The gill-flaring action reminds me of a healthy yawn. Sunfish that have been rubbing shoulders with bass for most of the day will immediately scream and run for cover when the gill-flaring behavior is seen.
Bass also feed instinctively. A passing object may trigger a reflex action which results in feeding behavior. So those great days when fish were caught behind every rock probably coincided with an extended feeding period. Catching a fish here and there on the same type of "pattern" means that instinctive feeding is occurring. Finding a lure, presentation, and a location may instinctively cause feeding under a repeatable set of circumstances.
Bass do not feed continuously. Only 50% of fish sampled at any given time are empty while 50% have something in their stomachs. They do feed at night as well as daytime hours. They seem to be less wary during twilight periods and feed more consistently when light is subdued (I'll be you already knew that!).
As a general rule most bass are homebodies. Smallmouth bass are especially stationary, spending most of their life within a range of 200-400 linear feet. In tagging studies, it has been found that most recaptured largemouth bass were taken within 300 feet of the release site. Bass in your lake will behave differently depending on the individual circumstances that exist.
It has been found that both largemouth and smallmouth will move greater distances when shad are present. It makes sense that bass will travel further to capture the highly digestible and very mobile shad than they would if the only baitfish available lived in the same bush as the bass.
Fish do rest. Smallmouth bass will place their chin on the substrate with the tail slightly elevated so nothing touches the chin. They may remain motionless in this attitude for a few minutes of as long as a day or two.
Each population has fish that are wanderers and fish that are content with a given spot. Those that wander are probably young fish looking for the perfect spot. Dominant fish stake out the best spots and protect their lair by butting, biting, and intimidating smaller fish. Yes, that does mean that once a big fish is removed from a spot it is likely that the next dominant fish will occupy the territory. But if the big fish is put back he will find his favorite hiding place and be there when you return to battle him again.
