Cover and Structure for Bass Fishing

Cover and Structure for Bass Fishing

Second Revision

ISBN: 978-1-312-66105-9

No portion of this ebook can be reprinted without express written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 2015 Carlton Doc Holliday, All Rights Reserved

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First, I want to thank You for Your interest in this ebook Finding and Fishing Cover and Structure for Bass and for taking a positive step towards becoming a better bass fisherman.

Due to aging of bodies of water and attempts to get rid of some cover like moss and other vegetation due to pressure from recreational boaters, water skiers and jet skiers it is becoming harder and harder for bass fishermen to find visible cover. 

The intent of this book is to examine the various types of cover and structure bass use and how to locate and fish that cover and structure.

This book spells out the equipment and tackle requirements, and fishing methodology, helpful hints, and mistakes made during the Professional Bass Fishing career of Carlton Doc Holliday.

Many fishermen and ladies and several top professional fishermen earning tens of thousands of dollars fishing monthly have utilized these methods and are still earning thousands of dollars from tournaments every month.

One other reason for this book has to do with the age of the author.  As I have aged, my memory is not what it used to be and also it has become cluttered with a lot of information from years of fishing.  This format provides, on every trip, a quick reference manual.

Preface

The big question of most fishermen or ladies is when to look to structure or to cover to find bass.  Natural cover is mostly found in shallow water under about 25 feet while the structure is present from the shoreline to the deepest parts of a body of water.  Understanding when and why bass relate to deep or shallow water is a key in deciding which to search out.

There are many reasons a bass might prefer to stay deep and therefore is limited to available structure.  A typical situation would be where baitfish are, following phytoplankton and zooplankton, the microscopic life forms they feed on, following organic particles driven by water (deep) or wind (shallow) current.  Assuming there is sufficient dissolved oxygen content, they can live at great depths, limited only by sufficient sunlight penetration, deeper in clear water.  They will choose a certain depth supporting the most comfortable temperature range.  When any lower food chain change occurs, the upper food chain (predators) must adjust or go hungry.

Another reason is in post spawn.  Bass will have spent weeks and sometimes months extremely exposed to discomfort in very shallow water and rarely if ever inclined to feed even in the presence of bountiful food supplies.  They lose weight, burn fat, and when spawning is complete, retreat to the deepest comfort level possible to recuperate.  That never falls below a thermocline beginning to develop as surface water warms.  Below the thermocline, there is not enough oxygen for survival beyond minutes.  Observing that mixing layer between deepest, coldest deep water (hypolimnion) and the warmer, oxygenated shallower, warmer water (epilimnion) is very important, eliminating a huge portion of any lake, no matter how interesting a structure You can find below that layer.  It is simply the zone of rapid temperature change from cold to warm where oxygen is mixed with dead water below.  Oxygen only absorbs so far, however much current is able to mix the two water layers present in most lakes.  Within a few weeks, the weak bass manages to catch enough prey to regain strength, leaving the sanctuary of deep structure for shallow structure and ultimately cover.

Bass will relate to cover as soon as possible because most of their preferred prey soon relates to cover when shallow water warms enough to keep the lower food chain around cover.  When the bass arrive in shallow water, they find good hunting and shelter around familiar structure, and will visit the less protective cover to feed, then retreat to deeper structure nearby.  Eventually aquatic cover grows dense enough to match the protective features of deeper structure, many mature bass choosing to spend feeding and resting hours alike under mats of hydrilla or lily pads, remaining invisible to predators above.  When some species of invasive plants grow so thick a bass cannot safely penetrate it, they become more edge oriented, and if they cannot get under the cover must retreat increasingly to deeper structure to rest, returning to shallow cover only to actively feed.

It is very similar to the way we live our lives.  We all have a specific route we use in getting to work each day and along that route are buildings, signs, etc. that we use, even if unconsciously, to guide us to our place of work.  We do the same when going to our favorite neighborhood restaurant.  Bass do the same thing.  They use structure as their guide to specific areas of their territory where they work, which is where they eat and follow the primal instinct to continue the species.

Biography / Credentials

What gives me the right to offer or teach You anything about bass fishing?  Here is a brief bio of my career as a Professional Bass Fisherman.

Carlton Doc Holliday began his competitive fishing career in Fort Smith, Arkansas in the mid1960’s with the Fort Smith Bass Masters Club.  At that time, Bill Norman was the best fisherman in the club and working to get REBEL manufacturing off the ground.  Bill and I became instant friends and I even helped out when I had free time with the effort at Rebel manufacturing.  Bill and I became very good friends and fishing partners.

During these years Bill Norman and I became the club members to beat in the bass club.  We consistently were in the top six of the club every year and fished many BASS Federation state and regional tournaments.

Bill Norman and Bill Dance were going to Shoal Bay on Lake Dardanelle one weekend with one of the new Rebel bass boats to allow Bill Dance to practice on the lake for an upcoming BASS Regional Tournament.  Bill Dance was a Rebel Sponsored fisherman at the time and was looking at the new Rebel Bass Boat.  Somewhere along the way the new Rebel bass boat left the vehicle and crashed.

Bill Norman knew I was at Shoal Bay for the week end with my family.  He continued to Shoal Bay and brought Bill Dance to our travel trailer and introduced me to Bill Dance.  He explained the circumstances and asked me to show Bill Dance all the good fishing areas close to Shoal Bay on Lake Dardanelle.

As luck would have it, Bill and I absolutely loaded the boat.  It seemed everywhere we went we caught bass.  Bill was most helpful to me in the fact he taught me some new techniques and educated me in several methods to help me become a better bass fisherman.

Bill Dance was impressed with my abilities and tried and tried to get me to turn Pro and join him on the BASS circuit.  He even got Bill Norman to work on me too.

At that time I had a wife and three children and a pretty good job and was not willing to gamble on the fishing circuit at that level yet.  However, Bill Dance sparked my interest in tournament fishing and I was committed to bass fishing week end tourneys while still working.

In the 1970’s, I moved to Oklahoma and began fishing the Oklahoma Outdoors Tournament Trail.  During these tournaments I was paired with Jimmy Houston a couple of times and Jimmy and I became good friends.  Jimmy introduced me to his wife, Chris and my wife and I became good friends with. Jimmy and Chris.

I teamed up with Jimmy to fish night buddy tournaments on Lake Tenkiller for a couple of years and we performed quite well, winning several of the tournaments.

Jimmy took me to school and taught me how to use and fish the spinnerbait.

Jimmy got the bug to go pro and joined BASS as a pro fisherman with the help of Forrest Woods and Ranger Boats.  Jimmy and Chris lived in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and we lived in Sallisaw, Oklahoma only 30 miles away.  One afternoon Jimmy called and invited us to a cookout at his house.  During this cookout he introduced me to Forrest Woods.  I knew Forrest from his days as a guide on the White River and trout fishing trips with my father in the past.

Jimmy and Forrest kept after me to join him and Forrest and join the BASS circuit.  I actually got to fish a couple of BASS tournaments at both of their insistence and help.  As expected I did not do as well as I would have liked with a 20th place finish in one tournament and a 35th place finish in the other tournament.  I did not think I was ready for primetime.  Of course they both jumped in and reminded me I had just beaten over a hundred fishermen in each of those tournaments.

In the 1980’s, I moved to South Arkansas and really began tournament fishing in earnest.  I teamed with my Quality Supervisor and we both joined the Camden Bass Club and the El Dorado Bass Club.  We fished many open buddy tournaments and won most of them.  Then we joined the US Bass Buddy Circuit.

We had done very well at the local level and thought we were ready for the big time.  Wrong!  We found out that the level of talent in the bigger circuits is much higher (I already learned that lesson in the BASS Tournaments I fished and guess I forgot) than local bass clubs.  Point is, do not overestimate Your ability.

My supervisor and I continued to fish tournaments and we won many open buddy tournaments and became the number one and two fishermen in each bass club.  My partner started backing out on some tournaments so our fishing got cut back a bit.

Eventually I branched out and began fishing circuits like Mr. Bass of Arkansas, Country Boy Arkansas Circuit, and Redman Ozark and Arkie Divisions all of which were draw tournaments.

In 1987, my wife Darlene (Dee) retired from Wal-Mart and decided she wanted to bass fish.  We bought a Bass Tracker 1800 fiberglass boat with a 150 HP motor and began fishing as a team.  She learned quickly and before long we were fishing the Arkansas Guys and Gals, Arkansas Team Bass, and Anglers Choice team circuits.

Carlton Doc Holliday and his wife, Darlene Dee Holliday only tournament fished together for 5 years.  In early 1992, Carlton and his wife were practicing for a bass tournament the following weekend on Lake Ouachita.  Dee got a call from home and promptly went home and when she got back that evening, informed Carlton that we had inherited and had custody of our grandson.  We continued to fish tournaments and took our grandson with us.

In October of that year, Carlton had a heart attack thus the early retirement ended along with the professional fishing career.

All told, both individually and as a team, Doc and Dee won over 30 bass tournaments and placed in the top 5 in over 70 bass tournaments.

The last 3 years of their career as professional bass fishermen were spent with Doc fishing in the Mr. Bass of Arkansas Championship on Lake Ouachita in 1990 and finishing third, winning the Arkansas Guys and Gals Championship in 1991, Doc finishing seventh overall in the Arkie Division of the Redman Circuit in 1991 and becoming eligible to fish the Redman Regional Tournament in Columbus Mississippi where he finished 20th.

Career winnings resulted in a little over $85,000.00, but remember, bass tournaments did not pay the big bucks back then that they pay now.  For instance, the Arkansas Guys and Gals paid $1,000.00 for a first place – we won 5 Guys and Gals tournaments in 1990 and 1991.  Another example would be Doc winning second place and big bass in a Redman Arkie tournament on Lake Dardanelle and making more prize money than the first place winner.

I believe those credentials do qualify me to offer information to You about being A better bass fisherman.  There was a catch phrase on TV and radio a few years ago that said:  "Fishing is a lot more fun when You catch fish" and it still is true today.

Bass fishing can be as relaxing and fulfilling an outdoor activity as there is.  A lot of fishermen will tell You that it is the most frustrating activity they ever participated in.

That is what I am trying to do away with.  With just a little knowledge, observation, patience, the proper mind set and equipment You will enjoy bass fishing.

Carlton Doc Holliday and his wife, Darlene Dee Holliday are both retired after successfully getting our grandson through high school and live in Joplin, Arkansas two minutes from Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs, Arkansas.  We can be reached by email at: carltonholliday@yahoo.com  If You should happen to want or need info on the lake or ask a question about any of this material please contact us

Carlton Doc Holliday

Chapter 1 - The Quarry, the Environment and the Fisherman

Part 1 - The Quarry

A - General

Bass Fishing has been viewed as a relaxing way for people to unwind and reset their priorities over a weekend fishing experience.  This is absolutely true for a small percentage of individuals, and very false for several others.  Bass fishing for many individuals can be the most frustrating experience they have ever had, especially if they do not catch any bass.

Bass fishing is a contest between two individuals of equal and reasonable intelligence.  If You have the slightest competitive spirit in Your genes, You will become most competitive while fishing.  It may be competing with a buddy, friend or Your spouse.  The actual competition is really between You and the bass.

Make no mistake, the Largemouth Bass is just as intelligent as You are and You are at a disadvantage to begin with.  You must try and outsmart this wary creature in his own environment and surroundings.  It just makes sense that in order to level the playing field for these contests, You must learn as much as possible about this adversary.  A discussion about the quarry is in order.

Micropterus Salmoides is the scientific name for the Largemouth Bass.  The common names for the largemouth bass include black bass, green bass, Florida bass, bigmouth, bucket mouth, line sides and green trout.

The largemouth bass is the largest member of the sunfish family.  It generally has light greenish to brownish sides with a dark lateral line which tends to break into blotches towards the tail.  Sometimes confused with the smallmouth and spotted bass, it is easily distinguished because the jaw extends beyond the rear edge of the eye.  Also, its first and second dorsal fins are almost separated by an obvious deep dip, and there are no scales on the soft-rayed second dorsal fin or on the anal fin.

There are two recognized subspecies:  the northern largemouth and the Florida largemouth.  The two look very much alike, but the Florida largemouth has 69 – 73 scales along the lateral line compared to the northern largemouth’s 59 – 65 scales.  Florida bass grow to trophy size more readily than northern largemouth in warm waters.

The range for largemouth includes virtually every state within the United States.  There have been many stockings in the South, Southeast, and Southwest part of the country of the Florida strain of largemouth bass.  Genetic mixing between the species has occurred.

The habitat preferred by largemouth bass is clear, non-flowing waters with aquatic vegetation where food and cover are available.  They occupy brackish to freshwater habitats, including upper estuaries, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and ponds.  They can tolerate a wide range of water clarities and bottom types, prefer water temperatures from 65 to 85 degrees, and are usually found at depths less than 20 feet.

The Senses of A Bass

Vision

Bass have a keen sense of vision, which helps them find food, shelter, mates, and avoid predators.  A bass’s vision is on a par with our own vision.  Many bass can see colors and some can see extremely well in dim light.

A bass’s eye is different from ours.  The bass eye has a lens that is perfectly spherical, which enables them to see underwater.  They focus by moving the lens in and out instead of stretching it like we do.  Largemouth bass have a special eye structure which amplifies the incoming light.

Smell

So how does a bass smell?  Bass have two nostrils on each side of their snout.  One is the anterior nostril and the other is the posterior nostril.  Water flows into the anterior nostril, over the olfactory nerves, and back out through the posterior nostril.  No link exists between the sets of nostrils and their throat.  As the water holding the scent molecules flows across the olfactory nerves, a message is sent to the brain, where the scent is classified as a positive or negative scent.  Bass then act on the sense by a conditioned response.

A lot of scientific research shows some fish are drawn to chemical sources from hundreds of yards away.  Other studies indicate fish can recognize aquatic plants and other fish in the same school by individual smell.  A fish’s ability to smell has been documented to be approximately 1,000 times better than a dog.  Fish Biologists also proved in some fish species that a fish’s system of smell can double and even triple as the fish age.

Let us look at the normal behavior of a bass.  Bass find their prey by sight or sound first.  The last sense activated is smell.  It still plays a critical role in a bass’s life.  When a bass hears or feels the presence of bait he comes over to investigate the movement or sound.  As the bass moves closer to the bait, he is expecting the final stimulus, smell, to be coming from the bait.  As he strikes and crushes the bait, he is expecting the flavor of the prey to be confirmed by his sense of smell.  Smell is an important final stimulus.

Hearing and Touch

Have You ever seen a bass’s ear?  Probably not, but they do have them.  They are located within their bodies as well as the lateral line system that allows them to feel their surroundings.  Bass do not have external ears, but sound vibrations readily transmit from the water through the bass’s body to its internal ears.

Largemouth bass also have another sense that is a combination of hearing and touch.  The lateral line receives signals stimulated in sequence, and gives the bass much more information (feeling other fish around it for polarized schooling, and short-range prey detection, kind of a sense of distant touch.)

Spawning habits include occurrence from December through May, but usually begins in February and March in most of the southern part of the country when water temperatures reach 58 to 65 degrees and continues as temperatures rise into the 70’s.

The male builds a saucer-shaped nest 20 to 30 inches in diameter by placing its lower jaw near the bottom and rotating around this central location.  Bass prefer to build nests in hard-bottom areas along shallow shorelines or in protected areas such as canals or coves.

Depending on her size, the female can lay up to 100,000 eggs, which are fertilized as they settle into the nest.  Distinguishing between male and female bass is very difficult.  As a general rule, the smaller of the two on a nest is the male.

After spawning is complete, usually 5 to 10 days, the male guards the nest and the eggs and later the young (called fry) attacking anything that approaches the nest.  The female bass stays near the nest or may swim a short distance and remain listless for up to a day.

After hatching, the fry swim in tight schools, disbanding when the small fish reach a length of about one inch.

The size of a bass determines their feeding habits.  Young fish feed on microscopic animals (zooplankton) and small crustaceans such as grass shrimp and crayfish.  Fingerling bass feed on insects, crayfish and small fishes.  Adult bass will eat whatever is available, including fish, crayfish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, mice, turtles and even birds.

Growth rates are highly variable with attributes pertaining to their food supply and length of growing season.  Female bass live longer than males and are much more likely to reach trophy size.  By age two or three, females grow much faster than males.  Male bass seldom exceed 16 inches, while females frequently surpass 22 inches.  At age 5, females may be twice the weight of males.