BEN HUDSON
BLUE COLLAR BASSIN’
The Change
“What causes fishing to change from year to year?”
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One of the most unique aspects of our great sport of fishing is that two days of fishing are never the same, and because of that, patterns and techniques are constantly changing which makes dominating in the sport insanely difficult. In other sports like basketball or football, a recreational player wouldn’t stand a chance against a professional athlete in a million years. However, in our unique sport, a high school angler could beat a top angler like Kevin Vandam or Jordan Lee on any given day, if the fish cooperate for them. It’s one of, if not the only, sport in the world with that much variance among its competitors. What makes it that way?
Change.
As I said, fishing is a constantly changing sport. Fish change patterns, new techniques emerge, anglers figure out new styles, new technology comes out. All of this causes our favorite bodies of water to vary within themselves, year to year a lake can almost fish like two separate lakes because of how much it can change.
Here in Virginia where TheBassCast is located, we have seen it firsthand at one of our home bodies of water, Smith Mountain Lake. The lake changes on a yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily basis. One day the crankbait bite will be strong with a windy day, other days with sunny still conditions a shaky head works better. It’s never the exact same day in and day out.
From a long term perspective, it seems like one year the crawfish bite will be strong. However, the next year the bass will be eating more baitfish and the crankbait and jerkbait bite will be more dominant than normal. This constantly changing of patterns is what makes fishing such a unique sport to keep up with, and why any angler can beat anyone on any given day.
Not just locally though, we see it all the way across the United States. Kentucky Lake in particular is fighting a change in a negative way with the serious overpopulation of Asian carp in the lake. The anglers have had to adapt around that from the traditional way the lake fishes to avoid the carp.
However, change can definitely be a positive thing though too! The introduction of the zebra mussels in the Lake Erie and Lake St.Clair area has created smallmouth fisheries that are unbelievable and are bringing tourists from across the country just for the chance to fish these amazing fisheries.
Whether it’s a local lake for us in Virginia, or any legendary fishery in North America, change is something we will always have to deal with in bass fishing. As an angler though, I wouldn’t have it any other way, because that’s what makes our sport exciting, and in my opinion, the best sport out there!!
Tight lines friends!!
Ben Hudson
Blue Collar Bassin’
TheBassCast.com