Here is some information from the LM Bass thread in the PBoss Archives about creating hook smart bass by fishing for them too long and too frequently.
Largemouth Catchability - Hook Smart - Hook Shy
Fish behavior patterns do exist and IMO their behavior is fairly complex. They respond to external stimuli. But can they learn from past experience or from watching other bass/fish? Many think this is true.
Bass and other fish IMO and experience do have the ability to learn from their experiences and a percentage of every year class are what I will call dumb and smart. Some people will call this conditioning not learning. Some can be caught numerous times. Some can only be caught one time or a few times during their life span. Some people have claimed that a few bass from every spawn will never bite a hook. It was speculated in the study that these elusive bass "learned" or were conditioned by watching other fish get caught.
The "dumb" ones could be classed or called overly aggressive, fast growers and willing to bite most any lure put in front of them. Studies have shown that willingness of bass to bite lures is an inherited trait. Some may not be fast growers but they are still vulnerable to recapture and they are just slow to learn about lures and the negative experience of "jaw jerking" from anglers. Some bass/fish in heavily fish water are very hard to catch no matter what lure is used. When one repeatedly uses the same lure in the same small pond it becomes hard and harder catch fish. Put on a new lure and something the fish have not seen the catch rate often increases. What does this say about those fish in the pond?
Hook Shy Topics:
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=89680&page=1Overfishing And Hook Shy Bass with Angling Hints from Basslover
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=465502#Post465502LMB Catchability article in PBoss Mag - Willis & Cody Note - The Link no longer works. The back issue of Pond Bos Magazine Mar-Apr 2002 can be purchased from Pond Boss.
http://www.sdstate.edu/nrm/outreach...ngling-and-Catchability-Mar-Apr-2006.pdfDiscussion for catching new bass
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=306520#Post306520Here is a link to the complete thread from the PB Common & Q&A Archives about growing LMBass
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=255372#Post255372
