Bass have a big appetite, but studies have shown that they tend to have a preference for a particular forage type. They like a long, thin prey better than they do a short, fat one. They're basically efficiency oriented as is any predator, and that's just a natural course of evolution. In Florida we were catching a lot of 2-3 pound bass on long, but thin Wild Shiners long ago. This is true anywhere, We used long, thin, jerkbaits and crankbaits when the water was cold, and it worked great in the northeast and beyond, but when they can see the bait, even in warmer water a small bass or even a large Bluegill will sometimes hit a 6-8 inch thin bait.

If they can catch something that's long, they can swallow something bigger than they can if it's short. In other words, a fish that has a 3-inch girth and is 7 inches long would obviously have more meat than a fish that is 3 inches long with a 3-inch girth.

"The bass tend to prefer the long thin forage," says big bass specialist, Doug Hannon. "I think that's why the injured minnow plugs are such successful lures. I can hold lures up to the window of my tank, different sized lures and different shapes, and watch the fish come to them. In a lot of cases, they'll come right up to the glass if they're interested and wait for it to move. If it is moved in a certain way, they'll hammer the glass after it."

"They'll come right to a thin, minnow-type lure just held in your hand," he says. "When you put the shorter lures, or fat lures up there, the bass will hold their position if they're interested. They'll wait there a while before slowly backing away. When you replace it with a long lure, they come right back to you."

Doug has learned much about bass forage and the behavior of bass through studying "specimens" in his tank. Several years ago, he constructed a large, circular "study" tank in his backyard some twenty feet from Lake Keystone, near Tampa. The brick and cement structure is aerated and has glass "panels" around the perimeter for viewing bass behavior. He observes lunker bass foraging as though they are not in captivity.

Through personal observations, Doug has discovered various facts pertaining to the feeding motivation and Preferences of bass over 10pounds. His "lab" specimens are personally caught for introduction into the study facility. He has watched and studied them night and day for several years. His analysis of the results contribute important facts for potential lunker bass fishermen around the country and should be noted.

To really learn a lot more try the new software by "Doug Hannon" "The Bass Professor", and Jimmy Houston, called "The Extra Ordinary Angler Bass Teaching Tool" software program. This has been a big help to many anglers, and has video tips by Doug Hannon and Jimmy Houston seen nowhere else. It is available at www.nationwidetackle.com at a special introductory price.