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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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Sometimes, the best bass action
comes from the back of the boat
comes from the back of the boat
John N. Felsher lands a bass he caught while fishing with Mike
Iaconelli, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from Runnemede,
N.J. (Photo by Mike Iaconelli)
Iaconelli, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from Runnemede,
N.J. (Photo by Mike Iaconelli)
Most bass anglers prefer to occupy the front of a boat because they get
the first crack at fish.
As someone currently without a boat, I’m at the mercy of those who do
own boats. Therefore, I face three choices: sit in the back, fish from the bank
or stay home. Given those choices, I’ll gladly climb onto the back deck.
Front-enders, usually boat owners, typically position boats in the most
advantageous spots to throw to the most inviting structure. They frequently
fire first and might catch the most aggressive fish. However, the back of the
boat holds a few advantages.
“In the Pro-Am circuit, I fished in the back a lot,” said Barbara Williams, a
veteran of several women’s professional bass circuits. “I like fishing in the
back. Several times, I was tearing fish up in the back and the person in front
wasn’t catching anything.”
In the biggest advantage, the person in front controls the boat. In the
biggest disadvantage, the person in front controls the boat. The person in
front determines where the boat goes, but with that power comes
responsibility. Controlling a boat, especially in windy conditions, requires time
and effort. Without such worries, the person in back can concentrate more on
fishing.
“People in the front usually have albatrosses around their necks called
trolling motors,” said Ron Castille, a bass tournament promoter. “Many
people who never fish in the front don’t appreciate all the work that goes into
operating a trolling motor and keeping the boat in position, especially on a
windy day.”
Freed from the burden of boat control, back-seaters can put more
thought into lure selection, placement or retrieve. Sometimes, they must put
more thought into fishing just to keep up. Back-seaters can more easily
observe how and what a front-seater throws and analyze the results.
“People could fish the best lures in the world, but if they fish in the wrong
place, they won’t catch anything,” said Bill Dance, a legendary professional
angler. “Even a bad lure fished at the right depth will catch some fish.”
Sometimes, bass refuse to strike anything by one particular type or color
lure. If so, the person in back can still make slight changes. A back-seater
can perhaps use a slightly different size or may retrieve a bait slightly slower,
quicker or deeper than the other person. Anything different might put more
fish in a boat.
“I’ve seen where bass would only hit a certain color of worm,” Williams
said. “Just a little thing like switching to a smaller weight to make a worm sink
slower might work. Sometimes, the person in front has to adjust to the back-
seater’s pattern.”
Back-seaters should watch where the person in the bow throws and pick
a different section, angle, type of water or cover. Typically, the person in
front throws ahead of the boat, hits cover facing the boat and retrieves toward
the boat. Bass hiding on the other side of structure may never see that lure.
With the entire stern of the boat as a casting platform, a back-seater can
make repeated casts to one object, working cover from several angles with
varied retrieves, without fear of disturbing the person in front.
Sometimes, fish might hit lures running a bit differently. Perhaps, sunlight
glints off the lure better in the opposition direction or the current makes an
unseen submerged eddy or pocket. Whatever the reason, by hitting the
backside of structure, back-seaters might fish “new” water and put more bass
in the livewell.
Common courtesy dictates that front-seaters NOT throw at every sweet
spot, but leave some “new” waters for back-seaters to try. They may make
one or two casts to a particular piece of cover before moving on to the next
inviting target. When sharing confined waters, back-seaters should watch
where their partners throw, but courteous front-seaters should also leave
enough room for the other person to fish.
“In some tight spots, the person in back simply can’t throw,” Williams
said. “In those cases, try whatever you can. I usually flip a worm or a jig in
water that is not normally fished. If the boat sits over a deep hole, while the
other person throws shallow, the back-seater can often catch unexpected
fish. The only time I know of when the back-seater is at a disadvantage is
when fishing around boat docks. The front-seater has the best angle and the
back-seater might have trouble getting into the right spot.”
Back-seaters, forced to do something differently or fish unfished waters,
frequently discover patterns others might never try. Good partners can work
together to increase the action for both. They can communicate on lure
selection and any activity that might indicate a pattern. More eyes watching
and brains analyzing the situation can increase the likelihood of finding fish.
the first crack at fish.
As someone currently without a boat, I’m at the mercy of those who do
own boats. Therefore, I face three choices: sit in the back, fish from the bank
or stay home. Given those choices, I’ll gladly climb onto the back deck.
Front-enders, usually boat owners, typically position boats in the most
advantageous spots to throw to the most inviting structure. They frequently
fire first and might catch the most aggressive fish. However, the back of the
boat holds a few advantages.
“In the Pro-Am circuit, I fished in the back a lot,” said Barbara Williams, a
veteran of several women’s professional bass circuits. “I like fishing in the
back. Several times, I was tearing fish up in the back and the person in front
wasn’t catching anything.”
In the biggest advantage, the person in front controls the boat. In the
biggest disadvantage, the person in front controls the boat. The person in
front determines where the boat goes, but with that power comes
responsibility. Controlling a boat, especially in windy conditions, requires time
and effort. Without such worries, the person in back can concentrate more on
fishing.
“People in the front usually have albatrosses around their necks called
trolling motors,” said Ron Castille, a bass tournament promoter. “Many
people who never fish in the front don’t appreciate all the work that goes into
operating a trolling motor and keeping the boat in position, especially on a
windy day.”
Freed from the burden of boat control, back-seaters can put more
thought into lure selection, placement or retrieve. Sometimes, they must put
more thought into fishing just to keep up. Back-seaters can more easily
observe how and what a front-seater throws and analyze the results.
“People could fish the best lures in the world, but if they fish in the wrong
place, they won’t catch anything,” said Bill Dance, a legendary professional
angler. “Even a bad lure fished at the right depth will catch some fish.”
Sometimes, bass refuse to strike anything by one particular type or color
lure. If so, the person in back can still make slight changes. A back-seater
can perhaps use a slightly different size or may retrieve a bait slightly slower,
quicker or deeper than the other person. Anything different might put more
fish in a boat.
“I’ve seen where bass would only hit a certain color of worm,” Williams
said. “Just a little thing like switching to a smaller weight to make a worm sink
slower might work. Sometimes, the person in front has to adjust to the back-
seater’s pattern.”
Back-seaters should watch where the person in the bow throws and pick
a different section, angle, type of water or cover. Typically, the person in
front throws ahead of the boat, hits cover facing the boat and retrieves toward
the boat. Bass hiding on the other side of structure may never see that lure.
With the entire stern of the boat as a casting platform, a back-seater can
make repeated casts to one object, working cover from several angles with
varied retrieves, without fear of disturbing the person in front.
Sometimes, fish might hit lures running a bit differently. Perhaps, sunlight
glints off the lure better in the opposition direction or the current makes an
unseen submerged eddy or pocket. Whatever the reason, by hitting the
backside of structure, back-seaters might fish “new” water and put more bass
in the livewell.
Common courtesy dictates that front-seaters NOT throw at every sweet
spot, but leave some “new” waters for back-seaters to try. They may make
one or two casts to a particular piece of cover before moving on to the next
inviting target. When sharing confined waters, back-seaters should watch
where their partners throw, but courteous front-seaters should also leave
enough room for the other person to fish.
“In some tight spots, the person in back simply can’t throw,” Williams
said. “In those cases, try whatever you can. I usually flip a worm or a jig in
water that is not normally fished. If the boat sits over a deep hole, while the
other person throws shallow, the back-seater can often catch unexpected
fish. The only time I know of when the back-seater is at a disadvantage is
when fishing around boat docks. The front-seater has the best angle and the
back-seater might have trouble getting into the right spot.”
Back-seaters, forced to do something differently or fish unfished waters,
frequently discover patterns others might never try. Good partners can work
together to increase the action for both. They can communicate on lure
selection and any activity that might indicate a pattern. More eyes watching
and brains analyzing the situation can increase the likelihood of finding fish.
