Fishing Gear

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Choosing the Right Bass Fishing Lure

Choosing the right bass fishing lure at the right time to catch the right bass can be one of the most difficult things to do. Let’s face it there are hundreds of different lures in hundreds of different colors and sizes. What lure are you using to catch bass may be the most ask question when you are out fishing. At the very least we tend to keep one eye on what bass lure the competition has tied to the end of their rod.

If you are serious about catching bass you most likely have three or more rods already set up with your favorite lures ready to cast into that weed bed or drop off. One with your favorite spinnerbait, one with your favorite top water lure and your favorite crankbait and probably a fourth one with that favorite plastic worm rigged up in your favorite style. We choose these bass fishing lures because they are the basic year round successful bass fishing lures around.

Using spnnerbaits is easy and fast, covering a lot of water at many different depths to find and attract the bass. Keep in mind that bass are schooling fish and once you get a strike you can fish out the area using the other baits of your choice. Fish it fast with the spinnerbait and crankbait then drop in your plastic worm with a little finesse and wiggle.

Crankbaits is another easy and fast fishing lure to catch bass with and if I had to choose just one fishing lure for my tackle box it would be a lip-less crankbait. I would choose the rattle noise making kind of crankbait. I would also choose one of the basic food chain colors, chartreuse, chrome, crawfish brown, or shad lures. Know what kind of bait is common in the lake or river you are fishing in and go with those colors. I was just at the sporting goods store and cannot believe the myriad of different colors available. I have a hard time fishing with a hot pink or lime green fishing lure for bass. Give me a bait fish or crawdad color and let’s catch bass. Make sure you have more than one color and a tackle box full of your favorite. Nothing irks me more than losing the one lure that is catching bass and not having a back-up.

My all time favorite lure is the Rapala 6 inch shad color floating topwater cigar shaped bait. I get overly confident with this bait and even though I catch a lot of bass with it I many times over fish it and miss bass I would have caught had I chosen a different lure. Of course having confidence in your selection of lure for the conditions you are fishing is an important aspect in catching bass. However, when they are not hitting on the lure you have chosen then by all means choose another bass lure until you find the sweet spot.

On a final note, choose the right bass lure for the conditions you are fishing. If the waters are muddy then the bass will be feeding by sound then use a rattle crankbait or Colorado blades on your spinner bait in a copper or painted blade. In clear waters a good bright silver is best. Don’t just throw on any old lure out there but choose the best bass lure for the clarity of the water and the type of food available in other words, give some thought to where and what to fish with.

“ Remember even a bad day fishing is better than any day working unless your work is fishing then every day is a good day!”

Dennis has been fishing mainly for bass for over 45 years he has reviewed two books on bass fishing which can be seen at http://www.squidoo.com/bass_fishing_review

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

How to Fish For Bass With A CrankBait

There are all kinds of bass lures on the market today. They come in all shapes and sizes along with every color imaginable. It may not be the color of the lure that attracts that bass you are searching for. How you retrieve your bass lure can make all the difference in what you catch. Let me teach you four ways to retrieve a crankbait whether it is a rattle trap or quiet.

Retrieval #1 Retrieve your floating crankbait in at a slow steady pace or your sinking crankbait at a fast steady pace allowing it to ride just under the surface a foot or so. You will have to adjust the speed depending on what your reel ratio is so learn the feel of your equipment it will give you a lot more confidence and confidence will mean more fish. The slower pace could entice some of those lazy lunker bass who don’t want to work to hard to eat while the faster pace gets the attention of the bass.

Retrieval #2 Pull and Pause is a great retrieve alongside a submerged log or alongside of a dock or boathouse. I like to pull the lure about two feet then pause as I reel back the two feet keeping the line tight as I reel in. Then I pull another two feet and repeat all the way back to the boat. When using a sinking crankbait this allows the lure to fall a little bit simulating a minnow that is injured. Of course, the exact opposite happens if you are using a top water bait like the floating Rapala that sinks a couple of feet when pulled and then floats wobbly back up to the surface. Either way will entice the bass to strike and the fun begins.

Retrieval #3 If you want to fish a little deeper and still give your crankbait a little more action try the up and down method. I just use my rod tip to make my crankbait rise and fall. Even though this is similar to the pull and pause method of retrieval you will be getting a larger distance between the shallow and depth of the lure. You will want to get a 10 to 12 foot up and down ratio to get your crankbait down to where the bass are holding at to entice them to strike.

Retrieval #4 Simple try to incorporate two or more of the above methods and see what happens. Remember an injured baitfish is going to be all over the place. It is injured after all and I assume writhing in pain flopping around like a wounded fish. So if the bass are not biting try some variations on the above or if the crankbait is not catching them then change bait. You should have an arsenal in your tackle box.

Dennis has been fishing mainly for bass for over 45 years he has reviewed two ebooks on bass fishing which can be seen at http://www.squidoo.com/bass_fishing_review

Monday, April 7, 2008

Where to find bass

Even though I have fished for largemouth bass for over 45 years finding them can be the hardest part of catching bass. Locating the proper bass structures will help you to catch more and bigger bass. Part of the problem is that bass move around in the lakes and ponds that they live in depending on the water temperature, time of year (spawning or not), time of day, sunny or overcast and how much food is available in a given location. Understanding the habits of bass goes a long way in catching bass with any frequency.

If I am fishing a new lake the first thing I do when the boat goes in the water is to check for clarity. How far down can I see that will make a difference on what lure I will be using and how I fish that particular bait. I then scan the shoreline and see if I see any points jutting out into the lake, perhaps a narrow or where a stream enters the lake. Bass love to hang out at these locations. Then as I begin fishing I always keep an eye out for bass structures like submerged trees or stumps sticking up out of the water I like to throw a spinner bait right along the length of any logs I see and perhaps a plastic worm in amidst the stumps.

Of course, you will always see bass fishermen casting up around man made docks and boat houses since bass love to hang out under the shadows of the structures. I have pulled many a bass out from under a dock or other wooden structures dotting the lakeshore. And don’t forget about the fancy houses with their irrigation lines submerged four or five feet into the waters edge. Just be careful you don’t hook a screen covering the opening because it is no fun getting them unhooked. These are some of the man made bass structures that hold a lot of bass waiting to be caught.

Small mouth bass seem to like the rocks a little more than largemouth do and you would do well to drop in a plastic worm hook up in a Texas rig. I tend to like the black/purple ones but a sandy pumpkin color works pretty good for the smallie. Small mouth bass like to set up their beds for spawning in the smaller gravel loaded bottoms. Large rocks or boulders are not usually good bass structures

Perhaps the ultimate cover for bass is the oxygen producing weeds that are found in lakes and ponds. I especially like the lily pads and top water lures thrown into the holes and along side of a stand of pads. Rest assured that you will pick up a weed or two but then that goes with bass fishing. Any green weed bed has usually got a bass or two imbedded within. Remember that bass are schooling fish and where one is there are usually two or more hanging nearby. When you get to close to a weed bed you might easily spook the bass and you will see them skitter off but don’t be too alarmed because they will sneak right back in.
Good luck and happy fishing and remember “ Remember even a bad day fishing is better than any day working unless your work is fishing then every day is a good day!”

Saturday, April 5, 2008

A Few Good Ways to Fish for Bass

Talk to any bass fisherman and he or she will tell you that there are hundreds of different ways to fish for bass. The purpose of this article is to give you five simple but very effective ways to fish for bass that anyone can do. No kidding, whether you are just beginning to fish for largemouth bass or have fished them for years these five tips will be of help to you.

Tip # 1 For years my brothers and I fished either out of a canoe or a small flat bottom row boat. There is more than one way to fish for bass you do not need a $20,000 high speed bass boat to catch bass we caught plenty and some pretty nice ones at that. I vividly remember reeling in keeper bass while all the fast bass boats flew from spot to spot going fast but NOT FISHING! I for one like to fish out a spot before I move on.

Tip # 2 Growing up fishing out of those small boats we learned to stay up in the weeds and away from the waves and wind. After all we did have to row the boat or paddle the canoe. We discovered how to toss our lures up into the open pockets in the weeds and fish right up to the edge and jerk the bait out before we snagged a weed. We caught many bass with plastic worms dropped into those holes and slowly twitching the worms until we hooked the bass. It is a good way to fish for bass. Sometimes you can catch that lunker in a foot of water.

Tip # 3 The top water lure is my favorite to fish especially late evening right as the wind dies down and the sun is only up for another half hour. The water is smooth as glass and every ripple shows. I just find myself a large set of weeds that jut out from the shoreline 25 feet or so and then flip the top water twitch bait right to the edge of the weed bed and slowly and I mean slowly twitch jerk the lure two to three times and let it sit for a second then repeat all the way back to the boat. Nothing is more thrilling than when that largemouth comes out of the water and kisses that lure. I have caught some huge bass with this method.

Tip # 4 Another good way to fish for bass is up near the docks and boat houses along the lake shore. It is amazing how close you can cast your spinner bait to those fancy ski boats tied up to those docks. Bass like to hang out in the shade of the docks hiding in the shadows waiting for a delicious meal to hobble by. Bam! The fight is on when that little spinner shines past his hiding place. Flip your spinner as far under the dock as you can get it and let it sink three quarters of the way to the bottom then retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade give it three or four tries and if no hits then speed up your retrieve. You might want to throw a shallow running crank bait under or right along side the dock or boathouse. Just be careful some people get really upset when you get your hook into their canvas boat cover (personal experience speaking).

Tip # 5 Perhaps one of the older ways to fish for bass, and one not used very often anymore, is with a weed less Johnson Silver Minnow tipped with a green spotted pork rind. We used to slay the bass over thick weeds using this tactic. Find a thick weed bed with few if any holes in it and simply toss the silver minnow onto the top of the bed and reel it just fast enough to keep it from dropping through the weeds. It is amazing how those bass can get through those thick weeds and latch onto that lure. Don’t use a swivel you should always tie your line directly to your lure or you will pick up weeds on the swivel.

I sure hope these five tips on ways to fish for bass have helped you as you go out and fish. Remember even a bad day fishing is better than any day working unless your work is fishing then every day is a good day! Check out my reviews of two fantastic books on bass fishing. http://www.squidoo.com/bass_fishing_review

Friday, April 4, 2008

How to Fish For Bass

Learning how to fish for bass is not hard if you spend some time reading up on it and actually spending hours on the water fishing. Of course, that is what we all want to do since even a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Unfortunately, we have to work to be able to afford to fish for bass. One of the best places to get solid advice on how to fish for bass is from avid and experienced bass fisherman. Most are open to sharing at least a few of their secrets. If they are not open to sharing just sort of look at what is hanging on the end of their fishing rods and learn how to throw that bait.

Bass are one of the easier fish to catch. Next to pan fish, bass are probably the most caught fish out there. Many people catch bass by accident while pan fishing and then learn to love fishing for bass. The next step is to try out the many different baits and fishing techniques until you discover which one works best for the body of water you are fishing. We all find the one or two that seem to work best for us. I fish with my son-in-law quite a bit and we both fish with different lures and different styles and both seem to catch fish. Of course, if he is catching them all I am not afraid to switch baits.

Some How to Fish for Bass Techniques

For top water lures I prefer floating twitch baits like the Rapala. I just throw it out and let it sit for a second then give it two to three quick twitches and then sit it then repeat. When that largemouth breaks the surface the adrenalin starts a pumping.

For plastic worms I like to drop them onto the weeds and let them fall into the holes or off the edges of lily pads and fish them slowly.

Crank baits with little rattles in them are a great lure to fish for bass with. You will have to work the bait with different speeds of retrieve until you find the one that works for that day. I give it some twitches when I retrieve as well.

I seldom fish with live bait for bass because I like to cast and retrieve. However, night crawlers and live minnows work well for bass fishing and a lot of fish are caught with them.

Make sure you keep your hooks sharp and line fresh with no frays in it. One thing I hate is to lose a fish I have hooked because the hook did not penetrate or the line broke from careless care.

You also need to learn casting accuracy and use and learn to do some flipping, side arm casting, underhand casting and pitching if you want to get to where the bass are located.

Well I hope I have helped you a little bit on how to fish for bass. You can get more information by reading a review on bass fishing books at http://www.squidoo.com/bass_fishing_review

How to for Fish Bass with Top Water Lures

Top water bass fishing is my favorite way to fish for bass. There is nothing I enjoy more than when a huge bass breaks the water surface and grabs my bait. Talk about an adrenalin rush and heart pumping action top water ‘bassin’ will get it on. There are a number of different baits to use while top water fishing for bass. The popper, propeller baits, twitch bait such as the Rapala or Heddon floaters, buzz baits, rattle baits and rubber frogs and such are all used as top water baits.

With the many different varieties of top water lures comes the many different types of retrieval of the baits. The buzz bait is quite a bit faster than the Hula Popper or Rapala floating lures. You will have to try different speeds, jerks and twitches to see which one the big bass are longing for on any given day or time of day.

My personal favorite top water bait to fish for bass is the black/grey 6 inch Rapala. I actually cut off the lower part of the rear treble hook leaving only the upper two hooks of the three. This way I do not grab so many weeds pieces with the lure. I cast this little baby right along the edge of a weed bed and slowly twitch the bait with three short twitches and then I leave it set for a brief moment and most often the explosion comes during that dead time. If I see a large opening in weed cover I will toss the bait right up the far edge of the opening and slowly twitch it to the nearer edge. Of course sometimes getting it out of the opening before catching a weed or two is difficult but well worth the effort when the lunker hits. If you know where the drop-offs are you can cast up to the high side and then I like to slowly reel the bait in so that it is just under the surface acting like a wounded minnow given a twitch here and there as I reel.

In my younger days I used the popper on a rather consistent basis and have caught a lot of bass with it. Again I have used many different types of retrieval methods with the popper and one of the largest bass I ever caught was when I cast the Hula Popper out and gave it hard long pulls making a huge popping sound and a long trail of air that was pulled under the water about 2 to 3 inches. Not the usual way to fish this bait. But then bass don’t always react the way we think they should. Yes a good way to fish far bass is with top water lures and tackle. Give it a try you will be glad you did.

Dennis writes on a variety of subjects and has been bass fishing for over 45 years. Check out his review of two bass fishing books at http://www.squidoo.com/bass_fishing_review

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

How to Catch Bass With Plastic Worms

Regardless if you are fishing for largemouth or smallmouth bass the plastic warm and lizard type baits work extremely well in catching fish. The variety in size, color and smell of plastic worms and lizards allows you to choose the right bait to catch bass no matter where you are fishing. The plastic or rubber worm has probably caught more bass than any other type of artificial bait on the market.

For the largemouth bass the 6” to 7” worm works best. I prefer the black worm with a dark purple tail fished slowly over and around lily pads just bouncing them off the pads so that they fall off the side and front of the pads. Worms are easily hooked so that they are basically weed-less. If you embed the hook so that the point and barb are hidden into the flesh of the worm it will not catch very many weeds but will catch many bass. Try using the smaller 4” worms in a variety of colors for smallmouth bass and there are many to be caught.

You can use a worm with either bait casting or spinning rods and reels so your tackle is readily available. You do need to understand that plastic worm fishing is a slow process but well worth the perseverance. It will take some time to learn the little nuances used and the feel of the fish when bassin with a plastic worm.

You can throw your worm or lizard along a break line of a drop off or inch it along the bottom. Work the worm slowly over a downed tree or submerged stumps and entice that lunker out for battle. Throw it up onto the shore and slowly work it into the edge of the water as you inch it along the weeds you may be surprised by that large bass lurking in the shallows looking for a little snack.

You can learn how to catch bass with plastic worms with just a little practice and a lot of perseverance and patience. http://www.hubpages.com/catchbass

Getting Started

The bass fishing fundamental blog is just underway more will be added tomorrow.

Dennis