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We all have a few tricks up our sleeves that we rely on heavily when going bass fishing.
There is that one bait in our box that we have had historical success with that we tend to go back to time and time again. Confidence is key when deciding how we want to attack a day on the water.
However, versatility is a key component of maintaining angling success throughout the year. Some might say, "Jack of all trades, master of none."
I would digress when it comes to bass fishing. You can certainly master a few techniques and learn how to be proficient enough with other baits to survive when conditions call for it.
This week we talked with Lake Anna local Timmy Sheridan and picked his brain on strengths, techniques, versatility, and applying new applications when needed.
Featured Angler: Timmy Sheridan
Timmy Sheridan
Age: 19
Hometown: Fluvanna, VA
Home Lake: Lake Anna, VA
Pick Two
Choosing only two baits for an entire year is scary to think about, or at least it is for me. Sometimes the deck of my boat looks like a truckload of setups were dumped with a variety of baits, half of which I never touch for the entirety of the day. I think it's comfort in the chaos.
If you were limited to two baits for an entire year what would they be and why?
"A drop shot. It is such a versatile bait. You can fish it many different ways with numerous different baits deep or shallow, and the fish will bite it year-round at all the places I fish."
"Damaki, the damaki rig is another bait that you can use all year with a ton of different baits and sizes with all different actions. As well as different weights, line sizes, and types," said Sheridan.
Something New
Learning new baits is equally frustrating as fun. Sometimes you can find yourself in a constant mental battle wondering if you're doing something wrong. The payoff can be huge once you get the hang of it, and the new technique becomes another useful tool in your arsenal.
Is there any technique or bait you want to spend more time getting better at this year?
"I want to spend more time on big glide baits and swimbaits just to learn all of them along with little tips and tricks you can use to tune them and make them run differently for a chance at a fish of a lifetime," said Sheridan.
New Lake, Same Me
Going to a new body of water is exciting and also frightening. However, there are a few variables to consider when visiting a new body of water to get the most out of your day.
When going to a new lake do you stick to your strengths or do you try to adapt to tried and true, or historical techniques for that body of water?
"When going to a new lake or lake I haven’t been to in a long time the first thing I look at is watercolor to decide what color baits I need to throw. The second thing I do is look at water temp and time of year to see what phase the fish are generally going to be in. Third I look at what different types of food the bass have to eat in that given lake, which will also determine what baits I’m going to throw."
"Those steps will give you good ideas on what you should do to start breaking a lake down and you can always change and modify things as you go along," said Sheridan.
Adapting and Time on the Water
Fishing is constantly evolving and staying on top of the game takes two ingredients, adapting and time. Nobody consistently catches them without putting time on the water when no one is looking, and adapting to the latest trends and conditions.
How has your fishing style changed over the past few years, and have you become more versatile of an angler?
"As the FFS game has come into play, I had a Tracker Pro 170 with zero electronics. Which made me have to learn about bodies of water by sight. Obviously, in April I stayed shallow and was fishing spawning fish in 0-5 feet depending on clarity. But after the spawn, it got tougher for the rest of the year competing against guys with 10s of thousands of dollars of electronics."
"As you can probably guess I beat the banks a lot and learned different spots by time on the water and looking at Google Earth and Humminbird maps on my phone. But when I upgraded boats and got the Garmin LVS34 and Humminbird Mega 360, it opened my eyes to everything else I was missing or not hitting," said Sheridan.
Timmy saw the technological evolution of bass fishing and quickly got on board learning the new technology. As with many anglers, he spent his time growing up fishing in a more traditional manner, but when the era of fishing evolved, Timmy evolved along with it.
"Now that I’ve had LiveScope for a long time, I’ve gotten very good at “scoping” them, and in the winter months, it's all I usually do. I will still run brush and rock piles and other little things I’ve found, but for fall-winter I have found that most of my fish have come from chasing bait balls in 20-40 feet of water of fishing ledges at the end of February that transition to pre-spawn areas," said Sheridan.
There is an art to scoping, and Timmy embraced it. It's not plug-and-play but the fundamentals he developed before this new era helped set the tone for his fishing style.
"Once the spawn is over and we get to that post-spawn and summertime deal I don’t always stay offshore I move to more brush piles rock piles and deep banks that have rock and stumps and like to drag a jig, drop shot, shakey head, or a big Texas rig in the dirtier water. In the clearer water, I still fish brush and rock with a jig, drop shot, and shakey head," said Sheridan.
The amount most anglers learn when using LiveScope is sped up. Interpreting a bass's behavior and being more efficient are key to using forward-facing sonar. We can now watch behavior in real time and use our judgment on the fly to choose techniques.
"I’ve noticed a key player is a jerk bait for the fish still chasing bait. Another sneaky little deal I’ve been throwing this year at the fish chasing bait in the summer and winter is a Jackal Spy Bait. That is one of the baits I have gained the most confidence in this year. I throw it on 6-8lb Seaguar Tatsu and they just flat out eat it, big ones and little ones," said Sheridan
Angler Analysis
Timmy Sheridan is taking long strides to adapt to the new era of bass fishing. Some might say, "Here's another kid pinging a minnow." However, I see an angler who has remained open-minded and spent his due diligence on the water learning. Although young, we must not forget LiveScope is still relatively new, we all learned through the fundamentals, beating the bank, and instincts. Staying competitive year-round has more layers than it has in the past, and he has embraced it.
It might not be spring on the calendar, but spring has sprung on Lake Anna. If you're looking to get out for some fun fishing or learn about the lake with the latest technology, click the button below!
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