Anyone who has spent quite a bit of time on Ca. waters has undoubtedly heard the stories of the trout fisherman who caught a massive trophy bass on that

It is a documented and well known fact that big Florida strain bass eat trout. In fact, in many lakes, a large part of the trophy bass population feeds almost exclusively on trout, once they reach a large enough size that this becomes possible. The size of the bass required is actually quite a bit smaller than most people think. A 5 pound bass has no problem with a nice little hatchery trout.

So then, it goes like this. Big momma bass has not had a trout in a day or two. She is starting to get a little bit hungry. She cruises around in an area where she has ambushed many trout before. She sees a couple trout swim by, but they are a little too big. She then sees a smaller "bite sized" trout. She makes a half hearted attempt at it, but it was already starting to become aware of danger and bolts out of the area as fast as it can. Sure, big momma can get her bulk moving amazingly fast, if she has to. But she would much prefer to find an injured or otherwise messed up trout, so she can have a good meal with a minimum of energy burned.

About this time, Elmer Troutman comes along and throws out his fluorescent, scented offering. Not too much time passes, and along comes a "bite sized" trout. Maybe the same one that big momma bass was eyeing earlier. Maybe not. Either way, the trout is hungry for anything that even remotely resembles food. After all, they dumped it out of the fish truck last week, and it hasn't had a food pellet since. It grabs the fluorescent chunk and tries to swim away. Elmer Troutman sets the hook. Trout on. Immediately the trout begins flailing wildly. Yanking around in every direction, the tiny hook in the edge of its mouth, already close to coming loose, as have several others during Mr. Troutman's trip.

Big momma, acutely aware of her surroundings, immediately senses the commotion. She turns and takes a few kicks with her tail. And there it is, the easy meal that big momma has been looking for. Nature tells her that this trout is in trouble. With one tremendous burst of energy, big momma blasts the bite sized trout head first, just as she has done with hundreds of trout in the last several years. About this time, the tiny hook in the edge of the trouts mouth, pops loose. Then in a twist of fate, the tiny hook on the way out of big mommas mouth, sticks solid in the bone on the edge of her lip. The rest is history.

Of coarse Elmer Troutman, who is accustomed to the "put and take" trout fishery, has no idea of the importance of the fish he has just caught. And so he ties a rope through its gills and drags it around the lake to show everyone the big bass that ate his fluorescent, scented playdough (or so he thinks).

This scenario is played out many times every year in almost every lake which has both Florida bass and hatchery trout. I'm sure it happens on other trout baits as well, but since the fluorescent stuff is the #1 bait used for the hatchery trout, this is also the #1 bait for these incidental catches of monster bass. But, regardless of how you may end up catching a trophy bass,

P.S. It should be noted that in the spring, when big momma bass and her smaller male partner are protecting the nest, they will instinctively remove any foreign items, including fluorescent playdough, which happen to end up in there nest. This, I believe is the only time big momma will take a chunk of fluorescent playdough in her mouth, which does not have a trout attached. No matter how you look at it, big momma didn't get that way by eating fluorescent playdough.

	The Trophy Bass On
	Fluorescent Playdough Theory
	by Fish Chris