| As you spend more and more hours and days on | | | | Tips and Guides |
| bass fishing you will acquire lots of | | | | |
| knowledge about the right lure and technique | | | | Position yourself only as far away as water |
| for the proper way to do this sport. The best | | | | clarity dictates; stay close enough for |
| advice most experienced and seasoned bass | | | | consistent accuracy. |
| fishermen give is:to examine the fishing | | | | |
| conditionsask for tips from anglers familiar | | | | Try to make the lure land on the water with |
| with the waters you are fishing intry many | | | | as little noise as possible. Cast past the |
| different lures and bass-fishing techniques | | | | target when possible. |
| until you discover what works most | | | | |
| effectively to the situation and which one | | | | In windy weather put tension on the line just |
| you are most comfortable with. | | | | before the lure touches down. This will |
| | | | straighten out the line and prevent it from |
| Here are some guides to bass fishing to | | | | blowing across obstructions. |
| become better. | | | | |
| | | | Learn casting techniques that permit a low |
| The Technique: | | | | trajectory such as flipping, pitching, |
| | | | sidearm casting and underhand casting. |
| The bait must fall to the preferred depth and | | | | |
| then you have to shake the rod tip. By doing | | | | Use a quality rod and reel matched to the |
| this you'll be getting the fish attention. Do | | | | weight of the lure. Rods with a stiff blank |
| this for at least 30 seconds and then shaking | | | | but relatively fast (limber) tip are easier |
| again for about 2 or 3 seconds intervals. | | | | to cast than extremely stiff or uniformly |
| Stop and pull slowly about six inches. Then | | | | limber rods. |
| dropping again slowly back and down and then | | | | |
| repeating the process. The first thing to | | | | Cast with the wrist not the arm and shoulder. |
| remember if they're not biting is to slow | | | | |
| down. | | | | Lower the lure a few inches below the rod tip |
| | | | before casting; this gives extra momentum for |
| Tips: | | | | the cast. |
| | | | |
| During springtime, fish uphill (position the | | | | Be sure to "load" the rod tip, causing it to |
| boat in shallow water and cast to deep water) | | | | bend backward, on the back-cast, then whip |
| and use a 1/8 ounce weight. | | | | the rod forward smoothly. |
| | | | |
| Fish downhill in fall. | | | | Fill the spool of any type reel to within 1/8 |
| | | | inch of the lip of the spool. DO NOT |
| Try to use a Texas rigged worm to prevent | | | | OVERFILL! |
| hang-ups. | | | | |
| | | | The Flip-Cast; use your wrist, NOT your arm. |
| Fish out the worm and keep suspended 90% of | | | | |
| the time. | | | | Concentrate on the spot you want to hit, not |
| | | | on what you want to miss. |
| Always try to sharpen the hooks to make sure | | | | |
| you have maximized your hookup percentage. | | | | Use plenty of scent when trying to penetrate |
| | | | thick cover - it acts as a lubricant. |
| When doodling, it is critical to keep your | | | | |
| presentation natural by downsizing your hooks | | | | Stick to basic jig colors (black/blue, brown |
| to 1/0 or lower and paying delicate attention | | | | brown, black/chartreuse). |
| to how straight your bait is in order to | | | | |
| maintain a natural presentation. | | | | Use a plastic worm with a glass bead between |
| | | | the worm and the weight for inactive fish. |
| Crystal clear waters can be tough. The secret | | | | |
| to fishing weenie worms is to keep slack on | | | | If you think it's a strike, reel down until |
| your line and "shake" the bait instead of | | | | your rod is in a hookset position before you |
| dragging. The shaking of the rod and your | | | | check. |
| light line gives your worm, grub or reaper an | | | | |
| amazing action. | | | | A strike is anything different (something you |
| | | | wouldn't feel in a bathtub!). |
| When to Go: | | | | |
| | | | Tighten your drag all the way down for better |
| When the bass quit hitting during the daytime | | | | hooksets. |
| and when it becomes uncomfortably hot on the | | | | |
| lake are good signals that it's time to start | | | | Use 17 to 25 pound test line for bait casting |
| night fishing. Night fishing is usually | | | | gear, 10 to 14 pound test on spinning (for |
| practiced when the water is in the mid-60s or | | | | flipping finesse baits). |
| warmer. | | | | |
| | | | In order to establish a pattern it is |
| Places to Fish: | | | | essential you understand how a bass lives in |
| | | | its environment. Knowing where the bass can |
| Where to fish at night is a question commonly | | | | be found at any given time or place is |
| asked by bass fishermen. Bass don't move | | | | something you must develop. Always go fishing |
| great distances in most situations. | | | | with a plan in mind. |
| Smallmouth bass, especially, are proven | | | | |
| stay-at-homes. As the summer wears on, the | | | | Remember that every fish you catch can reveal |
| bass tend to move deeper and won't come up | | | | clues on how to catch another. After |
| shallow even at night in many lakes. Night | | | | establishing a pattern realize that when the |
| fishing is productive when the bass are | | | | action slows down in the area you were |
| within the 20-foot zone | | | | fishing, you can then search for more areas |
| | | | that would fill the same criteria. |