By Brian Waldman
Admit it. We've all read the articles about big bass and why you should use large baits to target them. It almost always ends up with the writer giving us an example concerning you in a La-Z-Boy, a big juicy steak or giant hamburger, and whether you'd get off the couch to eat it versus, say, a bowl of cereal or something. Do me a favor. The next time you are reading an article and the writer starts talking sirloins and largemouth bass, stop reading. You are about to be led down a slippery slope.
Texas Share-Lunker data shows that more giant bass are being caught regularly on common-sized baits than super-sized full meal deals. Plastics like 4"-6" worms, lizards and centipedes, regular old 3/8-oz. jig and pigs and the like. What's the deal? How can that be when all these giant bass in California are falling for 10-12" trout baits? The articles all say go big or stay at home. Here's the scoop...I have two terms for you: Anthropomorphism and Optimal Foraging Theory.
Anthropomorphism is a fancy word that just means assigning human traits and feelings to objects or creatures that don't or can't possess such characteristics. Rich Zaleski, noted outdoor writer once penned an article (Fishing's Human Error) for Bass Fishing Magazine (Nov./Dec. 1991) on the subject in which he stated, "Whenever you encounter a phrase something along the lines of, 'To catch a bass, you've got to think like a bass,' send up the caution flags. In most cases, the speaker or writer is about to lead you down a path on which you'll be asked to, 'Put yourself in the bass' place.' Unfortunately, as soon as you do that, you start to make judgements on what a bass might do based on your own responses." He goes on to mention later in the article that, "Bass are not humans with scales...They're cold blooded creatures with a totally different metabolism, and their responses to whatever might trigger them are directed by survival instincts, not preferences." A bass basically has just a few survival instincts that guide it's life: "Eat, don't get eaten, and avoid or minimize high stress situations."
Big Bass Aren't Lazy, They're Efficient
That leads us into our couch potato theory on bass and one of the biggest misconceptions that you'll frequently read. What the authors are really referring to in all this talk is what scientists call "Optimal Foraging Theory" or OFT. Unfortunately, most bass anglers and writers screw it all up. OFT does not mean 'eat the biggest thing you can find' and pass on the rest. Nor does it mean sit on your butt and wait for a big meal to swim into your mouth. It is balancing the energy output against the energy gained by consuming something.
A few of the core principles of OFT.
1-As the prey size increases relative to a given predator size, capture success decreases.
2-As prey size increases relative to a given predator size, handling time increases.
3-Finally, as prey size increases relative to predator size, profitability increases up to a point. After reaching an ideal point it decreases with further increase in prey size.
This is what a bass has to deal with in the environment in which it lives. Bigger isn't always better, as much time can be wasted trying to chase down and eat a prey item that is larger than optimal. This is why a big bass angler in California can get away with throwing a 10" trout lure while a big bass angler in Texas can't do so as easily. It doesn't preclude being able to throw giant things, it just states that you might not be as successful. And even California bass have their limit. I've been hanging out over at Rob Belloni's great website Calfishing reading through the forum archives. Tons of great info in there and Rob has a great sense of "down to earth" approaches and keeping things simple. Back on point, even Rob has stated that he keeps and throws a 16" bait at times but has yet to get bit on it. So even California giants have their limits.
As you read more about Optimal Foraging Theory you'll find that things in the big bass world make a whole lot more sense. And the science and research will support it. Another component of OFT states that as forage density increases, diet specialization starts occurring. Bass can afford to be more picky when more food is readily available to them. So a big bass doesn't have to take chances on a big bait when lots of acceptable sized food is available to him. Why try and chase down one giant shiner when you can easily consume 3 mid-sized crawdads with less effort (just an example).
Habitat makes a big difference and OFT can be used to explain feeding preferences among bass. There is a cool study that detailed this behavior with smallmouth bass and crayfish foraging. In this study, when crayfish were located on sand bottoms smallmouth bass ate all the smallest craws first. The larger the crawdad, the longer it took for the bass to eventually eat it because it would exhaust the population of smaller sized craws that were the easiest to consume (less handling time) first. However, on gravel/cobble bottoms, small crayfish were avoided and mid-sized crays were preferentially chosen because it took too long to try and root out and consume smaller craws that could hide and escape predation more easily in the spaces between the rocks. Larger craws couldn't hide as well and subsequently, smallmouth bass would target and eat them first.
OFT also covers "Patch Use." As I stated, a bass isn't lazy but it is efficient. OFT details and explains why some fish are home bodies and some have to roam more. A big bass wants to use as little energy as possible consuming prey. John Hope detailed in his book/studies Tracking Trophies how giant Texas bass would have a very predefined and definite hunting ground where it regularly searched for food. Big bass usually wouldn't cross over into other bass' territory. As long as all it's food and energy requirements can be met, there is no need for a bass to leave an area. Some times this can be a very small area. Other times a fish either eventually has to abandon it's home range area or increase it's search area for food to meet its dietary requirements.
Again, this was also documented well with smallmouth bass, too. The April 1997 issue of In-Fisherman has an article entitled "Homing On Big Smallmouth." It details the tracking research of Dr. Mark Ridgway and Barry Corbett, basically coming to the similar conclusion that smallmouth will stay in an area and hardly move if there is plenty of forage available to them. In less fertile areas, smallmouth have to find several different feeding areas and "make the rounds" as necessary in order to obtain enough suitable forage.
So the next time you read an article about bass and their feeding habits, keep all this information in the back of your mind. And if the author starts talking about Big Macs, sirloin steaks and thinking like a big ole' lazy bass, you better run fast!
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