I came across a captivating book about bass; one that I instantly added to my ''best of'' list. Glen Lau, the iconic filmmaker and diver, teamed up with prolific writer and bass fishing historian Ken Duke to create Bass Forever, a hardcover collector item that compelled me from first page to last.
You’ll recognize my fascination with Lau, who died last summer at age 86, and his work. While many anglers adore his masterpiece films Bigmouth and Bigmouth Forever, I’ve always enjoyed the educator in Lau. Despite spending more time observing bass in their natural habitat than any person on earth, Lau never contributed much to popular media on bass. When he did, I sat up and listened. We now have a book-full.
To any reader, some observations may seem to be a stretch. But keep in mind that nearly all of the popular fishing information we’ve relied on for some time has been drawn up through theories. Theories on bass behavior, movement, and the effects of the natural environment.
Lau, however, threw away the lesson plan and formed his own opinions through one-on-one observation. Spending over 15,000 hours underwater, Lau remains the most impartial observer on our favorite fish.
I could write a book on this book. The information contained in Bass Forever is endless. However, I picked out a few interesting topics to get your wheels spinning. Let’s explore together the following Lau teachings:
''Having spent 15,000 hours underwater, I can tell you without a doubt that the sun and moon have an influence on fish and fishing.'' One of the central themes to Lau’s book is the role that the celestial calendar plays in the life of the bass.
For starters, Lau affirmed that the spawning cycle is entirely reliant on a lunar clock. Observations had taught Lau that spawning behavior begins six days prior to the full moon. At that time, he mentioned, male bass begin preparing nests while females rub their bodies on logs to apparently loosen eggs.
In the event that the bass are unable to spawn around this full moon period, they will try again during the following new moon cycle.
More on spawning: Lau confirmed that the largest females spawn earliest, and that the most successful nests are also early in the spring, as late nests are more susceptible to fungus. In addition, female bass play a major role in protecting the nest, contrary to what we have been taught by others.
Lau illustrated that, in all the hundreds of spawning sites he’d observed, the female bass will help guard the nest for one to five days after laying eggs. She maintains a larger perimeter around the nest than the male (likely leading to the misbelief that the female vacates the area) and predominantly deters egg-eating bluegills.
Another note: Lau observed that female largemouth usually pick their male counterparts in and around the spawning grounds. In smallmouth, however, the fish pair up well prior, and move in to spawn together.
Regarding the sun, Lau was quick to affirm that high sun penetration leads to inactive bass buried in cover. However, I found it interesting that he maintained that this changes by the minute. Something as little as a single passing cloud may trigger an active period from the bass. For this reason, Lau recommended anglers should change their tactics just as fast.
Again looking lunar, Lau reported an incredible fishing opportunity centering around the full moon in June. Then, he claimed, bass of all sizes will school together and give anglers a shot at some of the best fishing of their lives. This occurrence was noted all over the country.
Here and elsewhere, Lau talked at length about bass populations, and how the fish in a given lake are usually divided into groups. The ambush predators live shallow and hang around heavy cover. These bass are short and round. Another population, the open-water schoolers, spend much of their lives roaming in search of prey. These fish, Lau stated, feature different colors and an overall long, thin body shape. Numerous times in the book, Lau pointed out these very unique, distinguishable groups.
More on the ever-changing bass: Cold fronts are real. Lau observed that, after a severe cold front, bass became so inactive that he could often swim up and touch them. At times, large groups of fish held in such a tight school that their bodies rested on each other.
The reason behind this behavior remained a mystery, even to Lau. At times, he observed such behavior with no apparent change in water temperature. Like many, Lau’s thinking went back to barometric drop as a reason for this behavior.
Lau dispelled a few myths. ''Contrary to belief, bass do not move shallower when the water muddies,'' he noted. And, regarding wind, Lau pointed out that wind does not move baitfish. At all. In fact, his take on the matter enlightens the reader as to what a farce such thinking is in the natural world. Lau does conclude that plankton levels and locations could be influenced by wind, thus adding an attraction for baitfish in affected areas.
As we know, seasonal changes bring a change in bass behavior. According to Lau, in much of the country, bass are often inactive in summer. In fact, Lau claimed that big bass ''shut down almost completely during the day … they move into the heaviest cover they can find, usually near deep water, and sleep through much of the day.''
Yes, you read that right. Lau claimed that, on many occasions, he approached what could only be observed as a sleeping bass, resting on the bottom, completely unaware of his presence. After a quick touch, the sleeper would dart off.
A list of these points of interest would be pages long. Lau’s book is truly eye-opening.
For some, Lau’s claims will undauntedly be met with skepticism. More educated than ever, we have some real hard data on bass based on modern scientific research. Perhaps such technical know-how won’t jive with Lau’s clams.
But does 15,000 hours spent on the bottom of the lake override the same time spent in the library?
That’s up to you.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
