When the lake you're fishing has a lot of fishing pressure, trying to get a reaction strike might just be the ticket you need to catch that big old lunker.

Why? Well, for one thing the bass will be cautious about biting a regular presented lure. They have seen to many of them and probably knows the end results. This is also true in tournament fishing. Seems like the 3rd day of any tournament is always the slowest with less fish caught. This is because the anglers have beat the water to death with the usual presentation of their lures.

So, why does a bass hit a reaction strike presented lure? Out of aggression! They don't even have to be hungry and they'll strike a reaction presented lure.

When a bass is on a bed about the only way you are going to get it to hit is from a reaction strike. It will come over and pick up the lure to move it out of the bed if it thinks it is intruding.

When the summer get here the bass don't cruise for food, they usually stay close to one place and wait for the baitfish. The same holds true in cold water when their metabolism slows down. When a cold front comes in, bass will stick close to cover. You can try a fast retrieve with a spinnerbait or crankbait to draw them out.

Some methods for reaction strikes are:

Use noise......like a buzzbait or Jitterbug

Repetition....just go over the same spot over and over with your lure.

Big lures.......use a big swimbait.

Using more than one lure........have several rods with different type lures attached and throw them in the same spot, one right after the other.

Movement......use a tube and jerk it off the bottom 2 feet or more, or pop a jig.

High speed retrieves....this technique is the most well known to get a reaction strike. Just retrieve at a high speed and reel fast.

If the lake you're fishing has slowed down after the summer started due to more fishing pressure, try for a reaction strike.

You may just catch the biggest bass of your life.