As a Pro Staff Team Member for Techsonic Industries, (Humminbird/Zercom) I have had the opportunity to use some of the best electronics available to help me locate fish. Many times finding the fish is harder than catching the fish, especially when conditions are such that the bass suspend. I personally don't know anyone that likes bass suspended well off the bottom. These are nearly impossible to catch, but you can learn to catch other bass by finding suspended bass.
I recently had an incident that caused me to reconsider my views on safety. My wife and I were out for a quite evening of fishing on a local lake. Near the public beach is an area of scattered rock and grass, and we were throwing a few crankbaits and enjoying the evening. While drifting along, we thought we heard someone yelling, "help"! We looked around, saw nothing and continued fishing. We heard it again, and saw a head bopping up and down in the water, well away from the buoyed swimming area but inside the no boat zone. I quickly kicked the trolling on high, and my wife grabbed our throwable from the storage bin. I have the "minimum" legal requirements in my boat - a throw-able, and the required PFD's per person.
Most people don't Realize how much stress that they put on bass in the summer months. Hot water ,boat traffic, and a whole list of other factor can turn what you thought was a winning sack of bass to you going home with your feeling hurt due to dead fish ! In the Summer month put your aerators on recirculate what that will do that will allow you to put ice in your livewells and cool that water down and you won’t be pumping in any new hot water ! Buy plenty of Ice sometimes it may take 2 or 3 bags to really get that water temp to a comfortable state for the fish !
I encounter anglers, all over, who think that pros rely upon some deep, dark secrets for catching bass on the tournament circuit. Well, there are no magic potions or quick-fixes for catching bass, but there are systems and methods that we use to consistently catch fish. Because we're on the water so often and fish such a variety of water, we're confronted with a new challenge nearly every tournament. Through these experiences, we've learned to adapt quickly to water conditions and the mood of the fish. In most cases, we still work within traditional systems and methods. But paying close attention to details is what enables us to refine our fishing efficiency. This has helped me be successful, and it's an aspect that will help you improve as well.
Bass fishing is not only about rods, reels, lures, boats, and motors. When you hit the water in a tournament or just to fun fish, the most important piece of equipment you can bring is your concentration. The power of your concentration is a huge part of competitive bass fishing. You have to be ready mentally for anything that can happen during the day, such as how and where a bass bites. This will lead you to the next fish of the day and the rest of your limit. You must also be able to recognize when you have to make changes if you are not catching fish. Some of the changes you need to make maybe very small and you need to have your concentration at peak performance to pick up on these subtleties. This brings the other part of the mental game in bass fishing and that is confidence.
Spinnerbaits and smallmouth bass go hand in hand, there is nothing like burning a spinnerbait just under the water and a 4-pound smallmouth coming up and crushing it. Burning spinnerbaits is a great technique on lake Erie smallmouth. Speed is the key to catching big smallmouth, you can't reel a spinnerbait to fast for a smallmouth to chase it down and eat it. You have to reel pretty fast so the bass does not get a real good look at it. I also think it is the speed that makes the smallmouth want to chase it and take the lure. With this technique you can fish it in 5 foot of water or 15 foot of water.
Once while fishing in a bass tournament, I got in a hurry to retie a Texas rigged plastic worm. I inadvertently put the sinker on backward. I decided to try it anyway and the reversed sinker technique has since put a lot fish in my boat. With the sinker facing the wrong way I found I could cast over a fallen tree branch and ease the bait up to the limb. When the cup of the sinker hits the limb, it stops the forward progress of the bait, instead of simply sliding over and falling lifelessly to the bottom. With the sinker nudged tight against the limb, the worm rises upward making for an easy target for the bass. With subtle pulls and releases, I have found I can work a worm forever in one spot. This is a great technique for cold front bass or lure weary bass. With that bait staring them right in the eye for long periods, the bass simply have to strike.