Pattern Fishing
By: John R. Pulliam

After rigging up your lure of choice, casting it out to a likely holding spot, and catching a bass, a thought that should run across every angler's mind is if they have come across a pattern that is going to put fish in the livewell for the day.
A pattern is a group of circumstances, that when all put together, will outproduce another pattern. When determining if a pattern has come together, keep in mind that you are looking for how the fish are relating to particular lures, where you are catching the fish, which depth you are catching the fish, the water temperature, wind conditions, and what lure you are catching the fish with.
If you are catching fish around the same structure, on the same lure, with the same temperature readings, then, of course, this tells you what pattern the majority of the fish will be on, and where to look at, on the body of water that you are fishing, to find more fish. However, if you are catching fish using the same lure, but they are coming from different types of structure, and different types of cover, this can not be a completely solid pattern.
Also, be advised that several different patterns may be found on the same lake, during a given fishing day. The best way to determind if there is more than one pattern is by catching fish on two different lures, in two totally different locations... such as catching a bass in shallow water around docks with rocks and also catching a bass on a hump in 20 feet of water with weeds. Often times, most lakes will play host to two or three patterns that will produce numbers of fish, but more times than not, one of those patterns will produce bigger fish.
Another thought on pattern fishing consists of not catching fish at all. Although, finding a pattern usually means that fish are being caught, a pattern can also be found by not catching any fish. Take, for example, a lake that has shallow weeds, shallow wood cover, and deeper water with humps. If an angler is fishing all three of these places, and does not catch bass in and around the shallow weeds, then, mentally, the angler must make a note that says that the pattern on the lake does not involve the shallow weeds. The next move would be to look toward the wood cover and deep water humps. Once fish are being caught, then, the pattern will reveal itself. Often times, this is how patterns are discovered, by eliminating unproductive water, cover, and structure.
Finally, most patterns are season specific. Although bass can be caught shallow in all seasons, anglers are not going to look shallow for spawning bass in the heat of the summer. On the same note, when the fish are spawning in the shallows, you are not going to look in the deepest areas of the lake to find fish. Starting off with the right frame of thought, will eliminate 50% of the unproductive water.
Pattern fishing can be some of the best fishing that an angler comes across, and an angler will have a great deal of self satisfaction in knowing that they uncovered a pattern, and start putting fish in the livewell. Also, a great deal of humility will come in knowing when to trade lures and locations, when a certain pattern does not produce.
As always, be safe on the water.

John R. Pulliam