Photo by Tom Evans

The typical largemouth bass or smallmouth bass in southern Wisconsin is caught and released several times before reaching legal size. Because they are a game fish and not generally held in high regard as table fare, getting a bottom-lip "noogie" from a human predator may happen more than a dozen times before the bucketmouth or bronzeback reaches proportions where the lucky angler thinks his or her catch would look better on the wall than it being put back in the water.

Too bad for bass that this large representative of the sunfish family is like the fat brother-in-law who is always looking for an easy meal. Not that they want to get caught. Genetic tendencies toward indiscretion make these piscators frequent and easy targets for anglers. Even those creatures that go through life hitting their heads against the wall because it feels so good when they stop will reach a point where survival dictates some temperance in behavior.

Pressured bass learn the adage "no pain, no gain" does not apply to fish. Those of us who thrive on educating these critters need to hone more than hooks to get the rod bent in the good ol' summertime. Simply put, bass smarten up like wily white-tailed deer when the pressure is on.

Here's a look at some tips and tricks that will minimize the time you feel like a jerk on one end of the line waiting for a bass to jerk on the other end here in America's Dairyland.

MADISON CHAIN
Ron Barefield guides on the Madison Chain. This veteran angler's favorite summer weapon is a small plastic fished in a finesse presentation.

"Drop-shotting is a great way to hook up on the Madison Chain, especially on Mendota and Monona, which are deeper and generally clearer than the other lakes," said Barefield.

This veteran guide believes patience and precision are major keys to success on these natural lakes.

"Many folks who bass fish simply move too fast," he said. "Bigger bass are already locating close to prime niches in their watery ecosystem, with little compulsion to go chase things down. Sure, you might get lucky and trigger a strike with a spinnerbait before moving on, but by anchoring up or using the trolling motor to orient the boat so you can cast into their 'ambush alley' and just shake it in her face, you'll get hooked up almost every time."

Barefield's favorite place to try drop-shotting is on a transition zone where a fair amount of the water column can be covered in a single cast, like a steeply breaking hump or rocky point. It can take this veteran angler almost five minutes to work a single cast back to the boat, with his offering in the potential bass strike zone almost the entire time.

"Getting hung up is part of the picture, if you're fishing where the fish are," he said. "Often this happens after the bass eats your plastic and is moving toward escape cover before you can sense its presence and set the hook."

Barefield uses sinkers that simply pinch on the leading edge of his fishing line. Most of the time a sinker that gets hung up will slide free with the fish still attached to the Palomar-knotted hook 16 to 22 inches farther up the line.

"Probably the best advice is to think small," said Barefield. "Small weight, small lure, small hook and small-diameter line, all presented on a long rod with a forgiving tip that enables a good sweeping hookset."

All of the Madison lakes receive a fair amount of recreational boat traffic during the week, with a genuine circus atmosphere part of trying to fish here on the weekend. Dane County now charges a $30 annual launch fee to access waters from any one of the public ramps now located on this chain.

Contact: guide Ron Barefield, (608) 838-8756.

GENEVA & DELAVAN LAKES
The Madison lakes may have a circus atmosphere on the weekend, but Geneva and Delavan lakes to the southeast are a veritable Barnum & Bailey training academy all summer long.