10-09-2004, 01:25 AM
[#330000][size 1]Roland Martin on why bass strike[/size][/#330000] [size 1][/size]
[size 1]Roland Martin, the all-time BASS tournament winner with 19 victories and nine BASS Angler-of-the-Year titles, has identified eight key reasons why bass strike a lure:
[/size] [li]Hunger. "I believe hunger is the No. 1 motivation for bass to strike a lure. I find that hunger strikes account for about one-third of all my strikes in a year's time - that's a very significant percentage of the bass that I catch. About 35 percent of hunger strikes occur in the early morning or late afternoon."
[li]Reflex action. "This is the top reason bass strike, besides hunger, in my opinion. It just plays on the bass' overwhelming predatory instincts. It's why they can't resist a spinnerbait that bumps through the brush or a crankbait that bounces off a stump."
[li]Anger. "I know bass don't have emotions, but 'anger' describes this reaction well. Often, the first cast you make to a spot produces a reflex strike or a hunger strike. But if it doesn't, and you keep casting to the same spot, you can sometimes actually aggravate a fish into striking your lure. It may take 10 casts to the same spot, but the persistence of a lure coming through its domain will trigger an anger strike more often than you might think."
[li]Protective instinct. "When you talk about bass behavior, you can't leave out the bass' protective instinct during the spawning season. For the short amount of time these bass are guarding their beds, they will throw caution to the wind and nail anything that comes near their nests."
[li]Curiosity. "I believe a relatively minor reason that bass strike is out of curiosity. It might only account for 2 or 3 percent of my strikes each year, but that small percentage is important, especially in clear water. We've all seen bass in clear water come up and closely examine a topwater bait or soft jerkbait. I believe it's curiosity that draws them to the lure in that situation."
[li]Competition. "A stronger motivation for strikes, particularly when fish are holding on deep structure, is competition among bass that are schooled up. When they are congregated like that, the strike from one bass will ignite the interest from the rest of the fish, creating a feeding frenzy."
[li]Territorial instinct. "A year-round reason bass strike is out of a strong territorial instinct, I believe. This is usually a trophy fish situation. A big bass will guard its territory the way a big bear does his part of the woods. When other bears come around, he chases them away."
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[size 1]Roland Martin, the all-time BASS tournament winner with 19 victories and nine BASS Angler-of-the-Year titles, has identified eight key reasons why bass strike a lure:
[/size] [li]Hunger. "I believe hunger is the No. 1 motivation for bass to strike a lure. I find that hunger strikes account for about one-third of all my strikes in a year's time - that's a very significant percentage of the bass that I catch. About 35 percent of hunger strikes occur in the early morning or late afternoon."
[li]Reflex action. "This is the top reason bass strike, besides hunger, in my opinion. It just plays on the bass' overwhelming predatory instincts. It's why they can't resist a spinnerbait that bumps through the brush or a crankbait that bounces off a stump."
[li]Anger. "I know bass don't have emotions, but 'anger' describes this reaction well. Often, the first cast you make to a spot produces a reflex strike or a hunger strike. But if it doesn't, and you keep casting to the same spot, you can sometimes actually aggravate a fish into striking your lure. It may take 10 casts to the same spot, but the persistence of a lure coming through its domain will trigger an anger strike more often than you might think."
[li]Protective instinct. "When you talk about bass behavior, you can't leave out the bass' protective instinct during the spawning season. For the short amount of time these bass are guarding their beds, they will throw caution to the wind and nail anything that comes near their nests."
[li]Curiosity. "I believe a relatively minor reason that bass strike is out of curiosity. It might only account for 2 or 3 percent of my strikes each year, but that small percentage is important, especially in clear water. We've all seen bass in clear water come up and closely examine a topwater bait or soft jerkbait. I believe it's curiosity that draws them to the lure in that situation."
[li]Competition. "A stronger motivation for strikes, particularly when fish are holding on deep structure, is competition among bass that are schooled up. When they are congregated like that, the strike from one bass will ignite the interest from the rest of the fish, creating a feeding frenzy."
[li]Territorial instinct. "A year-round reason bass strike is out of a strong territorial instinct, I believe. This is usually a trophy fish situation. A big bass will guard its territory the way a big bear does his part of the woods. When other bears come around, he chases them away."
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