Tips to help make you a better Bass fisher:
* A pork frog or pork crawfish can be deadly for bass when fished without a jig by using a keeper
hook. Press the pig onto the hook. Take an old plastic worm that is no longer useable. Break off a
piece of the worm and push it onto the keeper. Then measure the distance past the barb on the
hook and break the remainder of the worm off. Now push that end of the worm onto the point of the
hook, past the barb. You now have a weedless pig. If more weight is desired, use a slip sinker and
a bead at the knot. This bait is ideal in heavy cover because it is more weedless than a traditional
Jig & Pig.
*Although we prefer and recommend live bait when fishing for rock bass, for those who prefer to
use lures, or simply don't have live bait handy, we recommend small and light tail spinners with very
little or no weight. Lures should be just heavy enough to cast into a light breeze.
*Largemouth Bass have excellent hearing. Sounds travel from their deep-set ears through a series
of connected bones and to an air bladder that doubles as an amplifier. Lateral lines on either side
of their body contain highly sensitive nerve endings that also detect sounds and vibrations. A
carpeted boat deck can help absorb sounds that may startle the bass. Generally, fish that are in
water deeper than five or six feet are not bothered by the noise of electric or outboard motors.
* Fish the down-wind side of a lake or pond in sustained, heavy wind. In this situation forage will be
concentrated on that side of the lake or pond and bass will move in to feed. A spinnerbait is a good
choice when fishing for these aggressive fish.
* When fishing on high-pressure days, fish deeper water. Bass are often suspended right off the
bottom because the barometric pressure has decreased the amount of air in their air sack. This
causes them to move into deeper water because they have to exert more effort to hold in shallow
water.
* Floating crayfish crankbaits produce bass well on rocky points, dams, and shores. Crank it until
you hit bottom and pause. This resembles a crawdad it it’s natural, defensive position.
* Don’t get locked into using a particular lure and presentation method just because it worked the
last time you went bass fishing. Because the environment in which bass live is constantly changing,
you also must change your strategy to match the current conditions in order to increase your
success.
* There are thousands of different bass lures on the market, but you only need a few to
consistently catch bass. Jigs, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and topwater lures will catch bass
wherever these great gamefish swim. Other lures will work, too, but always keep these basic baits
in the top drawer of your tacklebox.
* Bass are cold-blooded creatures, so their activity level is directly related to the temperature of
their surroundings. If the water is below 60 degrees, fish slow-moving lures like jigs and plastic
worms close to the bottom. In warmer water, faster-moving lures like crankbaits and spinnerbaits
fished off the bottom will usually work better.
* Bass can see colors about as well as humans can. In clear water, use realistic lure colors that
mimic living prey - silver or gold crankbaits and topwater plugs, black or brown jigs. In murky water,
use bright colors that can be easily seen, such as chartreuse crankbaits or white spinnerbaits.
* Bass often display strong seasonal habitat preferences. In spring, they prefer shallow bays and
tributaries protected from cold north winds. In summer, they gravitate to dropoffs, ledges and
submerged islands and other offshore structures. In winter, look for them on deep points, sloping
banks and channel ledges.
* When retrieving a weedless lure across the top of lilypads or pond scum, keep it moving at a fairly
slow, constant pace. This gives the bass plenty of opportunity to track down the lure. Avoid using a
stop-and-go retrieve, for the bass may strike at the lure and miss it.
* A flat-sided crankbait is a great choice in cold water. These lures don't vibrate as hard as a
rounded crankbait, making them better suited to sluggish bass. In early spring, many bass pros fish
'em around shallow logs and stumps, the same places you'd normally fish a spinnerbait.
* When you feel a bass bite your worm or jig, immediately lower the rod tip and bring it back
sharply, so you snap the slack out of the line. This hookset will drive the point through the tough
jaw of bass in much the same way that the blow of a hammer drives a nail through a board.
* Nothing is more thrilling than the sound of a lunker bass smashing a surface lure at night. Cast a
big, dark-colored top-water wobbler, popper, prop bait or buzz bait close to weedlines or shallow
shorelines after dark. Use heavy line, and don't set the hook before the fish pull.
* Bass are drawn to isolated objects - a lone stump on the end of a point, a small patch of grass
growing a couple of boat-lengths from a large weedbed, etc. Target this randomly-scattered cover
first - often that's where the biggest bass in the area will be.
* Can't buy a strike? Try a spinnerbait or jig in a hot color such as blaze orange or chartreuse.
These outrageous hues don't look like anything in nature, but they can provoke a reaction strike
from a moody bass.
* The most obvious spots to fish for Smallmouths are rock shoals and drop off points. They also
can be found in deeper water where the concentration of feeder fish are more abundant. A depth
finder is invaluable in finding the best structure.
* To cover large areas of water, diving crankbaits like Cotton Cordell's Rattlin Spot and the Rapala
Shad Rap in silver or crawfish patterns are quite effective. When fishing shallow rock shoals, white
and yellow spinnerbaits as well as shallow diving crankbaits have proven deadly. In deeper waters,
a ¼ to ½oz jig head tipped with chartreuese, yellow or white Mister Twister grubs are also effective.
Slowly bouncing these jigs off rocky bottoms will surely entice the most wary Bronzeback. If fishing
deep water in late summer or early fall, try bouncing a worm colored Tub Jig off the bottom. When
Smallmouth do go deep, they seem to like the 30 to 40 foot depth range.
* Cast your big worm at the shore's edge or over top of a shoal and let the worm slowly sink. As
soon as it sinks down a couple of feet, gently pull the worm towards you until it hits the surface then
let it sink down again. It's almost like you are taking long slow jigs. But make sure you pull it very
slowly and gently. You will find that most of the time, the Smallmouth will hit the worm as it is sinking.
You could put a weight about 3 feet up the line like a stretched Caroline Rig but when you are
fishing in the rocks, a weight will get snagged. It's best not to use a weight even if you find it
frustrating to cast.
Copyright© 2006 - 2009 BobberStop.com
* A pork frog or pork crawfish can be deadly for bass when fished without a jig by using a keeper
hook. Press the pig onto the hook. Take an old plastic worm that is no longer useable. Break off a
piece of the worm and push it onto the keeper. Then measure the distance past the barb on the
hook and break the remainder of the worm off. Now push that end of the worm onto the point of the
hook, past the barb. You now have a weedless pig. If more weight is desired, use a slip sinker and
a bead at the knot. This bait is ideal in heavy cover because it is more weedless than a traditional
Jig & Pig.
*Although we prefer and recommend live bait when fishing for rock bass, for those who prefer to
use lures, or simply don't have live bait handy, we recommend small and light tail spinners with very
little or no weight. Lures should be just heavy enough to cast into a light breeze.
*Largemouth Bass have excellent hearing. Sounds travel from their deep-set ears through a series
of connected bones and to an air bladder that doubles as an amplifier. Lateral lines on either side
of their body contain highly sensitive nerve endings that also detect sounds and vibrations. A
carpeted boat deck can help absorb sounds that may startle the bass. Generally, fish that are in
water deeper than five or six feet are not bothered by the noise of electric or outboard motors.
* Fish the down-wind side of a lake or pond in sustained, heavy wind. In this situation forage will be
concentrated on that side of the lake or pond and bass will move in to feed. A spinnerbait is a good
choice when fishing for these aggressive fish.
* When fishing on high-pressure days, fish deeper water. Bass are often suspended right off the
bottom because the barometric pressure has decreased the amount of air in their air sack. This
causes them to move into deeper water because they have to exert more effort to hold in shallow
water.
* Floating crayfish crankbaits produce bass well on rocky points, dams, and shores. Crank it until
you hit bottom and pause. This resembles a crawdad it it’s natural, defensive position.
* Don’t get locked into using a particular lure and presentation method just because it worked the
last time you went bass fishing. Because the environment in which bass live is constantly changing,
you also must change your strategy to match the current conditions in order to increase your
success.
* There are thousands of different bass lures on the market, but you only need a few to
consistently catch bass. Jigs, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and topwater lures will catch bass
wherever these great gamefish swim. Other lures will work, too, but always keep these basic baits
in the top drawer of your tacklebox.
* Bass are cold-blooded creatures, so their activity level is directly related to the temperature of
their surroundings. If the water is below 60 degrees, fish slow-moving lures like jigs and plastic
worms close to the bottom. In warmer water, faster-moving lures like crankbaits and spinnerbaits
fished off the bottom will usually work better.
* Bass can see colors about as well as humans can. In clear water, use realistic lure colors that
mimic living prey - silver or gold crankbaits and topwater plugs, black or brown jigs. In murky water,
use bright colors that can be easily seen, such as chartreuse crankbaits or white spinnerbaits.
* Bass often display strong seasonal habitat preferences. In spring, they prefer shallow bays and
tributaries protected from cold north winds. In summer, they gravitate to dropoffs, ledges and
submerged islands and other offshore structures. In winter, look for them on deep points, sloping
banks and channel ledges.
* When retrieving a weedless lure across the top of lilypads or pond scum, keep it moving at a fairly
slow, constant pace. This gives the bass plenty of opportunity to track down the lure. Avoid using a
stop-and-go retrieve, for the bass may strike at the lure and miss it.
* A flat-sided crankbait is a great choice in cold water. These lures don't vibrate as hard as a
rounded crankbait, making them better suited to sluggish bass. In early spring, many bass pros fish
'em around shallow logs and stumps, the same places you'd normally fish a spinnerbait.
* When you feel a bass bite your worm or jig, immediately lower the rod tip and bring it back
sharply, so you snap the slack out of the line. This hookset will drive the point through the tough
jaw of bass in much the same way that the blow of a hammer drives a nail through a board.
* Nothing is more thrilling than the sound of a lunker bass smashing a surface lure at night. Cast a
big, dark-colored top-water wobbler, popper, prop bait or buzz bait close to weedlines or shallow
shorelines after dark. Use heavy line, and don't set the hook before the fish pull.
* Bass are drawn to isolated objects - a lone stump on the end of a point, a small patch of grass
growing a couple of boat-lengths from a large weedbed, etc. Target this randomly-scattered cover
first - often that's where the biggest bass in the area will be.
* Can't buy a strike? Try a spinnerbait or jig in a hot color such as blaze orange or chartreuse.
These outrageous hues don't look like anything in nature, but they can provoke a reaction strike
from a moody bass.
* The most obvious spots to fish for Smallmouths are rock shoals and drop off points. They also
can be found in deeper water where the concentration of feeder fish are more abundant. A depth
finder is invaluable in finding the best structure.
* To cover large areas of water, diving crankbaits like Cotton Cordell's Rattlin Spot and the Rapala
Shad Rap in silver or crawfish patterns are quite effective. When fishing shallow rock shoals, white
and yellow spinnerbaits as well as shallow diving crankbaits have proven deadly. In deeper waters,
a ¼ to ½oz jig head tipped with chartreuese, yellow or white Mister Twister grubs are also effective.
Slowly bouncing these jigs off rocky bottoms will surely entice the most wary Bronzeback. If fishing
deep water in late summer or early fall, try bouncing a worm colored Tub Jig off the bottom. When
Smallmouth do go deep, they seem to like the 30 to 40 foot depth range.
* Cast your big worm at the shore's edge or over top of a shoal and let the worm slowly sink. As
soon as it sinks down a couple of feet, gently pull the worm towards you until it hits the surface then
let it sink down again. It's almost like you are taking long slow jigs. But make sure you pull it very
slowly and gently. You will find that most of the time, the Smallmouth will hit the worm as it is sinking.
You could put a weight about 3 feet up the line like a stretched Caroline Rig but when you are
fishing in the rocks, a weight will get snagged. It's best not to use a weight even if you find it
frustrating to cast.
Copyright© 2006 - 2009 BobberStop.com
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| Bass Fishing Tips |
| "There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process." Paul O'Neil |
