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You know you're doing the right thing on the water when the bass are actually competing with each other to get to your lure.
Each bite provides the angler with a clue about the fishes' behavior. Savvy fishers build on each bite to tweak their game plans. They use the clues and cues to make selections and presentations that they hope will generate more bites as the day progresses.
When the bites come in pairs, you can rest assured you have the right bait in the right water with the right retrieve.
I've been noodling around bass ponds in Southwest Florida recently as I "practice" for the day soon when I pull the Bass Cat out of the garage and head out to Mosquito, West Branch and Berlin. Florida bass are no easier to catch than their cousins in Ohio, so I find that I can tune my techniques with confidence they will produce regardless of the lakes I chose to fish.
Last week, I strolled the water's edge and peered intently for signs of cruising largemouth in the clearwater ponds that pose hazards for golfers. Here and there, I spotted bass swimming and stopping to look for small fish or even a buzzing dragonfly that darted a bit too close to the surface.
I carried just one rod and one lure - a casting rod with 14-pound-test mono and a venerable Rebel Pop-R, its original paint job long ago scraped and scratched by the raspy lips of probably 100 bigmouths. I knew that if the fish were in a top-water mood, they would certainly appreciate my bedraggled popper.
Fifteen minutes into my fishing trip, I connected. The lure disappeared in a surprisingly splashy attack. I jerked and the fish resisted to the point where I began to suspect it was not one of ordinary proportions.
I carefully reeled the fish toward the bank and finally recognized why the fight was tenacious. I'd hooked two bass on the Pop-R, one on each of the two treble hooks.
Once again that lure proved too tempting. Better yet, it proved the bass were in the mood to attack surface lures, so I had made a good choice when I decided to leave the house with just one rod and one lure.
As much as I go fishing - I average two or three days a week April through October - I've only caught a double two times.
The first was a pair of white bass I plucked from a marauding school on a feeding frenzy off Craig Beach at Lake Milton.
The Florida bass last week were just my second double. Now I'm banking on the likelihood I'll do it again, soon actually, because when they bite like that I know I don't need to rummage through the boat to find the secret weapon.
It's already on the end of my line.
Jack Wollitz's book, "The Common Angler," dives into the highs and lows that combine to make fishing a passion for so many people. He likes emails from readers. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.