Developing a pattern....

[mike rousseau]

Hey all....

 

There is a lot of articles out there discussing how to developed a pattern on fish... They discuss lure profile... Vibration... Location... Color.... Scent... Depth.... Speed... Technique.... Etc...

 

I was wondering in your personal experience/opinion what is the most important factor that you adjust when developing a pattern?

 

Most of what I've read says color is very low on the list... But in my experience color is #1 factor to being successful.... Even when carp fishing I find color matters a gear deal... Musky and walleye I use very few lure models but I have 5-10 colors in each of my favorite models...

 

I've seen multiple times musky fishing running 2-3 of the same lure model in 3 different colors and boating 2-3-4 musky on only one of the colors...

 

And walleye it can be laughable how they only want one color... I've seen plenty of days where one color was out fishing all others 4-1... I had a day where we got 17 walleye... 14 on one color and 3 on the other.... And night walleye color is even more important from what I've seen... I have 2 night colors that "most" days can't be touched...

 

What do you guys (and girls) think?

[Terry]

Depth, Speed and the mood of the fish

[Steve]

depth i find is the most important.

 

this is not relevant when fishing shallow water however.

 

next to depth, i'm going with action.

 

i believe (and my father swears by this) - colour does not make a difference - or if it does, very very little difference.

[i2cool2fool]

Great topic and input. I also agree color is a top aspect for zoning in on a pattern. As well as action/presentation.

 

On the really hard days (for me), figuring this out like a science or art can be like picking the lottery numbers. I believe there is more luck then anything in play. If I had more time available to fish, I would focus more on trying different things to determine successful patterns. Instead, I tend to try different things and change up based on what is readily available and my mood (should be the fish's mood). It gets me fishing (and relaxed - the reason I am on the water) and generally into fish.

[BillM]

Baits are probably the last thing I worry about when I'm trying to pattern out a species of fish for the day. You could be tossing the perfect lure, but if the fish isn't there to eat it, you won't get bit.

[i2cool2fool]

Well...the underlying assumption here is fish are present. An angler getting a handle on a pattern can't start or be as effect if not sure there are any fish or doesn't at least test out the assumption.

 

So yes. The first thing to be concerned over is finding the fish!

[aplumma]

First thing I pattern is habitat. I locate where the fish are by using the signs around you. I am a firm believer that if you take the clues that are around you such as wind direction, cover, depth, and bait signatures you will be in the area of what you are fishing for. The old adage of 10% of the water holds 90% of the fish I feel is true. Once an area is found it is important to see what the fish attitude is cold, neutral or aggressive. I try for the aggressive bite using fast moving lures to see if they are in an aggressive mood. If not then I slow down until I get bites and then refine the colors of lures. Most of the time I use colors selected by the amount of light, the color of the water and the natural prey in the water body. One thing that is often ignored by fisherman is cadence of the bait. We all get into auto pilot and we throw the lure then swim it back again and again and again in the same speed with out pauses or interruptions. How many times have you been fishing and untangled a backlash only to find a fish on the end? How often have you gotten a hit while you where messing with the trolling motor direction while you where reeling in? The predator has built in instincts that guides them in other words apply the proper stimulus and you will get a predictable reaction. A pod of baitfish all swimming healthy will rarely be attacked however let a few of them swim in an odd manner and a predator will attack the pod and single out the strange swimmers. Keep this in mind as you fish and you will find your catch rate goes up.

 

 

 

Art

[Garnet]

Theirs a lot of confused thinking about pattern fishing.

 

A pattern is something you can pick up your map and repeat on different parts of the lake. So let's say your pattern is eastside of long under water pts with mostly sand and clumps of very thick coontail scattered.

 

Now you get your map out pick out other areas that look the same and you try to prove you have found a pattern.

 

At the same time you are working lure style and color. But that's not the pattern.

[Ron]

Just like my wife says..... SIZE MATERS.

I find size and presentation to be more important than anything else. Color is the least of my worries.

[lew]

Colour to me is important and probably 60 - 70% of my muskies come on a very large black & orange Grim Reaper spinnerbait. It's the bait I start with EVERY day.

[misfish]

Just like my wife says..... SIZE MATERS.

I find size and presentation to be more important than anything else. Color is the least of my worries.

 

Thanks for the chuckle Ron.

Needed that.

 

Im talking bass here, Bait fish.LOL

 

Hit a spot,throw active baits. Spinners,buzz or jerks. Fan the area. If you get fish,stay,if not,throw a tube. Fanning the spot as well. Nothing,move. Repeat. I do find color is important when slow fishing IMO. But when your throwing a reaction bait,it dosent matter. They are going to attack.