By Scott Norton
Now that we are seeing more activity on the water with recreational boaters and tournaments, it’s time to find different ways to catch pressured bass. I have noticed a huge difference in bass behavior just after each tournament. Bass get used to seeing the same baits offered to them after the spawn once people catch on to a bite.
I always like to buy baits that are different from the average crowd. The JDM or Japanese Domestic market has baits designed for pressured bass. They are pricy, but nothing is worse than investing in a trip without good results. You can always go the route of handmade baits, which are designed and tested for peak performance in quality and action. If you can’t go either of these routes, you can use baits that were used years ago, which people forgot about, but are still good for the budget minded angler.
Other ways to catch pressured fish will be fishing at night. These bass will eventually become nocturnal due to the traffic in the day time. They will feel more comfortable feeding at night when all activities go silent. It is always good to go on a full moon so you can see without the help of lights. Going during a new moon is great as well, but you will need lighting for those trips. The topwater bites happen the entire time instead of tapering off due to the sun hitting the water. I also believe the frequency of catching bigger fish is better at night because large fish are smart so they bite at night.
Another approach will be to fish on a kayak. You can fish water that boats are not allowed to fish. You have that silent, stealthy means of sneaking up on bass with a kayak that you just do not have with a boat. These lakes are usually smaller in size, so you can travel from one end to another as well. Just out of curiosity ,I fished out of a kayak on a public lake during all the traffic and had great results. The bass were not used to being snuck up on like that, so that’s another possibility. The more you learn, the more you find out how to put the odds in your favor. Be creative and have fun this season.
Scott Norton is a Western North Carolina native. Born in Asheville, N.C., he is a long-time hunter, angler and weekend warrior.