Entry 54-3
Eliminating or Establishing Water with Mike Wurm
Does Catching One Bass Make a Difference in Establishing or Eliminating Water to Fish?
Editor's Note:Mike Wurm, from Hot Springs, Arkansas, has fished professionally for 12 years. He's fished in six BASS Masters Classics. In seven of the eight tournaments he's fished in this year, he's earned a check, and he's finished in the top 16 in three of those tournaments. Wurm is one of the most-consistent anglers on the B.A.S.S. circuit. This week, Wurm will explain five secrets to his consistent bass fishing.
Wurm: If I only catch one fish on a particular bank, I have to depend on the rest of my practice time to tell me whether I'm going to establish that bank as a place I want to fish or eliminate that bank as somewhere I don't want to fish. If I don't catch very many fish during the rest of the day or the rest of my practice, then I'll establish that bank as a place I do want to fish. When I return to that bank, I'll fish the same spot where I've caught the bass. I'll try and learn exactly:
* where was the bass when it bit my bait?
* what type of structure or cover was the bass holding on?
* where was the current breaking on that bank or was there no current?
* how can I catch another bass on that same bank with a different lure or technique?
Another factor that helps me establish or eliminate water before I'm going to fish a tournament is the way I set up my practice days. For instance: on ...
* day one of a tournament I attempt to catch every fish that will bite on any lure,
* day two of a tournament, I'll attempt to take one or two bass off each spot I've established to see what size bass are holding on that spot,
* day three of a tournament, I don't want to catch any bass. I'll usually bend the barbs down on my hook and try and shake the bass off my bait before it even gets to the hook.
With this system, I can determine how important that one bass on that one bank is. I can establish where I want fish and eliminate the water where I don't want to fish.
