One of the most enjoyed angling activities among the fishermen is bass fishing. The most prominent game fish in this family are the largemouth bass and the smallmouth bass, which are the most sought after fish in the North American region. The largemouth bass is considered a bit easier to catch in comparison to the smallmouth bass, as the latter gives a very hard fight to the angler.
These two have a lot of things in common but they usually prefer to stay in different types of environments. The largemouth bass prefers the weeded area and spots where the water has a muddy bottom. On the other hand, smallmouth bass admire clear lakes and rocky bottomed water.
Although there are a lot of ways that could be considered as expert techniques to catch bass, mastering the bass fishing basics would give an angler the extra edge.
To start off bass fishing, you need to have the right tools and equipment. This may consist of a good number of lures and soft plastics, although there are only a few types of plastics/lures that are preferred by bass. These include spinner baits, plastic worms that are in 3-4 inch range, and top water baits. There may be a good lot of other things available too, but these simple lures really are necessary for basic bass fishing.
Spinner Baits
First, when using the spinner baits, it is a good idea to research the specific area where you will be fishing. Certain spinner baits may work better in different waters, so reading fishing reports for that water will help you fine tune your equipment. In addition, different climates and water types provide the fish with a variety of food, so you should find out what they are feeding on.
Trying different retrieval methods with the spinner baits would help give you a better opportunity to catch a bass. Proceeding with a steady and slow retrieval and then working to a faster yet steady retrieval would work fine, but it may help to try alternating your retrieval rates in order to see what is attracting the bass right then.
Top Water Baits
Top water baits are also good baits for bass, but it is important to use them in a slow retrieval method. Slow is indeed good with these kinds of lures, so you will want to let hem sit for a while on the top of water before you start to twitch and slowly retrieve them. You want to make the fish think that this type of bait is really “alive” so the method of retrieval is very important. Twitching it across the water gives the illusion that the “thing” is trying to escape the water (like a live bug would do).
Soft Plastics
Soft plastics are also good for bass fishing, but they can come in all kinds of colors and lengths. Review any information about the water in which you will be fishing to see what kinds of colors and lengths are working there. All the techniques and tricks used for the spinner baits also apply to the soft plastics. The key element here is to start with slow retrievals and then gradually move to stop-and-go methods. Once that is achieved, moving ahead with faster retrievals can fetch good results.
A very essential thing here would be to follow whatever comes into the head of an angler. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new things and see how they turn out!
