Freshwater bass fishing is surrounded with more lore about tips and secrets than just about any other outdoor sport. Anglers have been going after bass in the United States for generations, and knowledge abounds about stalking this wily aquatic creature. While avid bass anglers can argue for days about which techniques and methods are productive, there do seem to be a few cardinal rules that are truly foolproof.
Read the Bass
Bass of all species, including smallmouth, largemouth, striper, black and calico, are famous for being wickedly cunning and elusive. A successful bass angler will take the time to learn something about the behavior of bass before setting out to fish for them. Knowing how bass think will be the one advantage a bass angler will have on open water. Otherwise, the odds are on the side of the fish. The most effective secret weapon for fishing bass is the human brain.
Read the Signs
A good bass angler, once he's educated about bass habits, is able to read the conditions of the lake, pond or stream and then interpret that data in terms of bass behaviors. Water color, temperature, time of day, time of year, composition of elements under the water--all will make a difference when you select where to fish and what equipment to use.
Come Equipped for Battle
The taste buds and moods of bass can shift several times during a fishing trip. For that reason, a bass fisherman must bring a variety of rod and reel combinations and tackle to the battle so he can quickly make changes in equipment. Two rods and reels are best: a spin-casting combination and a bait-casting combination. When spin-cast lures fall off the charts, pick up your bait-casting rod and start throwing crankbaits to see if your luck changes.
Look for Cover
Bass rarely sit around in clear water, eyeing the world as it goes by. Instead, bass seek covers and nooks where they can tuck away and hide while waiting for their next meals to stumble past their lairs. Look for cover and stick-ups---submerged tree limbs, stumps, rocky slopes, weeds and grasses---and there you will find the bass.
Practice Casting
Casting is vital to successful bass fishing. Practice with spin-cast reels and bait-cast reels. Learn to drop a large lure, bristling with treble hooks, between two overhanging tree limbs---with no danger of snags. Learn to cast a spinner bait to a rocky bank among a maze of submerged tree stumps---and get the lure out of that minefield without a hang-up. Sharp casting skills will not only catch bass but spare you the loss of expensive lures to snags and hang-ups.
Perfect Your Presentation
No lure will be effective if it isn't presented in the proper way. Each type of bass lure and bait has a prescribed method of retrieval. For example, certain crankbaits need to be reeled back quickly, with jerky motions, to convince bass the baits are something worth striking. Other types of baits need to be dragged along the bottom with a hopping motion to sell the story to the bass. Study bass-catching literature to learn these presentation techniques.
Go Live
Bass are smart enough to know the difference between real, live bait and artificial lures and plastic worms. Although they will hit on artificial lures, they prefer the real thing at times. At their most finicky, bored moments, such as in the middle of a hot afternoon or during spawning season, few bass will turn down the prospect of a flashing live minnow or other fry. Always take a bucket of live baits on a bass trip and try them as you do your artificial lures.
Persistence
Bass fishing requires a never-give-up attitude. When you find a promising bass spot, work it in a clock pattern---from 7 o'clock around to 5 o'clock. You will be constantly throwing and retrieving, throwing and retrieving lures during a bass fishing trip until, you hope, a lunker bass decides to strike. Endurance---casting lures until your arm feels ready to fall off---is second cousin to persistence in good bass fishing.
References
- "101 Bass Catching Secrets"; Roland Martin; 2008
- "Bass Angler's Alamanc"; John Weiss; 2002
- "The Field and Stream Bass-Fishing Handbook"; Bill Dance; 1999
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