Preparation, adaptability and proper equipment. These are three pieces to the puzzle you try to put together when you fish for bass. Equipment must be ready and functioning, and you must have the right equipment for conditions. Take these ideas and expand on them to improve your fishing skills and to put more fish in the livewell.
Do It Before
Do your homework. Pro fisherman Chad Brauer says respooling line, sharpening hooks, and organizing tackle boxes are tasks for the garage so that the fishing experience is more enjoyable and productive. Paint baits special colors of your choice. Build a bait from scratch, or modify the ones you have. Try your own adaptation ideas with your lures. Let your imagination run and find that one secret that nobody else will know. Preparing your tackle before a trip seems like a simple idea, but it will make your trip more successful.
A Tough Bite
Turn to light lines when fishing is tough. Pro fisherman Mike Iaconelli says finesse fishing with a drop shot is a good technique when the fish aren't hitting. The drop-shot rig presents the lure horizontally and off the bottom. You pick the distance from the bottom by the length of line you leave for the weight after you tie on your hook. Iaconnelli likes a small, thin, tapered worm for the lure, a bait that is subtly moved by current. The retailer Cabela's suggests light tackle in deep water and in clear water.
Line Weight
Many fishermen new to bass fishing use line that is too light for the conditions they're in. If you learned to fish with a spincast reel, move up to heavier line when you graduate to baitcasting reels. Cabela's says bass anglers generally use 10 to 14-lb. test line, however the retailer says avid anglers use 14 to 20-lb. test line or heavier. Frequent fishermen may drop to 6-lb. test line in clear water or tough conditions, but for flipping lures into heavy cover or running a buzzbait across the surface, put on the heavy line so big fish don't break off.
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