Sight
Fishing
Maybe
it’s cold outside where you are right now; maybe the lakes are all iced over.
Or perhaps the sun is shining and the temperature hasn’t dipped below 70
degrees in a while. Either way, if you consider yourself an angler, it’s time
to start thinking about sight fishing.
If
you are lucky enough to live somewhere where the weather is warm and sunny
right now, then it’s time to start employing sight fishing in order to catch
bass. If it’s cold where you are, then that gives you plenty of time to start
practicing your skills before the fish head to bedding areas. Some of the
year’s biggest fish are caught by sight fishing, and it’s easiest to do in
clear, shallow water. It can be hard to master, but can be very productive for
bass and other species once the basics are understood.
Sight
fishing involves spotting fish in the water — far easier said than done. In my
experiences, I simply look for a shiny or bright spot with a shadow over it.
The shiny spot is the bedding area. Big bass will find a place to hang out and
then proceed to fan the area clear of algae and debris. This produces the shiny
spot; the fish produces the shadow lingering over the bed. Spotting the fish
any other way is very difficult because bass have evolved in such a way that
the tops of their bodies take on the color of their environment, enabling them
to stalk their prey more effectively.
To
see any of the features and fish beneath the surface, a must-have for anglers
is a pair of quality, polarized sunglasses. Different people prefer different
colored lenses for sight fishing. Each color offers advantages and
disadvantages. Green lenses are more comfortable but are average in terms of
contrast. Gray lenses offer more true color distinction but are lacking in
terms of contrast. Amber lenses (preferred by most saltwater anglers) can be
uncomfortable in the bright sun but offer the most contrast. There is no right
or wrong lens color for sight fishing, only personal preference.
Once
a fish is sighted, it is important to understand whether the fish is spawning,
protecting fry or just hanging out. If the fish is spawning or guarding a
hatch, it will be protective of its bed and will strike more out of aggression,
not necessarily out of hunger. In this case, it will be necessary to cast
closer to the fish, as it will be less likely to leave its bed unprotected. If
the fish is not guarding a bed, cast beyond the fish and retrieve in front of
it to get its attention. If the fish is moving, cast in front of it.
When
selecting bait for sight fishing, it is not as necessary to mimic prey as it is
to make sure your bait is seen. I prefer to fish brightly colored baits to make
sure it grabs the attention of the fish. A large four-inch Berkley PowerBait Power Flippin’ Tube is
ideal rigged with a 4/0 wide-gap hook; I like white because it allows me to
easily see the bait in the water, so I always know where it is in relation to the
fish. Line size also can be a factor, so the clearer the water, the smaller the
line. To give me the best strength-to-diameter ratio, I use Berkley Trilene 100 percent Fluorocarbon line. It disappears
underwater and is less likely to spook line-shy bass that can be especially
finicky when on the spawning beds.
Once
you’ve found a bed, pitch the bait beyond the bed and work it slowly into the
middle. Try to move it to the different sections of the bed, and take careful
note of the bass’s reaction with each move. What you’re trying to do is
determine where the “sweet spot” of the bed is. The “sweet spot” is the area of
the bed — for whatever reason — that, when intruded upon by the bait, elicits
an aggressive response from the fish. If the fish gets mad enough, it will
strike the bait.
Other
baits, like a Texas-rigged PowerBait Power Worm or a PowerBait Classic Jig or even a small dropshot
rigged with a PowerBait Hand Pour Finesse Worm, or
other similar-style baits, can be effective. But the white tube is a
tried-and-true sight fishing bait, one that brought a lot of bass to the boat
for me over the years.
Sight
fishing is an exciting way to fish for bass. It takes concentration, a keen
eye, accurate casting and a requisite amount of stealth to be good. If the bass
are on the beds right now in the Central Coast, go give it a try. If it’s going
to be a while before your local fish start the spawning process, then you’ve
plenty of time to practice.
Scott
Suggs is the 2007 FLW Champion and the first angler in professional bass
fishing to win $1 million in a single tournament.