Using Topographic Maps When Bass Fishing

Maps are an important tool and great asset for bass anglers and a good topographic map can be the very best map resource.

Being an outdoorsman, most bass fishermen likely know at least a little about topographic maps especially about using them for navigating across their local fishing and hunting haunts …

Beyond indicating  the nature of the topography (elevation changes across the map area), topographic maps also show the presence of water (lakes, streams, etc.), vegetation (trees, brush), and manmade features like structures and roadways.

If you fish reservoirs and are fortunate enough to locate older topographic maps that were created before the reservoir was constructed, you are definitely in for a treat …

Why? … 

KVD Talks Finding and Catching Fall Bass

When bass fishing's G.O.A.T. talks about finding bass, it's always time to listen.

Take a few minutes and hear what Kevin VanDam has to say about locating and catching fall bass in natural lakes and ponds during the fall...

Fishing Dirty Water with KVD

Though the man excels at fishing water that ranges from several inches to tens of feet deep, BPS pro Kevin Van Dam admits he loves fishing shallow with reaction baits.

What's the best water clarity for fishing super shallow water? 

Stained to dirty of course!

What are KVD's reaction baits of choice?

Take a few moments and watch as the master, KVD explains his thoughts and approach to fishing in dirty water conditions...

What Is Hole-sitting?

I was reading an article in a popular bass fishing magazine recently where they discussed a number of different fishing patterns being used by the pros during the last two years.

Although they presented information about several different patterns or trends there was one particular pattern that caught my eye.  After reflecting on the description of this pattern, I really have to question whether or not it can be considered new …

The pattern I’m talking about is something they referred to as hole-sitting.

What is Hole-sitting?

Hole-sitting is an approach to a day or even entire tournament where the bass angler focuses on one small area of the lake and experiences increased bass fishing success.

If you go back and look at many of the BASS and FLW tournaments recently, you should notice that in many of the big wins by pros like Kevin VanDam, Paul Elias, Kevin Wirth, and Kotaro Kiriyama used that very approach on their way to victory.

A number of years ago, KVD won the 2010 Bassmasters Classic on Lay Lake, Alabama where he hole-sat in Beeswax Creek for all three days of the tournament. The result, Kevin mounted another magnificent Classic win (his third). VanDam also used the hole-sitting approach at other times over the last two years to compile four Elite Series victories on the BASS circuit.

Paul Elias also basically hole-sat for his win on Falcon Lake in Texas in 2008 and set an all time heavyweight stringer for a four-day event at 132.5 pounds to boot!  Elias focused his fishing efforts primarily on one point throwing deep crankbaits and a Carolina rig to boat the all time record catch.

Hole-Sitting is new?

In my book, hole-sitting is not really new.

This is definitely evidenced by Rick Clunn’s Bassmaster Classic victory in 1984 on the Arkansas River when he finished a stretch of the channel with stumps on the edge of a subtle drop that was less than 100 yards long.  Clunn also used a similar approach in his earlier Classic win on Guntersville Lake in the mid 70s.

So the next time hit hit the water perhaps it’s time to re-think your strategy and focus on those areas that produce the best bass fishing opportunity … in other words … be a “hole-sitter”.

Smallmouth Bass 101

A look at the biology of the smallmouth bass and tactics used to catch them from the folks at Lindner's Angling Edge.

For anyone who loves to catch "them ole brown fish" here's a video that's worth a look!