Bass Fishing Tips That Work – Know Your Prey
The most popular and well known gamefish in the United States is the largemouth bass. Weighing up to 25 pounds and measuring nearly 30 inches, these fish are known throughout North America as a truly great fishing experience. If you want to catch the big one, check out these great bash fishing tips!
They are the State Fish of Georgia, Mississippi, Indiana, Florida, and Alabama. That alone should attest to their popularity. If there was a prom queen for fish, it would be the largemouth bass.
And just like that prom queen, everyone wants to take one home. No matter where you are, inland lakes or seabass fishing, anglers each have their secret, sworn-to way of how to bass fish. So how do you know which largemouth bass fishing tips are the good ones?
Welcome to Bass 101.
How to Bass Fish – It’s not as hard as you think.
Largemouth bass are the most popular game fish in all of North America. Catching bass is relatively easy, very fun, and, with the right tips and tricks, one of best ways to spend a weekend.
First, remember that bass are slow, lazy, and like to stay in their beds. They scare easily and aren’t aggressive when it comes to taking bait.
Any bass fisherman will tell you that patience and technique are key to landing the big ones. A good bass boat doesn’t hurt either. Since bass are most commonly lake fish, bass boats are increasingly popular and needed for trophy fishing.
Bass Boats – What Makes a Good One?
A good boat will be low-slung, open, and have plenty of horsepower. The low profile lets you cast from generous platforms at both the bow and stern of the boat. Make sure there’s plenty of storage available for rods and tackle.
Bass boats will also have a small, slow-speed trolling motor that typically hangs off the bow. This allows quiet, small-area, maneuvers to get in just the right spot without scaring the fish.
Most have comfortable pedestal fishing chairs that move into floor sockets on both platforms. You need an aerated live-well for bait or fresh-caught fish, as well as an onboard tank that continually circulates aerated water to keep the occupants within alive.
Brands of bass boats abound, but stick with the tried and true like Triton and Nitro. These companies have great products with reputations to stand behind. Like any good tool, don’t skimp here.
When it comes to purchasing a good boat, this is definitely a “pay now or pay later,” situation. Skimp here and you may be kicking yourself just a few eeks later.
Bass Fishing Tips – or How to Catch Bass Fish
Bass fishing takes patience and skill. Articles on how to bass fish go into great detail on angles and timing to keep from scaring the fish, but it’s not as hard as it sounds. Basically, be quiet.
Use the trolling motor to move quietly and find a good set of trees, or a dock, or other structure to stay hidden. Cast your line from an angle into the bass beds, let your line sink, and then work it in place.
Largemouth are unlikely to chase, remember they are lazy, but they will suck in a line that’s tantalizingly close. In many cases, you will be able to see the bass hiding in reeds and work your line 
directly to it.
The best baits for bass are going to be ones that are naturally occurring, so make your bait seasonal. Even your fishing bass lures should be similar to whatever food source is in season.
Crawfish, night crawlers, and small sunfish are top-notch live bait. Just make sure you keep them alive and fresh. Dead bait is a dead end when it comes to most bass.
The Allure of Lures
The best lures for bass have changed over the years and they continue to change as companies develop new and innovative products. Still, there are a few that in the past few years have outshone the others.
The Strike King Red Eye Shad was the lure used to win the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. The lure was crawled over grasses and beds along the shoreline. Just a few years earlier the Berkley Frenzy frog lure was used in fast currents to win.
Still, classic lures and tricks are also a common staple of bass tournaments and daily fishing. If you have old rubber worms that are torn up and ugly, use them. Shredded worms tell the bass that they prey is injured but still alive.
One of the best bass fishing tips: Remember the old adage “red fools the fish.” Tournament winners have sworn that the red color in some lures and hooks remind the bass of blood and make them more likely to strike at the “injured” bait.
When fishing in currents, make sure you face the wind. While it limits your cast, it keeps the noise of your boat low and allows the bass to swim with the current – their preferred method – to get your bait.
Bass Fillets cost $60 a pound
Since bass are the belles of the ball, there is a tremendous amount of equipment out there for sale, and a lot of equipment means a lot of competition for your hard-earned fishing dollars. That’s good news for you.
Fishing sweepstakes are common, as are gear and tackle giveaways. Grab a copy of Bassmaster Magazine and you will find it chock-full of fishing promotions, many of them aimed directly at the lovers of big bass.
Purchasing new tackle, line, hooks, lures, and a rod? Ask if the store has any promotions running. Even if they don’t, they might offer up a reward for getting so much gear.
Heck, ask Cabela’s to throw in a new tackle box from the displays so you can haul all the gear to the lake. You’d be surprised how many stores will part with a $40 tackle box to make you happy. Especially since it only costs them $8.
Look for the sales, the fishing giveaways, the fishing sweepstakes, anything you can to keep some green in your pocket when you head out to put some fish on the line. Just as in fishing for bass, you have to know your angles.