As fisherman, anglers, or water-folk, we naturally hunt difference. We’re constantly searching for that one thing that doesn’t look right. The one thing that isn’t like the rest.
What happens when you look out into the water? Think about it for a second. What do you see, smell, taste and hear? You’ll find yourself evaluating the wind, tide, shadows, splashes, basically anything that is causing difference in the water. Hunting something different is a tool we can use year around with any species, on any body of water, in any fishery around the world. It’s probably the most used tool we don’t even realize we’re using. Allow me to inspire you to be aware of this tool and to use it wisely. Use it to break boundaries and take risks. Use it to simply be a better angler.
When hunting bass, these are some of the different obstacles we will face. We find ourselves dealing with water level changes because of rain, or a lake that will pull or push water in or out of the lake, maybe caused by a dam. I’m probably going to hunt a location that might be affected more by this change or less. It is simply something different that could cause bait to pool into a certain spot or it could hide something different these fish haven’t experienced. I also want to hunt a location that might give bass the opportunity to have a highway. Not every spot has prime real estate for a highway. Just like any highway, you’ll want to stop at the exit with the most to offer. Why wouldn’t a fish want the same thing? What type of vegetation are we working with? With this vegetation is there opportunity for it to mix in a spot? If the vegetation is mixed in a location, then I definitely know that to be something different.
Think about water temperature and how it affects the fish. What are you going to do about that? Are you going to find a location where it causes the water to be warmer or colder? This would all depend on time of year, but again you’re focusing on that one thing that is different. This might sound like basic information that really isn’t going to take you anywhere. I’m here to remind you of the simple tools.
This again goes hand-in-hand with fishing that offshore blue water. This will be that one simple something that helps you dial in a spot. Don’t underestimate the power of a small rock pile or a rip and a slick. Sometimes in order to win big you must think small. Those little micro moves you make could be all the difference in the world.
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