Apr 26, 2009

The Secret of Better Bass Fishing - Understanding the Food Ladder

An easy way to quickly improve your bass fishing results is to understand the feeding ladder of bass. As any bass fisherman knows minnows, shad and other small fish are a staple of the bass diet. Any one who watching these small fish circling a fishing light at night has also seen the larger fish that lurk on the outer borders of these circling bait fish feeding upon them as they pass by. A better understanding of the feeding habits of the bait fish will make it easier for you to locate the bass that feed upon them.

The basic source of food for the smaller bait fish is the animal form of plankton called Zooplankton. Where this Zooplankton is found the bait fish will be present in abundance. At the bottom of the food ladder is the diet of the Zooplankton. The only thing that Zooplankton feed upon is the plant form of plankton called Phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton is composed of algae among other things. All of the plant forms that are covered by the term phytoplankton contain chlorophyll. This will cause the water to become discolored or stained when phytoplankton are present in large numbers. A sudden increase in the phytoplankton is also often referred to as a bloom.

When a fisherman is able to locate a bloom then he is certain to be very successful because the entire food ladder will be present in great numbers. The large number of Phytoplankton will attract an increased number of Zooplankton. The increase in Zooplankton in turn will attract large numbers of the small bait fish with the hungry bass following close behind. By fishing the borders of the swarming bait fish the bass fisherman will find that his fishing success will have stepped up to a higher level.

Ken Garrett
For more Bass fishing information go to http://gonebassfishing.com


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