Caution with overload

Translation; if they are not where they are supposed to be, then they are where are not supposed to be. Simple, it only took me 30 years to understand what Arkie met.
Example; The EverStart/Stren tournament held at lake Havasu recently, #3,000 entry fee, was tough fishing for almost everyone, if you caught one bass you got a pay check. The conditions were the normal transitional weather expected this time of year and pre fishing the pros located bass. However on tournament days, the water temperature was 49 degrees and the weather was cold and windy. The majority of the field fished deep points and break lines. The few die hard river fisherman ran up lake to the shallow river tulle's and flipped. The pro's that camped out on the deep structure all day and never moved caught a few bass, as did the river flippers. The tournament was won by fishing the inside shallow water between the bank and the tulle's where the dark silt mud created the warmest water available and the bass where facing the bank from inside the tulle's. One fisherman figured that out and my guess is that is where he usually fishes. If they ain't where they are, the fish where they ain't. How did Arkie know that?
Tom

I was a bit distracted with lots of pains when ya'll talked all that. I'm coming around, trying to think the fishing cycle out for friends. A fishin' bud that lives down my street just stopped by to show me some pics of nice bass caught off a deep mid-lake island point. He says they were "maybe 4 pound, one scaring 5." I said "There ain't no bass there this time of year." He repeated the exact location, and sure enough bass are not supposed to be there this time of year in 40 feet of open water. They ought to be spawning, or somewhere near spawning areas. "But they ain't, Jim. I couldn't find a bite in any of our old spawn areas. They are biting right there where they shouldn't be. The water temp is right shallow, too cold deep. I think they are still in winter mode. I'm going back tomorrow and check that out. Dang confusin'. Take a pill and be ready." Well, I'll take the meds but won't climb in. I'd fall in da lake fer shure.

The object lesson is bass are where dey R, not so much where we say dey shud be. Lots of anglers right now are goin' out dere every day tryin' to figer dose bass out, always lookin' in shallow sunny water for spawnus. But dose bass R not followin' R rules. Start by da rules, den fish where U find em.

They are somewhere between the spawn beds and winter stompin' grounds in this area. All this news coming to me that way and by phone and has me wondering whether those bass sort of just know there's a late winter frost coming. Our last frost date is April 14, and we have had some awfully cold weather right up to then.

So sure enough, I asked around and the water temp is still in the low 50's, and I figure at best the male LMBs are finishing up their scouting, picking out bedding areas, and they will not be distracted to eat an artificial lure while doing that. If not then where are the bass feeding? They are holding onto their winter feeding habit in deep water. The females will slowwwwwly give that up, slowwwwly moving shallower. My neighbor is on them, the bed anglers are too early. Dang I wish I could get out there!

See there? The bassers are smarter these days, knowing the spawn is coming, but most are operating on information overload, fishing technically correct, not just fishing by end-stink. You should be poking all the knowledge you can find away for a rainy day. I remember questioning most of what they called "knowledge" in the first 12 years of school, wondering why in the world anyone cared about ancient Greeks. Well, now I know you retrieve whatever you stored up when you need it for something.

Right now all a feller needs to know is water temp down there where the bass make beds. It's too cold!!!!! But they say it sure is nice in the coves, beautiful weather, low wind.....Well......Get back out there to the islands near the old river banks. They winter there and some spawn there, the best of two worlds.