Bass certainly do station themselves where they can get the maximum amount of energy input for the least amount expended. Lazy or smart, or, just natural selection at work?. I think if the bait situation is good enough, fish will continue to move into a hot feeding spot and you can take a lot of fish without having to move. Or, they become super selective and drive you nuts tryiong to figure out what they're taking. How long the bite lasts seems to depend on the rising / falling tide. Some spots produce for a few hours and others only last an hour or so, if that . The stage of the moon can also make a big difference, even from one day to the next.
As far as a hooked fish spooking others in the school its possible. But I've also watched stripers following hooked fish on the cape flats, picking up bits of bait spat out by the thrashing fish. They seem to be very opportuntistic.
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