Entry 42-4

Mark Davis

Finding the Bass

Editor's Note: Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas, is a three-time BASS Angler-of-the-Year winner and a Bass Master's Classic champion.

Question: What questions would you ask yourself if you were an average fisherman.

Davis: First of all, I would ask how to find fish because I think that is the most important aspect of bass fishing. The key isn't a pretty lure or anything that you can go to the store and buy. They key is knowing how to locate the bass.

Question: Can you give me some basic conditions or basic ways to locate fish?

Davis: Every really good bass fisherman has a good understanding of bass habits. That comes with experience. Some things can be taught, others simply come with time and experience. To try to get an understanding of fish and what they do when the water comes up, what they do when the water temperature drops, what happens when the sun comes out, what makes one type of grass better than the other and a thousand other little questions like that.

Question: Can you think of one or two more general questions?

Davis: Sure. How do you choose your tackle? What tackle do you recommend, and what tackle do you need? I have got my tackle down to about five rods. Of the five rods and reels, one of them is a crankbait rod -- a 7-foot Falcon. I also have an all-purpose rod. It fishes anything from spinner baits, to a buzzbait to a Zara Spook. Once again, that is a casting rod. I have a medium-action 6-foot, 6-inch rod on which I put my smaller top-water baits and small spinner baits.

I also have a flip-n-stick. My flip-n-stick is not a traditional telescopic rod. I use a 7-foot, one-piece heavy-action Falcon rod. I can pitch with it, and I can fish rats and frogs with it. I have simplified my tackle down to just five rods.

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