When one gets away, it’s time to find out why

The ultimate fishing experience for many anglers is that moment after they feel the tick of a bite and sweep the rod back to drive the hook point into the jaw of their favorite species.

It’s what makes jig fishing exciting for many walleye anglers. And it certainly is what motivates bass fishing’s flippers and pitchers.

I’m in the latter group, as many readers have come to learn, and I can think of nothing more mysteriously appealing than when a bass sucks in my Texas-rigged soft plastic bait. My brain clicks into instinct mode and my shoulders square for a two-armed hookset.

A lot can happen in the second or two between the tick and the jerk. As a matter of fact, a lot also can go wrong in that amazingly brief period of time.

I’ve been dropping baits into bass hide-outs for many years and have experienced just about every kind of emotional high and low. You learn from the successes, of course, but I believe you learn even more from the disappointments. When you miss connecting with a good fish in a snaggy spot, or lose one, it’s good to examine what went wrong.

Precision

Tight-quarters bass fishing involves very precise presentations into cover like flooded willows, gnarly stumps, criss-cross log jams, boat docks and stringy matted vegetation. The tactics that work best in such places are flipping and pitching, both short-line techniques that require heavy line and a stout rod.

In flipping and pitching, getting the bite is only part of the job. They’ll come, for sure, because bass love those nasty places. The real work begins after the fish takes the bait.

And that is the time when anglers must have their act together if they are to be successful in winching the bass to the boat.

To avoid headaches and heartbreaks in heavy cover, anglers need to be alert for a strike any time the bait is in the water. A bass’ location in cover often is predictable — it’s typically in the shadiest spot — but they will surprise anglers sometimes, depending on sky conditions and wind direction.

When flippers and pitchers lose fish, it’s often because they weren’t ready for the bite. The remedy is simple: Expect a bite every time you flip your bait into the cover. If you are ready to set the hook the moment the bait disappears below the surface, you will establish control, and thus the upper hand, in your battle with the fish.

Too much line

Another mistake anglers make in heavy cover fishing is having too much line off the reel. The extra seconds required to reel in slack line provides time for the fish to swim into the limbs or roots or around the posts of docks. The idea in all fishing, and particularly in heavy cover situations, is to set up on a direct line between the rod and the fish. Anything less will result in a weak hookset and lost fish.

Problems also are encountered by anglers who opt to toss baits into cover on relatively light line. Even modest-size fish in the 2- to 3-pound class will easily break the line if it’s rubbing the cover.

Close-quarters bass fishing requires strong line — mono or fluorocarbon of 17- to 20-pound test is recommended. In areas with thick vegetation, many bass anglers employ braided superlines that can actually cut the greenery.

Strong rods also are a necessity in heavy cover bassin’. They provide power on the hookset and leverage as the angler reels in the thrashing fish.

Flipping and pitching are recognized as tactics that often deliver impressive results, not only in numbers of bass, but also in the size of the fish. The action is truly exciting for those who are prepared for the inevitable unforeseen circumstances.

Those who are ready for anything and everything will score. Those who aren’t will go home disappointed.

jwwollitz@aol.com