds like I do as you do. I'll cut the line and try from under the gill plate. And I judge the success of that. Not all bass die from such a hooking, just the chances go up. Some might be ones to take home, eat, and check stomach contents (always interesting). I may also leave a hook in. They actually do dissolve away and is a better alternative to tearing the esophagus. Hope this helps. Thanks for asking. Good topic. Many of our waters get hit pretty hard.

[@jasoncobb7540]

Subbed to your channel a few weeks ago..love the science and breakdowns you provide..I don't think there's another channel that goes as in depth when it comes to your analysis each time out on the water or explaining what's going on..these are the kinds of vids I'd rather watch over what every other KZbin channel is like..you, Tacticalbassin and a select few others provide useful info that can be applied to any waters and what to look for..nice job man..wat reel are you using?? The black and red baitcaster?? Daiwa??

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Jason. That's great to hear. The black and red reel is a Daiwa CT.

[@christophersawczyk]

Beauty before science....lol...once in a while, not often, I'll suction out a trout to see if their on nymphs or emerger, or fly if I'm stumped. Can you do it possibly with a bass?I'm guessing the forage is way to big. Also, I've read some guys massaging a belly and can tell if it's a crawdad, frog, sun fish. I've never seen it or tried it.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, Christopher. I've suctioned, or "lavaged", a lot of trout over the years. It's pretty easy to do with with trout, esp small insectivorous ones. But, you are right, that large foods are tougher to do. I have thought about making a really large lavage tube for bass. I have three different tubes sizes in my trout vest, and have been able to sample trout over 20", recovering things as large as hellgrammites, sculpins, dace, and crayfish parts. But bass would require something even bigger. I bet it can be done, and will likely try it in the near future. I have "palpated" (massaged the belly) for prey but this only works for really hard prey items like crayfish. I did once feel, and could see, the contours of a small painted turtle in the belly of a pike once. That was pretty cool. But, identifying fish would be tough to impossible. I use the words lavage and palpate not to "fancy" lol; I was a vet tech for a bunch of years so I actually used those words. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I think you've moved that idea up in the priority list. Thank you. I'm going to make something. ;)

[@SuperVehicle002]

You should get a Patreon account!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, SV002. I have one planned. BUT... and its a big but... YT will not allow me to link to Patreon or any other crowd-funding site until I'm "Partnered". New criteria came in just as I got started with YT. I had to have 10,000 views to be reviewed. I got em, then a week later YT changed it to 1000 subs. I got that and YT is backlogged on reviews. Apparently, some people have been waiting for months. I hope YT comes through, soon, and/or I can hold out til then. I understand YT's predicament; It's an evolving media platform. But, from my end, making videos for me is a ton of effort. It remains to be seen if YT remains a good platform for content creators. I am looking into other potential options for support or vectors. I really like YT bc it has such promise as an educational platform for so many. Again, remains to be seen. I'm patiently waiting to see what comes.

[@IRONMANMETALBILLDANKANIS]

How about a PayPal link

[@440_Fishing]

Like a spotted bass mouth size on the 1st fish 🎣. Do you own a net bud?

[@44bthoj44]

Almost thought the same... But I can never tell a spotted from a LMB

[@440_Fishing]

Bouafue Thao the spots have multiple little spots lined up next to each other like this ....... ....... ....... Beneath the main " side line " . Lol hope it made sense 🎣

[@44bthoj44]

lol... idk will have to have a closer look! :D

[@44bthoj44]

People always say to look at the jawline with the position of the eyes but I never get it

[@440_Fishing]

Bouafue Thao look up a diagram on google brotha 👌🎣

[@meandean2842]

Hey Paul thank you for all the great info, you do a great job! I'm in southern CO and fish very similar gravel pits near my home. the ponds are bare of habitat and structure,I've always wondered if it would help to add structure like brush piles, xmas trees or even pvc structure ( of course it would) but is it legal? do you have any experience with adding structure or the legal aspects?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, md. Thanks. I don't. I know we're not allowed to alter stream habitats, even trim shrubbery. Best route would be to call, or email, the DPW and ask. They respond pretty promptly. Cover pieces in waters where there aren't any can attract bass. I remember a lone tumbleweed that had blown in, and I caught three bass off it in successive casts. Let me know what you find out, if you can. Cheers, Paul.

[@drummertroyg]

Great episode Paul !...as per normal.... do you run braid to leader on all your rigs ? Thanks !

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, Troy. Thanks. No, but a lot of them bc braid/leader is effective, versatile, and cost effective. I do use straight FC, or mono, at times too; Usually for dedicated cranking reels, and FC for deeper jigging and plastics in which a long section of sunken FC helps in strike detection. FC's density is also a help in wind, which we get a lot here. If you are on a budget, and we all are or should be, braid and leaders can save us money in the long haul. Back in the day, when there was only mono, I fished so much I bought my mono in bulk spools for each lb test, and went through it. Sun kills mono pretty quickly, and it just gets worn. FC handles sun better, but, still takes abuse and must be replaced, and checked frequently for nicks. I use braid with leaders the most. It's just effective, versatile, and cost effective. And there are some real advantages to braid too.

[@drummertroyg]

The Nature of Fishing thanks Paul ! Yes I’m on a budget and a newbie to this .... I only have three set ups in which to fish the top to the bottom water column..... i’m currently using yellow braid to leader...because my eyes are going on me lol... I worry about the braid spooking the fish !?!? Thanks for your help and any advice !!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Do NOT worry about the braid spooking the fish. You don't even need a leader for that reason. A leader is a help it takes the abuse of fishing and can be replaced without losing your mainline. Braid is also so soft that it can tangle the hooks of some active baits, like jerks and topwaters. It also cuts into wet wood, and tangles like crazy in branches, making it risky around such stuff. And... the ability to change leaders makes it really versatile. And, btw, the advantages to FC do NOT include it being invisible to fish. It's not, and... it doesn't matter, regardless. They don't know what line is. That's not the problem with line. I'm working on a vid on line -the most important piece of tackle we own in terms of getting fish to bite.

[@drummertroyg]

The Nature of Fishing thanks again Paul for your time !!! Also thank you for the advice, I tend to be an analytical type thinker(not always so good) so your video series work well with my way of reasoning/thinking and you make it easy for me to process the information.... again thank you for what you do !!!!

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

You're welcome, Troy. I hope there are a lot more analytical thinker types out there, 'cause that's what I do. Been at it so long... it just doesn't hurt anymore. :)

[@lsgt5132]

I have watched a few of your videos and thanks for all the time and hard work. I have a question you might could answer for me. I live in eastern nc and had a few nice ponds very close to the neuse river that flooded recently with the hurricanes. These ponds had water a few feet over water over them and into the woods and so on. My question in will these ponds still hold fish or do you think most of the bass swam out and died as water came down?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Is gt. Thanks. Glad you like my... take on fishing. It may not be for everyone. In 2013, we had enormous, truly catostrophic, flooding here. And... the bass more or less, stayed put. Not all of them by any means. But, my waters still had bass in them afterwards. I strongly suspect, even believe at this point (and those are strong words), that bass are inherently adapted to water level changes. Post-flood here, the biggest changes were ecological: underwater topography, water clarity, and nutrient loads being primary. In general, quality came back pretty quickly. Fish, bass included, can grow pretty quickly, esp if competition for food is relaxed, which can happen after large population upheavals. Some of my waters were more severely impacted though. Two took in so much clay-sized turbidity that winds have just kept it suspended, and aquatic vegetation hasn't recovered. There are still bass there, as they are stocked. But, those once-gems are now much less interesting to fish. I'll continue to check on them though. Nature is resilient, and... LMB are esp so. Another change is in nutrient load. Floods wash in terrestrial (land-based) nutrients. All floods do this, but such massive flooding brought in massive amounts of nutrients. In less fertile waters, this can be a good thing in terms of fish growth potential. In two of my ponds though, already adequately balanced in terms of fertility, the results were not helpful. One now has its bass biomass made up of 8 to 11 inchers. Hoping that'll balance out again. It'll have to do that on its own though, since it's a C&R fishery. Another pond had a good population of smallmouths, with enough in the 18-20" bracket to keep things exciting. Post-flood, the pond is now nearly solid vegetation. You should see the sonar returns! Solid coontail, bottom to top. It's all LMs now. :(( On the bright side, the sunfish sizes (Bluegills and Redears) have exploded so... some LMs may actually have a chance to get BIG there, if a few can get big enough to handle those big sunfishes. If there are, you'll be seeing a VFJ about it. :)) Hey, good luck with it. I suspect you'll still have some fishing there. Here's to hoping for some pluses falling on your side. Paul

[@lsgt5132]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 That's for the reply sir. Before the flooding I got some almost double digit fish from some of these ponds so we will see how things go. The flooding brung in alot of nasty mess as there surrounded by alot of people. Time will tell and thanks again.

[@beanbop1162]

So what are the odds that the trout will spawn and begin to permanently populate the pond? Just curious if its likely or even possible?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Not likely now. Now that the stream has been re-routed, there is no current for them to spawn in. They don't tend and fan their eggs like bass do.

[@TheWhiteGuy82]

"You've taken it deep. I can feel those teeth"

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, TOG82. Yes... graphite is a wonderful thing. :) Cheers, Paul

[@mattmason1694]

Great video. Quick question - do you have the drag locked down? How do you set the drag appropriately? Thanks

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Matt. On spinning tackle I do lock the drag down, and I back-reel. If I have any say in the matter, I do not want a mindless stack of washers deciding when to give line. I do that, along with rod and arm movement. On my casting reels, I am having to use drag. I do not want the drag slipping at all, if I can help it. I'd rather have it too tight, than too loose. It's easy to adjust on the fly, but too loose a drag often means a missed hook-set, fish throwing the hook, or burying into cover. I set the drag just enough to protect the line, and then adjust on the fly. Most bass I catch here do not take drag out. Larger ones can though. I caught a couple over the last couple days that took drag, and I adjusted a bit while I fought them. Bass don't run far, so the rod and arm movement can take up most of the shock absorbance needed. Again, I can easily adjust drag while I'm fighting a fish, if needed. Hope this helps. Paul

[@greatsoutherntrendkill79]

Drag set is typically 25% the test strength of your line. Easiest way to remember most higher end bait casters max drag at 15 lbs.

[@sincitycapital]

So why did you decide to go with a float tube? Have you tried a kayak? I haven't gotten either yet just curious on your thoughts/experience. Thanks

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, Steven. The two are different, IME. And... the subject is on my video to-do list. Man, I'm tired of saying that... "someday". I'm grousing a bit bc this next documentary is so past my deadline now. Among other responsibilities, I was sick much of the winter, and not used to having to "lay low". I just had to watch the days, then weeks, tick by. For a "do'er" like me, it's been painful. At this point, in March now, I really should be in the field, but I'm determined to get this next doc out. Anyway… to the important stuff… (I think I’d rather talk fishing than anything else :) ) Tubes-n-Yaks: Most of my waters are very small, and tubes are so easy to transport, are the most intimate and maneuverable of craft, and comfortable, that I simply love mine. The only downsides are: -The flip-side of the stealth tubes offer is that sitting so low in the water means I cannot see into the water, even a short cast away. -The flip-side on the fact that tubes are small and easily transported is that they don’t hold a lot of gear. I’ve had to thoughtfully rig mine so that I can safely carry multiple rods, and other important gear. I also have to be thoughtful about the tackle I bring, and how I pack it, bc there is limited space onboard. This can be a good thing too, making my planning and forethought on appropriate tackle, significant. -The flip-side of that maneuverability is that tubes are slow, although I do get exercise and that's always a plus. Thus, they are relegated to small waters or small areas within larger waters. I'd say a tube is good for waters/areas under 20acres in size. I can cover about 20acres in a day’s fishing, search-wise, but, of course concentrating on much smaller areas. A tube shines in water’s 10acres or less. -Along the same lines of being low and slow, they are for calm waters only. Wind and chop is uncomfortable, wind and waves are potentially dangerous. Kayaks are simply faster, and more sea-worthy, allowing me to cover larger and somewhat more inclement waters. But with yaks, you are getting away from the ease of transport, and more towards a full “boat”. This is especially so if you want to recover the awesome option of standing as you fish. This really requires a large boat-sized yak, usually over 12ft. Mine is a 10fter that I can throw (Ok… carefully tip and push) on top of the truck. But, it’s rigged to fish so there is a lot of sundry gear to affix to it. When I park my truck, I then have a set of wheels to get the rigged to fish ‘yak to the water with. I can stand in it for paddling, but the concentration required in fishing means I’m sitting down to fish. I have a raised seat and it’s a sit-on-top, so I can seeing the water a bit further out than I can in my tube. I own a yak bc I can more efficiently fish larger waters with it, and fish those waters with friends who are yakkers. There is actually more fishing available to me on my float-tube waters than I actually have time for, as it is. If you are currently shore-bound, I would highly recommend either boat type. But I’d make my decision based on water body size. Lakes, go with a kayak. “Ponds”, I prefer a float-tube. But, you can make either work.

[@sincitycapital]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Thanks for the long thoughtful reply! Yes I am currently shore bound. I live in Las Vegas currently and the only options I have for getting on the water are Lake Mead and the Colorado river aside from a few city ponds where you have to fish from shore. I'm considering an inflatable kayak to start out and eventually get a solid one when I can. I was just curious because I've seen people wish float tube videos and though it was fascinating.

[@sincitycapital]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Don't worry about rushing with more videos. Your health is more important and we understand. There's plenty of content and it's much appreciated.

[@sincitycapital]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Do you ever keep fish to cook?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

I do. The tasty ones! That tends not to be bass, at least in most of the waters I fish. I do take bluegills... My son and I have had an annual bluegill hunt since he first suggested it as a little guy years ago. This is also trout country, so I probably narf more of them any other. :)

[@electrickflame353]

Can you tell me what are the worms that I find in bass, crappies and blue gills? The worm tend to show up between the skin and the flesh, but sometimes burrowed in deeper and coiled.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Those coiled worms are likely nematodes. The ones I see most often are inside the body cavity. Some waters have a lot of them. Must take their toll on some fish.

[@electrickflame353]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Thank you for responding.

[@yumagosavealifephag9384]

Can you make a video of how fish communicate and live day in and day out, do bass have any fun activities like tag?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Yes, they play tag, hopscotch, and checkers. Chess is a bit beyond them. (I assume you are joking?)

[@yumagosavealifephag9384]

The Nature of Fishing dang

[@SuperVehicle002]

What is the water temp in the lake you are fishing?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

I take temperature profiles. Surface temps (ST) are only useful, until you know, and develop a feel for, how water takes on and loses heat. Over the course of the week, I recorded 50F to 54F@10ft, a gain of 4F. Mid-depth temps were 54F to 56F. ST's topped out at 58 to 59 each day. What seems to incite initial spawn activity is when heat penetrates enough to stabilize water temps near the start of good spawning/fry development temps (~60F). This appears to happen, or is a really good bet, when mid-water temps (@~4ft in my waters) reach into the upper 50sF. My mid-depth temps during this outing were heading that way rapidly; The sun is so high and the days long enough that... it was only a matter of days til the spawn came on. I was trying to get in ahead of it.

[@Hawksfan3986]

Thanks Paul, another very informative video! I have a product related question, would you happen to have suggestions for waders? I'm looking for a budget friendly pair of hip or chest waders for pond fishing, maybe river too (preferably from Cabela's/Bass Pro as I have a bunch of gift cards). I don't know much about them so I'm pretty overwhelmed by the options.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi CPR. First decide hip, waist, or chest. I use hippers for little creeks. But chest most often, as I can wade deep, make a crossing, or retrieve a snagged fly -helpful even on small creeks. I recently bought my first pair of waist-highs that are adequate for float tubing, being just high enough. Another decision is boot foot or stockingfoot. Bootfoots have the boot integral so you just pull them on and go. But they are heavy and somewhat clunky on the hoof. Stockingfoot's you must buy the boots separately. But they are lighter and more comfortable. The neoprene booties (the "stockingfoot" part) can leak over time and, for what it's worth, a company rep told me that the main problem there is that wear caused by one's toenails really shorten the life of the stockingfoot booties. "Keep them trimmed close," he warned. I'm not up on the latest models, but can say that most you'll find in the major outlets are decent. Of course, pay as much as you are comfortable doing. Decide how often you'll use them. If you expect to use them a lot, it would be wise to pay more to get a durable pair. I still have neoprenes from Cabela's, and Hodgman's that are well worn and still holding up. Neoprenes are easy to repair but are heavy in weight and best for colder climates, too hot for warm climes. Most people go with the lightweight materials. My latest pair's are made by Redington and Frogg Toggs. Both were inexpensive and tend to last a couple seasons of regular use. Now in their 3rd season, the Redington's have been patched (barbed wire) and are beginning to leak at a seam, which are not always an easy repair. f you fish a LOT, inexpensive waders will have you patching and repairing a lot. Or buying new ones every couple years.

[@Hawksfan3986]

Whoops, meant to say waist or chest, not hip. Thank you so much for the reply Paul!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to include all that great info!! Sounds like boot foot would be the way to go for me as I don't do much cold water fishing here in Northern IL. I do fish a lot, assuming they will help elevate my fishing, I would use them quite a bit. As you mentioned, might be better off getting a more durable pair :)

[@thurminatorfishing206]

I bet a trout colored swimbait would be killer in there.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hey, TF. Mebbe. Not sure how many BIG bass, and small trout, are in there. Since the stream was put back in its place, there will be no more trout coming in. And the ones that are in there seem to be pretty big for bass to eat. But, the chances for BIG bass is possible there. When summer comes that place will warm up giving the bass an edge on those speedy trout. You can bet I'll be monitoring the situation over the next few years. Part of my assessing the body conditions and health of the bass I catch is for keeping track of how my waters are doing. Being a small water guy, opportunities come and go. Boom and bust I call it. This one could be a boom. We'll see...

[@lessonlearnerfishingjordan7264]

👌🏾

[@wabassin11t30]

Maybe you can help me to better understand the 2 lakes I fish?? One I catch numbers but no size. All around a pound or less, with the rare occasional 4 - 5 lbs. The other produces 4 - 5 fish per outing, and all are 1.5 lbs and larger. Why the contrast?

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, wabassin. Could be age, a big year class of younger fish. Or it could be a difference in fertility and growth. No two water is alike. Its not uncommon to have two ponds side by side with very different growth rates. Lots of factors at play. And they can change over time, as new year classes come through, even year to year, esp in smaller waters.

[@wabassin11t30]

The Nature of Fishing thanks for taking the time to reply! Can't wait for your next video..

[@bassinataltitude863]

what state are you in

[@44bthoj44]

I believe he mentioned Colorado

[@bassinataltitude863]

i saw that after i commented ..

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Ayup! Rolocado. Bassin altitude here too.

[@bassinataltitude863]

I’m Lakewood. I fish in the Denver Bassmasters club

[@angelaprater2679]

Well good news bass love trout so as to about 4 yrs from now see hoemw big your bass are but bad news is the flood let trash fish in as like dog fish carp. Mud cat and wash out good weed beds and trees. Plus on March whay happen to you fishing moon phase. Also not really pre spawn because you beds are out there.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Angela. Lotsa comments in there! The stream that flooded this pond does not have any trash fish, no carp, no mud fish, no cats, only trout. That's a good thing! Quarry never had weeds. Flood washed in some wood. Main thing is it reformed the bars out there, so I'm going to have to get to know them. I'm not big believer in moon phase anymore. And... the bass weren't spawning yet during this journal. They were just about to kick over, which is what the vid was about.

[@greatsoutherntrendkill79]

Spotted bass dude. Hence the smaller mouth and spots on the belly

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks. But… they’re LM’s. Just young fast growing fish. Very productive water body that one. Paul

[@sfunderground1548]

spotted bass bro

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, SF. No spots here. These are LM's, just young quick -growing fish. Paul

[@kevinwill8542]

red eye bass...look it up

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Hi, Kevin. These are indeed Largemouths. No Red-Eye's here where I live. And, some of these would be near record sized Red-Eye's. Don't I wish! Red-Eye's are mostly stream fish though, so the fact that a stream ran through this pond for some time would make it all the more likely. Thanks for the thought. Paul

[@kevinwill8542]

@@thenatureoffishing7591 we had a 13 acre pond in Kansas..were full of them.dont know how they got there..super good fighters,and hit the lure like a train..love ur passion .glad I found this channel..if ur ever at grand lake Oklahoma,let me know

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Very cool, a pond full if redeyes. Wonder where they came from. Hey, thanks.

[@RedBeardBassin]

i love these videos! definitely helps every angler to understand bass behavior more and good fishing to boot! i would love to pick your brain more. haha check out my channel.

[@TechWizeGuy]

Like you I'd like to see what's in that belly!