Glossary of Terms
- Here's more info on the terms used throughout BassGold. Many will be familiar to you already.
Water Types
- Lowland Reservoir
- Dammed (manmade) lake, shallower depth, lowland terrain. Flat-bottomed coves and defined creek channels. Often fertile with colored/less-clear water.
- Upland Reservoir
- Dammed (manmade), steep and rocky banks, mountainous terrain. Clear water, cove bottoms are V-shaped.
- Riverine Reservoir
- Dammed (manmade) lake with a long, narrow river shape, and current. Also and lock/dam rivers.
- Natural Lake/River
- No dam. Also included here are northern (e.g., MN) dammed lakes that act and fish like natural lakes.
- Tidal
- Rivers and deltas (rarely lakes) affected by tidal flow.
Factors
If you are entering a pattern and feel that the existing categories don't exactly fit, do the best you can. For example, pockets off a Riverine Reservoir might be best represented with River and Main Lake Pockets for Macro Factors. Another Macro Factor example: If fishing islands in a river or a creek mouth on a river, Macro Factors might be River and Main Lake Offshore Structure – a river is not a lake, but you get the picture. Creek pockets may be Back of Creeks or Shoreline, etc.
That said, use as few factors as possible. If you check off too many things because you can't make up your mind, the data will be less valuable.
Put the details of the Macro, Habitat and Lure factors in the Details section of your pattern entry.
Macro Factors
- Macro Factor
- This is the part of a water body where the fish were caught, such as points, coves, backwaters, main lake structure, etc. A pattern can have one or more than one Macro Factor.
- Current Macro Factors:
- Backwater
- Canal
- Coves
- Creek Channel Structure
- Creeks/Back of Creeks [anywhere but the channel]
- Large Bay [also can be a lake-type bay like Rodman, FL]
- Main Lake Offshore [ledges, flats, etc.]
- Main Lake Pockets
- Main Lake Points
- River/Upriver [main river/upriver refers to reservoirs]
- Secondary Points
- Shoreline
- Tailrace
- Backwater
- Nearly 100% of the time this means a backwater off a river that still connects to the main river somehow.
- Canal
- Man-made canal, like the ones around Okeechobee. Locks are also in this category.
- Coves
- Main lake, river or creek coves, but not pockets.
- Creek Channel Structure
- Means any structure (usually) or cover in a creek channel.
- Creeks/Backs of Creeks
- Anywhere in creeks but the creek channel.
- Large Bay
- A larger bay (not a pocket or cove) off a major river or large lake. Can also be part of a larger system like a chain of lakes.
- Main Lake Offshore/dt>
- This can be obvious structure like humps, rockpiles, ditches, etc., but can also include main lake flats, offshore grassbeds, shellbeds, etc. This also includes islands and island points.
- Main Lake Pockets
- Up to you whether you think Main Lake Pockets or Coves is more descriptive of your pattern.
- Main Lake Points
- Points on the main water body (lake or major river), meaning not in rivers, creeks or other tributaries. Note that island points are classified as "Main Lake Offshore" because they are "offshore."
- River/Upriver
- In the main river, or upriver in a reservoir.
- Secondary Points
- Points in creeks, other tributaries of a river or lake.
- Shoreline
- The shoreline of any part of a water body (main lake, creek, river, etc.), used as a Macro Factor when it is the or a major part of the pattern. Shoreline is also used for bluff banks.
- Tailrace
- The current/wash below a dam.
Habitat Factors
- Habitat Factor
- This is the type of cover or structure where fish were caught: brush, rocks, docks, etc. A pattern can have more than one Habitat Factor. Remember to note any important details of the habitat in the Details section of a pattern entry, and note these factors even if they are not directly related to your pattern: For example, if you were fishing a spawning bed behind a seawall, you would check off Spawning Beds and Seawall.
- Current Habitat Factors:
- Docks/Manmade Structure
- Emergent Veg
- Gravel/Clay/Sand/Shells
- Ledge/Drop
- Riprap
- Rock
- Seawall
- Spawning Beds
- Submergent Veg
- Undercut Bank
- Wood/Brush
- Docks/Manmade Structure
- Docks are any docks: boat docks, floating docks, shallow, deep, etc. This category can also refer to manmade things like boat ramps, bridges, pilings, sunken barges, wing dams, jetties, etc. Note the details of the Docks or Manmade Structure in the Details section of your pattern entry.
- Emergent Veg = Emergent Vegetation
- Plants that break the surface of the water, like pads, cattails, tules and flooded terrestrial grass. Vegetation mats just under the surface are classified as Submergent. Mats that break the surface are Emergent. Moss and scum should be classified as Emergent Veg.
- Gravel/Clay/Sand/Shells
- Usually refers to bottom content. A may be will be a combination of Gravel/Clay and Ledge/Drop.
- Ledge/Drop
- A ledge or other drop. Can be a sandbar or larger depression. If something on the ledge, check it also (e.g., Wood, Rock, shells, etc.).
- Riprap
- Common term for rocks/stone/concrete chunks commonly used to reinforce a bank or manmade structure.
- Rock
- Any rock that's bigger than gravel, not including riprap.
- Seawall
- Man-made shoreline wall, typically made to stop shoreline erosion.
- Spawning Beds
- These can refer to any spwaning beds, including bluegill beds. Note which species is involved in the Details section of a pattern entry.
- Submergent Veg = Submergent Vegetation
- Underwater (submerged) plants such as hydrilla or milfoil. Vegetation mats just under the surface are classified as Submergent. Mats that break the surface are Emergent.
- Undercut Bank
- A bank where water runs underneath the visibale shoreline.
- Wood/Brush
- Any and all wood: stumps, logs, laydowns, brush, bushes, manmade brushpiles, etc. Note the details (which wood, how deep, etc.) in the Details section of your pattern entry.
Baits
This refers to the lure/bait/rig type that actually worked (not just was used) in a productive pattern (tournament or non-tournament).
Note that these are the major lure TYPES, not individual baits, bait brands or even subcategories of lure types. (For example, a Beaver-style bait will be in the Tube/Grub/Craw category.) The reason for this is that if every bait ever made was listed, the data would be meaningless.
Some bait types are easy, like Buzzbait, Jerkbait, Swimbait, but others can be more than one thing: For example, a trick worm could be used like a worm or like a Fluke/soft jerkbait. How you categorize it is up to you.
Occasionally, rarely-used lures will be jammed into certain categories – like Roadrunner-type baits into the Spoon category. In these and all other cases, lure (and other) details – type, color, weight, brand, etc. – will be/should be enterered in the Details section. And don't forget to use as few bait types as you can – only the ones that really worked that day or tournament.
- Current bass lures:
- Buzzbait
- Chatterbait
- Crankbait
- Dropshot
- Fluke/Soft jerk
- Jerkbait
- Jig-n-Pig
- Jig-Finesse
- Jig-Football
- Jig-Hair/Bucktail
- Jig-Swim
- Lizard/Creature
- Topwater
- Spinnerbait
- Spoon/Blade
- Swimbait
- Tube/Grub/Craw
- Umbrella Rig
- Worm/Senko
- Buzzbait
- Only buzzbaits, no other topwaters.
- Chatterbait
- Refers to all Chatterbait-style or "bladed-jig" baits, meaning the original Chatterbait and all knockoffs.
- Crankbait
- All crankbaits, including lipless baits (e.g., Rat-L-Trap). Note the Details of any bait in the Details section of a pattern entry.
- Dropshot
- When Dropshot is selected, use of a soft-plastic bait is assumed so it does not have to be noted separately. In other words, choosing "Dropshot" and "Worm" for a pattern means that an angler used a Dropshot as one technique and a Worm (Texas rig, etc.) as another.
- Fluke/Soft jerk
- All soft jerkbaits, commonly referred to as "Flukes." Sometimes Fluke can mean a technique too, like jerking a stick worm. Fluke can mean a floating worm but so can Worm: classify it acfording to how it's fished (e.g., deadsticked or jerked fast) for that particular pattern. Sometimes Fluke can refer to the bait used, like with a Carolina rig (put the rig details in the Details section).
- Jerkbait
- Hard jerkbaits only, like a Pointer or Rogue.
- Jig-n-Pig
- A jig tipped with anything short and relatively stout, like a chunk or craw. The "pig" part does not have to mean a pork craw, which is rarely used anymore. If a jig is tipped with a worm or anything long, then it should be classified as a Worm. A tube, twintail or any other kind of grub, and a soft-plastic craw or smaller creature-type bait on a jighead, usually would be in the Tube/Grub/Craw category. Note the details of any rig in the Details category of a pattern entry.
- Jig-Finesse
- Any small jig, like a 1/4-oz jig or spider jig.
- Jig-Football
- Any jig with a football-shaped head.
- Jig-Hair/Bucktail
- Jigs dressed with animal or synthetic hair.
- Jig-Swim
- If you swam a jig to catch your fish, whether it was a purpose-built swimming jig or not, choose this category.
- Lizard/Creature
- A lizard or bigger creature baits (like the old Gambler Bacon Rind). Small creature baits should be in the Tube/Grub/Craw category. Note any rig details (e.g., Carolina or Texas rig) in the Details section.
- Topwater
- Any topwater: Spook, Pop-R, Frog, etc.
- Spinnerbait
- Includes spinnerbaits of any size.
- Spoon/Blade
- Any spoon, from weedless spoons fished shallow to jigging spoons fished deep. (The water type and conditions should give a big hint for which it is, but use the Details section to include clarifying details.) Other jigged, often bladed baits like Silver Buddys, tailspinners and Roadrunners are included here as well.
- Swimbait
- Any size swimbait, whether one of the huge trout replicas or a small paddletail swimbait.
- Tube/Grub/Craw
- Any smaller soft-plastic – including twin-tails, smaller creature-type "appendage" baits, etc. – even if fished on a jighead. Note bait(s) and rig details in the Details section of your pattern.
- Worm/Senko
- Any straight worm-type bait, regardless of tail style, length or depth fished – from 4" French fries to 10" standard worms to Senkos. Note bait and rig (e.g., Texas, Carolina, etc.) details in the Details section. Aggressively-fished (jerked) worms like floating worms or trick worms might better be classified as Fluke/soft jerk.