Bass Fishing: Finding Winter Bass in The Jungle: VFJ29 

Hi, joracer. Birds of a feather! Welcome aboard. More to come, just have to be patient bc what I want to do takes time. Cheers, Paul

Hi, GAA. Thanks! Great to hear. It surprises me that I have so many hours of video up now. Then, it shouldn't. There's a LOT going on out there so I have a lot to say. Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 can you share a link to a support platform. I'm not normally one to give my money to someone making RU-vid videos, but this calls for it. You do a lot for the community without being asked. The least we can do is support your abilities and knowledge. Might not be able to donate much to the cause but I feel something is always better than nothing. Do you have a patrion?

@@BlueFlagGarage I do! Thanks for asking! The Nature of Fishing Patreon Page: www.patreon.com/The_Nature_of_Fishing I actually need to do more "promotion", which is not where I want to be spending my time. But, as you might imagine, my content has a LOT of work behind it. If I were to hire someone, this is where I'd put them. I've even considered hiring an agent. Here's to more TNF in the future. LOTS to cover. Paul

Hi, Casey! Very cool. I've snorkeled in ponds, but never scuba. I'd considered getting certified, but the ponds I frequent here don't allow it. Yeah, being immersed in those environments, either by mask or camera, sure opens the world up. Just awesome! Paul

Hi, tmm. Thanks so much. I hope I can get back to it too. Takes a lot of time I just can’t justify right now. :( Here’s to light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi, Bulldog. Thanks. Happy holidays! Paul

Hey, Robert. Great to hear. If you find a new wrinkle, lemme know. Have a nice holiday. Paul

Sounds awesome, Duane. We're in hiatus here now. Iced over. Plenty of strategizing being done here too lol... :) Enjoy your holiday. Paul

Hey, Big Moe. Really nice to hear you've been able to make good use of my videos. And thanks so much for the encouragement! Cheers, Paul

Next up is the low down on conditions & circumstances. And, my attempt at fleshing out the proverb, "Teach a man to fish..." :) That way I get on to lure presentation, which I've been dying to do.

The Nature of Fishing I cannot agree more with that Proverb! This is what I call putting the World Wide Web and the information technology to a good work and use. So happy it’s available!! I can learn from and You can learn from others.👍🏻😉

Hi, Ed. Great to hear. Yeah, we tend to hear little about such waters in the wider bass media. That's in large part why I've been focusing on these waters lately. They also reveal the same general propensities of bass behavior, but may be less obvious in such waters. One can use this underlying info... anywhere. Cool to see these propensities in subtle form, amidst all that "junk". I'm originally from W and C NY. Interestingly, the bass are pretty much the same here as there, despite some climate differences. Cheers, Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 You're great don't stop making videos

Thanks, GLF. Enjoy your extra days on the water. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday too. Paul

Hey, BN. Thanks. Happy Holidays to you and yours too.

Is your name seriously "bass nazi" with a fish hook swastika? Jesus Christ 🤦‍♂️

Hi, Caleb. Great to hear. Welcome aboard. More to come. But they do take some time to produce. Share with friends. Cheers, Paul

Thanks, jskaterp. Getting there. Cheers!

Hey, Bruce. Yes, Ned's, and hair jigs, are tough to beat when it's really cold. Carp are awesome fish. I've done a fair amount of that too. Never in winter though. That's cool. Are they packed up in places?

@@thenatureoffishing7591 They are everywhere, even the winter I see them cruising shoreline. 100% they are the most populated fish in AZ. But getting them to bite isn't that ez. They're very keen, skittish & the shape of their mouth adds to the difficulty of catching them. Using a UK tactic the hair rig, is the best way I've found so far. I have RU-vid to thank for that gem of knowledge. So far I've caught common carp, grass carp & 1 mirror carp. My buddy caught a state record Sonoran Sucker 25" on the Salt River about a week ago. It's in the hands of fish & game right now if it's gonna be an official record. We took pics from every angle with measuring tape before releasing it. They look alot like a carp except for scales differ. We were carp fishing when he got it.

Hey, Bassman. Thanks. Hope yours is wonderful too. As to my CO PBs... I saw your pre-edit :) They are in the 5lb bracket. There are waters with bigger fish potential, but I'm spending my time following waters I know really well, and that offer video opps. My water body PB's run in the 17" to 20" brackets. Someday I'd like to do some hog hunting. I've done that in the past, in NY, taking fish up to 7lbs. But, I've got other fish to fry right now. Paul

The Nature of Fishing ,that’s awesome!!!hopefully I can visit Colorado one day!,thank you. For all you.

Hi, BW. Awesome!

@@thenatureoffishing7591 bro ur killing these vids I binge watched em here in NJ!!!

Good to hear from another fisher who appreciates the details. I've never been able to make a short fishing report. ;)

Hi, Michael. Yes, FL are apparently different animals. I've little direct experience with them. One friend, who would know, called them "Prima donna's". Apparently, they are easier to alarm, more fickle, appreciating more subtle presentations. They respond negatively to water temp drops. Keep experimenting. Lemme know what you find. In the meantime, enjoys those 'bows! They are indeed fun to catch. Paul

Never had bows that leaped and danced as these do!! Exhilarating experience! Just incredible! Had to dispose of .006 leader...wouldn't hold them! So much more to experience and learn...but isn't that the Nature of Fishing?? 😁

@@michaeltichonuk2176 Yes, bows can be amazing leapers/dancers. I became a pretty ardent steelheader at one time too. Same fighter, just upsized!!! :)

Hi, Nescafe. The place to go for pond fishery management is PondBoss.com. There is a ton of expertise there on their forum, and articles on the site and magazine. Pond management is often a real challenge. Most often, if you want to manage for exceptional sized individuals, you'll want to keep the total number of bass down, so that there are fewer mouths to feed. A basic tenet is that you can feed a lot of little mouths, or a few big ones. Managing BG size may become important too, the right amount of cover/pond layout so that you have a range of BG sizes, that can feed bass as they grow from small to large. Again, check out Pond boss. Great source. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Jeremy. Thank you! Yes, much is the same on the other side of the big pond. :) Cheers, Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 in France we are not used to fishing Bass in winter and therefore we do not have too much infos for fishing them. Thanks for your help

@@Spirelare We weren't here in the US either. It's something of a new thing, at least for most anglers here. They bite all winter. Imagine that! ;)

@@thenatureoffishing7591 yes i imagine that very well 😛😂🤩

Lots more real estate to cover in big waters. But, the trick is not to bite off more than you can chew. There are bass using lots of areas. Pick some good habitat and fish it like a pond.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Thanks Doc,Merry Christmas!

Hey, Rich. The guy didn't catch anything that I saw. I didn't get a chance to chat with him as I was out in pond center when he came through. I was curious though. I'm assuming probabilities were pretty low for buzzbaits, or topwater in general, on that day. No fish visible on shorelines and my fish were hugging bottom.

Hi, Sammy. Thanks. Me too. Can't really do a day's fishing justice any other way. I'm using GoPro 4 Silver's, one on my chest and one on my hat. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Justin. I'm not disclosing waters. Mostly bc I don't want people I share those waters with to be concerned I'm sharing "their" waters. Also, they are not special by any means. I choose them for specific, and esoteric, reasons by most people's standards. There are better waters all up and down the front range. I hope you understand. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Johnny. Sounds awesome. I used to fish a largish canal that was drawn down over winter. Pike hotspots were necked down places where some current developed. Pike would hold in the eddies. I'd watch for wind generated current. Good luck with those big pike. They are a cool fish. Paul

Thanks, Morty! I'm all set. When I buy a reel I buy extra spools and bailsprings, even if those springs have to sit around for... decades. Thanks for the kind offer! Hope you have a wonderful holiday. Paul

Hey, BB. That's a good question, on eI've been curious about too. The "stability thing" is something of a strong hypothesis, scarcely a theory, in the fishing world. I’ve ascribed to it, but… the measurements I’ve actually taken and observations along with, don’t fully pan out. Water gains and gives up heat slowly to begin with, so even under those iced up portions of a pond, the water a foot beneath the ice may still be 39F, along with the entire rest of the pond. The real cold (and warm) stuff is on top and only skin deep. So… in essence the whole water body is pretty darn stable. I’ve found, so far, that bass can be anywhere until the surface freezes. They then abandon the shallows, and I find them on bottom. It could be that those fish are actually gravitating toward heat, as the bottoms of my ponds remain 40F virtually all winter long, while the water above drops; Say, 38F a foot or two above. That said, I haven’t ruled out the stability idea, bc I don’t have measurements in short enough intervals over time to get a precise bead on temperature changes, say, during cold fronts. Currently, I ascribe to the “main mass” of water idea -my own term- once the shorelines freeze over. So, stability appears to be part of the story, in the broad sense, but heat, cover/objects, and food, play significant roles too. It’s been documented by telemetry that bass are known to choose cover and/or food over preferred temperature in many waters at any time of year. Come winter though, heat likely becomes more important. Bass can also move into and out of different water zones when needed or wanted. Hope this helps. It’s where I’m at right now. Paul

The Nature of Fishing That does help! Thanks Paul. The number of variables to consider in the natural world is staggering, but I suppose that’s what makes the fishing puzzle so much fun! Colorado is beautiful country, but I do enjoy getting to fish year-round without having to cut holes in ice 😊. Merry Christmas 🎄

@@r.barefoot8386 Yeah, I think all those variables is in part where our big brains stem from. Luckily, ice season is short here, compared to NY where I originally hail from. Merry Christmas to you and yours too, BB.

The Nature of Fishing Your Christmas wishes were heard! We had a record warm front with water temps in the high fifties. Caught a couple of big bass on topwater Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas!

@@r.barefoot8386 Pow!

Hi, John. Big question... The short answer is... never. Not gonna happen for 999999999.999999% of bass grown in the north. Beyond the state record freaks of nature, DD bass are a southern phenomenon, and pretty darn rare down there too. The closest exception in the NE would be the near coastal waters that receive runs of anadromous herring, that offer the potential for exceptional, and sustained, growth rates for bass. But anything near 10lbs is still a freak even in that environment. Most N LMB grow about an inch to a inch-and-half per year upon reaching maturity, which is at usually at 3yrs of age in the N. In my waters here, the average 18" bass, and not all that many actually survive and get there, average 8yrs of age. Few bass live past age 10. Bass live longest in the N, the record I believe is around 25yrs, but that again is a record. Waters that produce the largest bass tend to be: ~2500aces (the sweet spot apparently), highly productive (producing LOTS of appropriate-sized and type of prey, for all life stages), and with a stabilized climate (certain areas, or time periods that buffer temp changes). Age and genetics probably play a lesser role. Some record fish have turned out to be sterile, that is they don't put all those calories into producing hugely costly gametes every year. Don't know whether this has been the case for bass, but it has explained some such freaks of nature. Hope this helps, and doesn't crush your dreams. Unless you are on to something most of us aren't currently aware of, (like some banner herring runs and back to back warm winters) shooting for something in the 8lb range might be a more realistic "lifetime achievement" bass for the N. My 2cents. Paul

The Nature of Fishing Yeah I live in The south east corner of Massachusetts and we have some serious Trout and herring eater. I’ve seen 2 9’s in the last three years. Pretty incredible stuff. Also 5 pound salt water river smallmouth.... you would love it around here it’s about as good as it gets for the north

@@johnmango6056 I suspected you were in SE MA, herring country. Your 10lber won't need more years over a 9, just a whole lot of herring! And be darn efficient about it. Good luck with it. Sounds truly awesome. Very few of us can actually have a realistic dream of a DD bass. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Wyatt. I'm not disclosing waters. Mostly bc I don't want people I share those waters with to be concerned I'm sharing "their" waters. Also, they are not special by any means. There are good waters all up and down the front range. Quite honestly, all of them! Truly. Good luck in your quest. Paul

Hi, Jeff. Thanks. I'm in Colorado.

Your videos are very informative. Keep up the great work. I was really impressed with you line videos. Thanks again. Look forward to some spring fishing videos.

@@AR1576 I'm looking forward to my spring videos too. Ice has been late in coming off; Broke just this week in fact. Paul

Hi, LL. No. But if one could, they'd probably never control the bait or detect a strike at that distance.

BDB, I haven't made a video on fish pain. But, I have looked into the subject a fair amount. The state of the science/art seems to come down to conjecture on how pain is experienced. Some have argued that fish do not possess the brain structures to “feel pain”, at least in the same way we do: In an emotional way that is meant to attract social concern. I am not qualified to weigh in on the subject too deeply, but I can offer my opinion, from what I believe “pain” to be in the broad sense, and from what I’ve seen in my fishing/hunting/wildlife research/veterinary work, and life experience. Pain is something that tells a creature that something is wrong, and the cause avoided. This sounds like “pain” to me at some level, “discomfort” at the very least. Can fish feel “pain”? I believe they do, and at various levels. Many hooked fish show little more than fear, the attempt at escaping. Others, hooked with large hooks through certain tissues, have appeared to react more violently. It sure looks like physical discomfort to me. Questions then are: -How traumatized are they? The obvious one is physical trauma from hook damage. So, I do my best to choose appropriate hooks in the first place, and then to un-hook fish atraumatically. I do this for my own personal ethical/aesthetic reasons, as a matter of respect for a creature trying to survive and prosper in a challenging world. Most hunters I know, and I’m one of them, have great respect, admiration for wild creatures. I’ve actually been planning a video on fish handling and unhooking. I hate to see damaged fish in my fishing waters. -Are they emotionally traumatized? This, I do not believe so, mostly bc while all creatures are social to some extent, very few are as social, and socially emotional, as we humans are. An injured fish is more apt to be eaten by other fish, even conspecifics, as nurtured. Finally, “morally”, I take an ecological view of the living world. And I did not make those rules. I recognize that part of me is a predator, built to take advantage of other living creatures for sustenance. It’s so much a part of us that it is both metabolic sustenance as well as emotive sustenance -what many might call spiritual sustenance- that I speak of. But, being a socially emotional human, capable of mirroring/projecting those emotions on other creatures as well as other humans, I have morals/ethics I must reckon. Best I can do. I’ve thought about this a lot, having had to come to terms with it, esp as a predator. Hope this helps, Paul

The Nature of Fishing thank you so much for your well thought out answer. I’m a big fan of yours now I just found ya. Thanks for your content 👍🏼🇺🇸

Yes! Look for heating in shallows, esp when calm and sunlit. May get last topwater action. I like slow buzzbaits/ spinner baits, waders, and spooks. Also look for fish that are dropping away from dying vegetation, maybe just the outside edge. Swim jigs fished in falls and sweeps. Cranks, moderate with plenty of pauses. Yo-yo’d lipless (rip and flutter). … Also, don’t be afraid of the “cold”. The fish aren’t. Adjust your horizontal speed and find em.

Hi, csmith. Shallows can still draw fish in the fall, and heated areas incident to the sun, can make for aggressive fish. One reason a buzzbait can be such a great fall lure. Always worth looking out for.

Hi, joracer1. Thanks for the vote of confidence. But, tournament fishing just isn't in my blood. Too much time away from family, and a different pace and mindset from how I conduct my fishing. Maybe in another life. :) Cheers, Paul

Hi James. A video on this topic is on my to-do list. But it's a long to-do list. (sigh) Getting off the shore is a big step, in terms of effectiveness. I love shore fishing. But I love boat fishing more. I simply catch more fish, having access to a lot more water. Most importantly, I can position myself in relation to a fishing spot, maybe the most important advantage a boat offers. The main differences I see between tubes and yaks are: -The size and roughness of water each can handle. Tubes are for very small, and pretty calm, waters or sections of water. Yaks can handle larger rougher waters bc they are faster and can handle wind and waves better. -Convenience: Tubes are so easy to transport, and store. Yaks are bigger more unwieldy to handle alone. the bigger and rougher the water you fish, the larger the Yak you'll need. Tubes: Tubes are the most intimate and maneuverable of craft, and comfortable; I simply love mine. The only downsides are: -The flip-side of the stealth tubes offer is that sitting so low in the water means I cannot see into the water, even a short cast away. -The flip-side on the fact that tubes are small and easily transported is that they don’t hold a lot of gear. I’ve had to thoughtfully rig mine so that I can safely carry multiple rods, and other important gear. I also have to be thoughtful about the tackle I bring, and how I pack it, bc there is limited space onboard. This can be a good thing too, making my planning and forethought on appropriate tackle, significant. -The flip-side of that maneuverability is that tubes are slow. Thus, they are relegated to small waters or small areas within larger waters. I'd say a tube is good for waters/areas under 20acres in size. I can cover about 20acres in a day’s fishing, search-wise, but, of course concentrating on much smaller areas. A tube shines in water’s 10acres or less. -Along the same lines of being low and slow, they are for calm waters only. Wind and chop is uncomfortable, wind and waves are potentially dangerous. Kayaks are simply faster, and more sea-worthy, allowing me to cover larger and somewhat more inclement waters. But with yaks, you are getting away from the ease of transport, and slipping more towards a full “boat”. This is especially so if you want to recover the awesome option of standing as you fish. This really requires a large boat-sized yak, usually over 12ft. Mine is a 10fter that I can throw (Ok… carefully tip and push) on top of the truck. But, it’s rigged to fish so there is a lot of sundry gear to affix to it. (Although my tube is heavily modified to fish too.) When I park my truck, I then have a set of wheels to get the rigged-to-fish ‘yak to the water. I can stand in it for paddling, but the concentration required in fishing means I’m sitting down to fish. I added a raised seat and it’s a sit-on-top, so I can see into the water a bit further out than I can in my tube. I own a yak bc I can more efficiently fish larger waters with it, and fish those waters with friends who are yakkers. Since I have a lot of small waters around me, there is actually more float-tube water available to me than I actually have time for though. So... I’d make my decision based on water body size. Lakes, go with a kayak. Ponds, I prefer my float-tube. But, you can make either work in either place. If I were to add another boat, it would be a larger stand-up ‘yak, realizing that that’s adding to the logistical hassles. Many fully rigged-to-fish stand-up yaks are trailered. Hope this helps you with your decision. Cheers, Paul

Wow! I’m really glad I asked you. The amount of thought and experience you hold.... gosh, I really truly appreciate it. Excuse me for jumping ahead, with spring quickly approaching. I want to be ready, and with some of the smaller waters around me. I’m going to give tube floating a try. Thank you and I’ll be continuing to watch your work. One of my favorites is the fishing line series, “Rigged.” Till next time.

Hi, Billy. "Incidence" or "angle of incidence" refers to sun angle, specifically when the sun rays strike an object, bank, or water's surface, perpendicular, providing the greatest heating. I mention this in just about every transition season (spring and fall) video fishing journal since heating and re-heating can be important. I explain more thoroughly in VFJ14 and we get to see it affecting fishing results pretty well in VFJ18, although sometimes it can result in sheer carnage! Still waiting for an opportunity to show that in a fishing journal. Hope this helps. Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Paul, thanks for your reply. I think I misunderstood what you were saying, but I appreciate your reply back!! Love your channel; super informative and you cater to the pond hoppin people like me who don't have big lakes to go to or boats to fish from or $$$ to blow.

Yeah, bass are bass. Big water anglers can learn from small water bass too. Small waters just offer easier access to them; Finding them is a lot less costly. Cheers.

Hi, Paul. No, I never did. My IG is the_nature_of_fishing Try again?

Paul they said. That they were sent Nov. 18 check you DM I bet they are there .

@@paulenglish1741 Got em! Those are some BIG bass! Congrats.

Hi, NS. First, to be clear, I'm not a fisheries biologist -although I look like one! :)) (Old SNL skit). My fisheries background was at the student and technician levels. My professional research work was in physiology, specifically ecophysiology -the interactions between an animal’s physiology and its environment. You can see where my tack in fishing comes from, although, it started prior to my research work. I already knew what direction to head when I came into the research field; Thanks in large part to my fishing, hunting and other in-depth nature interests. “Black Spot” is called hyper-pigmentation (HP) or melanosis (not melanoma -a metastatic cancer). It’s the excessive growth of melanin, the black pigment found in, probably, all animals. The cause is presently, to my knowledge, unknown. It can be genetic in some cases -heritable- or caused by certain toxins (dioxins, I’ve read). Could actually be both, in that the susceptibility to hyperpigmentation could be what’s heritable, and then triggered by something environmental. Interestingly, it can be common in one water body, but not another one nearby. Also, although it’s been seen in a number of fish species, it’s most common in LM and SM bass. One possibly troubling thing is that the frequency of HP cases, in bass anyway, is rising. So far, it does not seem to affect the health or longevity of individuals. But, it’s a complicated world out there, so who knows. The other large “black spots” we see -besides the tiny dots caused by a parasite- are from bruising, usually from hook wounds. These seem to take a couple days to show, and last about a week or so. That's what I know at this point. Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 That was cool. Thank you.