It's been a number of years now since I considered catching a fish to be a happy accident (although, believe me, it still happens a lot). To go out on the water with no plan except what time to come off would seem silly, but I know a lot of people still fish that way.

So now we're going to discuss a topic that is often talked about but rarely really understood: pattern fishing. It takes a little effort, but it can add a lot of extra fun every time you go out. Pattern fishing is easily labeled as simply smart fishing.

Pattern fishing can help you catch fish by using a successful system.

What Do You Do First?

You back the boat down the ramp, or arrive at the river or pond. You look around. Where do you start? Where are the fish going to be? What bait or lure should you use? Should you fish it fast, slow, shallow, deep?

That's what you have to find out.

Ask Questions

It's a good idea to ask questions, lots of them. Stop at local bait shops, talk to other anglers at the boat launch, ask the state natural resources agency for lake survey information they have on the waters you are going to fish, and so on.

Once you have something of a plan, you need to systematically fish, searching for clues as to what the fish want that day, what kind of feeding mood they are in, whether they're in shallow water or deep, etc.

Begin by studying the clarity of the water. Many people never do this, and it can tell you a lot. The darker the water, the less light penetrates to the depths. As a general rule, darker water means shallower fish. Not in all cases, and not at all times, but it holds true quite often. And the clearer the water, the more potential exists for fish to be holding deeper.

Look The Lake Over

Now look at the lake as a whole. Find the areas of deep water, shallow water, and the sharp and gradual drop-offs in depths. A map can really help.., and a good fishing sonar unit is a must for really understanding a lake.

Look the lake over with your sonar before starting to fish. Find the areas of rock, gravel, sand, thickest weeds, sharpest drop-offs and other structures and cover. Understand the environment those fish live in. That understanding will help you to fish more intelligently.

Fish The "Food Shelves"

You're looking for areas that have the most fish-holding potential, things we call food shelves. By this, I mean long points, shallow, weed-covered flats, sunken islands and other features.

Is it a very shallow lake, with only one area of irregular bottom, or only one or two areas of harder bottom? If that's the case, it would be a good idea to fish those areas hard.

Is it a very deep, clear lake with only three or four bays that contain expanses of shallow water and weeds? Most of the baitfish are probably in those bays. That is where I would spend most of my fishing time.

Fish in shallow areas, then along the outside edge of the weeds, if this outside edge exists. Go out to the first drop-off and try there. Go all the way out and try along the second big drop-off, if there is one. Find any sunken islands (areas that rise up from the bottom, but are not connected to the shore) in the middle of the lake and try those. Spend some time fishing in and around weedy flats.

Find The Fish; Don't Predict Where They'll Be

There is no way you can predict exactly where, or at what depth, fish are going to be, so don't try. Let the fish tell you where they are.

Don't do what most people do. Don't just fish somewhere because it is out of the wind, or the grass makes a nice place to sit along the shore. And above all, don't stay in one place all day.

A map of the lake you're fishing is very helpful. It's important to be able to read it and picture the structural elements it shows.

A Bass Pattern Example

We'll be talking about bass here, but the principles of pattern fishing hold true for walleyes, northern pike, trout, salmon, and just about any other fish you'd like to name.

A pattern is nothing more than a combination of fish location and angler presentation that will produce the best fishing possible at that time and place. And at any given time, there's usually more than one good pattern, though some will be much better than others.

Fishing in patterns can put fish on your stringer when nobody else is reeling them in.

The Pattern Keys

Here are the key concepts of pattern fishing:

· Bass are always where they are for good specific reasons.

· When you find one bass in a certain kind of spot, doing a certain kind of thing, others are probably in similar situations elsewhere on the lake.

· The presentation that catches bass in one kind of location is likely to catch other bass in similar locations elsewhere in the lake.

If you fish with no concept of pattern, every fish hooked will be a random event. When you understand patterns, each fish hooked will be telling you something. In fact, it will be telling you the most important thing you want to know: where and how you can catch your next bass.

Don't Just Follow The Rules -- Be Flexible

Try not to get too hung up on "rules" about the expected locations of fish. Maybe you've read that early spring reservoir bass move up into the warmest coves. They often do, so check out the coves fairly well. But don't go on hammering coves for two hours without getting any encouragement from the bass. Maybe a cold front sent them scooting way back to the next big drop-off, half a mile from the ends of the coves. Remember, fish are always where they're supposed to be... fishermen often are not. Keep moving quickly until you find them.

It pays to be impatient. Keep moving 'til you hit a hot spot.

Patience Is Not A Virtue

Rule I Patience is rarely a virtue in fishing.

It pays to be patient when you know the fish are negative and you're going to be forced to work slowly and thoroughly for each one. But that's rarely the case. Most of the time it pays to be impatient. Keep moving, unless you're on fish. Bass fishing isn't supposed to be slow and dull. So don't accept slow, bad fishing unless you know that's the best you can do.

Rule 2 It is possible to catch nothing by fishing where fish are, but you never catch fish by fishing where they aren't.

Look for the details, the little things overlooked by most guys. The more you can figure out about exactly how the fish are using the cover, the more you'll enjoy your fishing. Attention to detail is a major difference between the pro and the weekend duffer.

Almost always, a locational pattern will be very precise. To nail it down, you must ask some sharp questions when you catch a fish:

Analyze Your Catch

Did it come out of the shallow or deep water? Was it tucked right up against a sunken log, or did it come out from a thick clump of weeds? Did it really smash your bait, or was the strike so soft you could barely feel it? Was there sand on the bottom, or gravel, or rock, or mud? How far did you cast, or how much line did you have out if you were trolling? How were you working the lure -- reeling it in straight, twitching it, bouncing it fast up and down?

Take time to think about those things after each fish you catch. After a time, you will begin to recognize patterns. "Today, the fish are coming out of about 15 to 18 feet of water, along the end of this weed bed. They seem to hit best on my blue-and-white jig, with a leech on the end of it. If I work it fast I don't get any strikes. But if I slow down and barely move it along the bottom, a fish hits it."

Bingo. You are becoming a pattern fisherman.

Remember, the pattern will be different each day you fish. And there might be more than one successful pattern on a lake. You might be able to catch bass in the shallow weed areas and along the deep drop-offs.

Nailing Down The Pattern

As soon as you see or contact some bass, you begin to learn how aggressive they are. And that's important. Pay attention to the little things. Here are some clues to watch for:

· If a fish spooks out of shallow water when it sees a lure sailing toward it, that's a bad sign. That bass, at least, is negative, and you want to keep moving to find some fish that aren't. Or try a different approach.

· Note exactly where you catch the bass. If you take a bass very tight to cover, you've got reason to think the fish are slow and you're going to be forced to fish right in contact with cover. If a bass dashes out five feet past a dock to nail your lure, the fish are probably in a chasing mood and you can really go to town with fast presentations.

· The way a bass strikes can clue you in to how active they are. Active, aggressive bass gang a lure. You feel them hit it. Negative fish will strike short or fool around with the tail of a worm. You'll catch negative fish sometimes by just feeling the action of your lure change or feeling something spongy or different at the end of the line. Every now and then you'll surprise yourself by finding a bass is hooked and you didn't feel anything, which is another indication that the bass are negative.

· When you catch a bass, note how deep it took your lure. It's a good sign if the fish really gulped that lure rather than just barely getting its mouth on it.

Patterns And Patterns

We've presented the main concept of pattern fishing, namely that at any given time and place, there's a certain combination of location and presentation that will produce the best fishing. If you keep asking the fish where they are and what they want, constantly redefining and refining the pattern, you're fishing smart. And no matter what you hear, that's better than fishing lucky.

Patterns change. Sometimes a pattern will hold only as long as the wind is blowing. Some hot patterns go cold when the sun comes out, but return in full force when a cloud sails by and blots out the sun. Or something might happen with the forage base that you aren't aware of. Also, fishing pressure can change the location and feeding disposition of fish.

Sound confusing? It doesn't have to be. Don't take the attitude that all this change is bad. Heck, you could be fishing the wrong pattern and have things change so that what you're doing is right. If you understand a wide variety of patterns, you won't die when your favorite one fades. Re observant, keep moving and keep asking the fish what they want. You'll catch more fish and have more fun. And that's what it's all about.

"Partner" Fishing Can Be A Big Help

As soon as you begin homing in on the location and mood of the fish, you can discover the best presentation. Here's where a good partner can be so valuable. You and your partner should never be fishing the same lure, until you're sure you have the best presentation nailed down. Start with entirely different lures -- you fish a worm, your partner a crankbait, and so on.

Keep experimenting to nail down the pattern. What worm? One of you can fish a straight grape worm while the other works a black firetail worm -- something a bit different. All the while you keep experimenting, maybe changing weights. One of you can try some scent attractor. One of you can swim the worm slowly while the other kicks his worm around to put action on it.

You and your partner are working together to ask the fish what they want. Eventually you'll get the presentation part of the pattern nailed down. It just gets more and more fun as you get a more precise fix on what is working best.

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