provided by John Phillips
Thirty-two-year-old Mossy Oak Pro Drew Benton from Panama City, Florida, currently ranks No. 40 in the world on BassFan.com. He started tournament fishing in 2008, began fishing professionally in 2011 and has earned more than a half million dollars in his fishing career. He’s participated in the Bassmaster Elite Series for five years. To learn more, visit his Facebook page.
When I’m doing a seminar for my sponsors and open-up the floor for questions, most of the time the number-one question that I’m asked is, “How do you go to different lakes all over the nation and especially a lake you’ve never fished before and still find and catch bass?”
I start off by trying to determine what type of lake I’ll be fishing. Will the lake be a highland reservoir with primarily deep, clear water? Will the lake be a manmade lake that has a major river running through it? Will it be a tidal river or some other kind of water? Next, I think about the lakes that I’ve fished that are similar to the lake I’m about to fish and come up with a game plan for that type of water. With that information, I try to pinpoint bass on the new lake in the same kinds of places where I’ve located bass in other, similar lakes. Then I fish for bass in those new sites with lures that I’m comfortable with and confident fishing. Since I’m basically a shallow-water fisherman, I’ll be looking for the places with grass, lily pads, fallen trees, docks or some kind of shallow cover where the bass can hold. Before I go to the lake, I always do my research.
