Transition is the process of the original oil pattern changing, Whether that be drying out or the oil being pushed around, but usually to the back end.

How that happens can be different every day, so you should watch what other bowlers are using (equipment) and where they are playing.  Reactive covers will likely soak up oil, while polyester balls will push it down-lane, called carry-down.

If, for example, several guys are playing left of me with reactive balls (I'm right handed), as I move left I'm going to eventually hit the area they dried out, causing me to make a larger move than if they were to my right on a THS.  Since the lane oil is basically invisible it becomes imperative that I watch who is throwing what and where so I can anticipate the next move before it's too late.

If you have watched the blue tinted oil on the PBA the past year you can see the right handed pros trying to create blue to their left (hold) and white to their right (hook).  The guesswork is taken out of the equation, which is why I'm not a fan of the tint. The ability to read ball reaction in this environment is not that important, especially with highly skilled ball reps watching every shot and helping them.

Regardless of my bias, your best bet is to pay attention to every ball thrown on your pair and watch as it changes ball reaction for other bowlers as well as yourself.

When I say I manage my transition, it means I set myself up to have a good line all night.  I don't just line up with whatever gives me the best look at the beginning of the night regardless of what it's doing to the lanes.  On a house shot, I'm never using surface, ever.  There are a lot of people on the pair, and a lot of breakdown happens even in practice.  If the lanes are a little slick to begin with (which they usually aren't), I'm going to just wait for them to burn into me.  I may use a stronger ball that is polished for a bit, but I'm just waiting for a little extra friction somewhere to get on top of.  When I find it, I'm going to try to keep from making it too dry too quick.  I'm also going to try to avoid playing where everyone else is playing, this keeps me from having to move around too much.  I don't just pay attention to my ball reaction, I watch everyone else's too.  If the ball is starting to jump on them, there's a pretty good chance I'm going to find some extra hook too and sometimes I make moves ahead of time. 

When I got my printout at the end of the year last year, my averages for each game were 230ish first game, 225ish second game, 235 last game.  I may not be having the huge games out the gate like everybody else, but my second and definitely third games are usually better than the majority of the league, and in leagues where you bowl the guy across from you for personal points, that's pretty big to walk away with 3 or 4 points a night.  I don't average 230 because I throw the ball better than anybody else, I just pay a hell of a lot more attention than everybody else . .