Bass Fishing Tips

With this article we will try to inform you what we consider to be the most useful tips as far as bass fishing is concerned. Maybe we will not cover them all but at least you will be able to create a much clearer image regarding this sport, a sport that is becoming more and more popular, especially in the United States. We will begin the article by presenting one of the soft plastic baits along with instructions and tips regarding how to use it.

Soft plastic bait

Grubs are some of the most popular soft plastic baits used to catch bass, especially smallmouth bass. They are suitable for highland reservoirs lacking extensive cover, where the lures with more attention-getting qualities might be ignored by the fish. As far as the fishing technique is concerned, here is how it should go:

  1. Fish the grub on a rather semi-slack line in deep, clear water. Then, hop it back to the boat and always check the feel of your bait for anything different before the next hop.
  2. Next, cast the grub by letting it sink to the bottom and right away start a slow yet steady retrieve back to the boat.
  3. Last but not least, fan-cast the grub on a long flat or point. Afterwards let it sink a few feet and then jerk the rod tip in order to cause the lure to dart fast. Repeat this process all the way back to the boat.

Some tips regarding these baits:

a) During windy weather conditions, we recommend that you point the nose of the boat into the wind and cast toward the boat’s back and use a slow yet steady retrieve maneuver. This wave action will control the movement of the grub.

b) During summertime, when the bass are hitting crankbaits in the morning hours and then stop, we recommend switching to a grub.

c) The simplest method to get hung up is to pull hard when you are working through cover such as fallen trees. Jiggle the lure through instead.

Next, we will do the same thing but this time taking an example from the hardbaits category, we will go with crankbaits.

Hardbait

Crankbaits are considered to be the most popular baits used in professional tournaments mainly because they act as so called “bird dogs” in their search for the precious bass. The most important advantage you will have by using crankbaits will be the amount of water you will be able to cover, especially when bass are using a depth between 10 and 20 feet. You need to know that crankbaits are reaction baits – bass do not hit it because they are fooled. They hit it because something is getting away from them.

The use of crankbaits is efficient in the following environments:

- Large rocks;
- Logs and stumps
- Drop-offs and ledges of different depths;
- Mud points, flats, clay or gravel.

We advise you to use the following retrieve method:

  1. Using a long rod and a deep-runner, stick the first one in the water in order to attain water depth.
  2. Reel very fast and the stop. The floating crankbaits will slowly yet surely rise and the suspending lures will remain at that depth. Repeat the process.
  3. Bottom bumping is considered to be efficient in both shallow and deep water. What you must do is to root the crankbait along the bottom so that it will kick up slit and run erratically. A tapping on the bottom indicates gravel or rock, a very slight drag indicates sand while a longer tug /snag) indicates muck and weeds.
  4. As far as ripping is concerned, you should crank the lure for several times in order to get it at the needed depth. After that, pull it back with the rod which will cause the lure to dart fast through water.

Some tips regarding the crankbaits should come in handy:

  1. Use erratic retrieve for the best fish appeal;
  2. To improve sensitivity, you should hold your rod tip low and to the side while keeping the angle between the line and rod at approximately 90 degrees;
  3. Concentrate on depth control and speed;
  4. Use a wire cross locking snap when fishing crankbaits, which will allow you to change lures fast and enables the bait to move more freely.
  5. Hook sharpness is crucial with crankbaits and many professional anglers replace the standard hooks with extra-sharp, strong hooks.

Our last part of the article is about equipment and we will offer a brief presentation about the much needed reel. What you need to know is that there are three distinct categories of reel, as follows: baitcasting, spinning and spincast reels.

Reels

A baitcasting reel will provide a better lure control and accuracy and are suitable for lines testing >10 pounds. In order to set it up rightly for each lure you must hold the rod perpendicular to your body and disengage the spool and loosen the tension just until the lure will start to drop. After that, tighten slightly.

A spinning reel is an open-face, skirted-spool reel that has a stationary spool. They perform better when casting into the wind, comparing to the baitcasting reeds. The main disadvantage of a spinning reel is that it will eventually twist the line thus creating tangles, knots and loops. When this unfortunate situation occurs it is better to replace it.

A spincast reel is a closed-face push-button reel which is easy to use due to the reason that it is relatively tangle-free and provides a long and smooth cast in comparison to other reels. The spool is placed inside a cylindrical covering and remains stationary as a line pick-up pin rotates around the spool. Remember that for this type of reel, you get what you pay for.

Last but not least, some tips regarding reels are imposed:

  1. When you refill your spinning reel, never overfill it.
  2. Use a soft line that still is strong.

Purchase known brand names, do not get cheap.