Bass Fishing Tips: How to Catch Bass

How to catch bass

Bass is one of the most exciting species of fish to target. With their aggressive predatory nature and cunning behavior, there’s never a dull moment when bass fishing.

Today, I’ll be covering all the tips, tricks, and know-how you’ll need to turn yourself into an expert bass angler. If you want to learn more about how to catch bass then keep reading.

Bass Basics

There are heaps of different bass species roaming our waters. From the majestic striped bass that swim our oceans and estuaries to the tiny white perch; the bass family is massive.

For today’s discussion about how to catch bass, I’m going to focus on the two most popular freshwater bass species, found across America. In this article, I’ll be covering largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are typically green in color with a dark horizontal line across the length of their bodies. Largies have a deep ridge that separates their dorsal fins, a bottom jaw that extends far outward, and an upper jaw that projects above their eyes. These fish can top out at a whopping 20 pounds, and they put up a helluva fight, especially the larger ones.

How to catch largemouth bass

Largies are the lazier of the two species, and they love to hang out in heavy cover in warm water with little current. Largemouth bass will even feed in cover, which makes them an easy target for sight fishing.

Smallmouth Bass

Smallies are typically brown in color, with vertical striations on their bodies instead of a horizontal line. Their jaws are smaller, with the upper jaw in line with their eyes. These guys are every bit the voracious fighters that their largemouth cousins are, but they usually top out at about half the size.

Like the largies, smallmouth bass also love cover. But instead of hanging out in cover like the largies do, they tend to hang out on the outskirts of a patch of cover, hunting along the edges. They’re also a bit more active, and they’re much more tolerant of current than largemouths.

In fact, smallies actually seek out strong currents and stay in them to ambush small prey.

How to Catch Bass

Whether you’re going large or small, these tips and tricks about how to catch bass will help ensure that you’re putting more bass on the boat this season.

Best Gear for Bass Fishing

Ask ten anglers what their go-to setup is for bass fishing, and you’re going to receive ten completely different answers. There’s no right or wrong way to fish for bass, especially if you’re catching fish! Still, there are some rules of thumb you’ll want to consider as a starting point when you begin thinking about how to catch bass.

Reels

When it comes to bass fishing, most anglers opt for either baitcasting or spinning reels. Both work well, and it boils down to personal preference. Yet, there are also some definite advantages to each type, depending on how you fish.

Spinning tackle is ideal for finesse fishing with lighter lines and baits. You can also cast sidearm effectively with a spinning tackle, which is a huge plus if you’re fishing along a bank with low branches or heavy cover.

How to catch bass using a spinning reel

Baitcasting tackle can be more challenging to use, and it’s preferred for power fishing and targeting larger bass. Baitcasters enable you to cast longer distances, and this gear provides the extra power you need for landing trophy bass.

Drag strength is another essential consideration when shopping for a reel. Drag allows the line to come off the reel when enough pressure is applied by a fish. It’s designed to keep fish from breaking off your line during a fight. The rule of thumb is to set your drag at 20-30% of your lines breaking strength. Somewhere in the 10-12-pound range is perfect for bass.

Rods

Beyond the basics, like pairing a spinning reel to a spinning rod and vice versa, there are a few rod characteristics to look for when thinking about how to catch bass.

Most bass anglers prefer a rod with medium or medium-heavy power. This provides them with enough backbone to muscle big bass out of cover and onto the boat or the shore. Rod action is another critical characteristic to consider, and it refers to where the rod bends when pressure is applied. Slow rods bend towards the handle while faster rods bend towards the tip.

Bass can be notoriously difficult to achieve a solid hook set on, so rods with fast or extra fast action are preferred for bass fishing. The stiffness of the tip provides the leverage you’ll need to set the hook.

Rods in the 6-to-7-foot class are best as they strike a balance between casting distance and feel. Longer rods allow you to cast greater distances and can help provide extra leverage when setting the hook. But, anything north of 7-feet becomes a path of diminishing returns.

Lures

Bass are voracious hunters, and they’ll eat just about anything you throw at them. But there’s a handful of proven killers out there you’ll want to add to your tackle box when you’re targeting bass.

Lures to catch bass

Soft Plastics

Soft plastics like swimbaits are a go-to lure that every bass angler employs to catch monster bass at some point or another. For bass fishing, opt for something in the 3-5” range in colors like chartreuse, pumpkin, or bloodworm.

Stickbaits are exceptionally popular and effective. Whacky rigging them is usually your best bet for targeting lunker bass.

Curl-tail grubs are perhaps most versatile. These lures catch hundreds of different species regardless of where they are in the water column. Rig these on a ⅛-¼ ounce jighead and fish them any way you like, as long as that tail is always moving.

Tube baits are ideal for smallmouth as they mimic some of their favorite prey. Your best bet with tube baits is to rig it with a jig head heavy enough to thump along the bottom and agitate the sediment. This will trigger reaction strikes from monster bass.

Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbaits are a perennial favorite for bass fishing. These funny-looking baits are like a bass jig, but they feature a wire and spoon extending from the head of the jig. This creates a massive disturbance in the water as it moves, causing reactionary strikes from bass.

Opt for lures in the ½ to ¾ ounce range in white, green, pumpkin, or chartreuse. Work them gradually through the water or over cover to get bass worked into a frenzy. Be careful using these guys in thick grasses or reeds, as they will get hung up or bring back a clump of weeds with them.

Bass Jigs

Like a spinnerbait, a bass jig forgoes the large spoon for a more streamlined presentation. You’ll find these jigs with and without weed guards. They’re tailor-made for techniques like flipping and pitching, which every bass on the planet responds to. Be sure to opt with a weedless jig if you’re flipping or pitching through heavy cover.

Crankbaits

Crankbaits are lifelike versions of the baitfish that bass dine on every day. Depending on the way the lure is made, there’re endless ways to fish them. Most crankbaits have a lip on the front of the lure that allows it to dive to a specific depth for fishing at a particular point in the water column. Others are lipless for topwater techniques to target bass that are aggressively feeding.

Swimbaits

Swimbaits exist at the intersection of the crankbait and the soft plastic bait. These lures mimic the look (and, most importantly, the action) of a baitfish. As the lure is retrieved, the tail paddles through the water, creating a ton of disturbance that hungry bass can’t resist.

Swimbaits have a soft plastic body that’s internally weighted for fishing at different depths. So you can find a swimbait for practically any fishing scenario.

Live Bait

If live bait is more your thing, there are a ton of different options that bass love. Crawfish, nightcrawlers, minnows, shad, madtoms, frogs & salamanders are all great options. Crawfish in particular are a favorite food of both smallmouth largemouth bass, especially in spring and summer. Insert a baitholder hook upwards through the crawfish tail and try tossing out these crustaceans.

Live baits to catch bass

Remember to keep your bait fresh and lively and know the regulations governing the collection and use of live baits.

Line

Monofilament is the most common and cheapest line for bass fishing. It’s great for beginners as it is easy to cast and can be tied with little difficulty. Its floats and stretches making it best for topwater fishing.

Fluorocarbon is another option, but it is more expensive than monofilament. It’s a denser line which makes it sink and so it’s not great for topwater fishing, as it kills the action of the lure. But it has less stretch making it great for soft plastics and reaction baits when you are wanting to be more sensitive to the bite.

Braid is a third option, and usually the most expensive line choice. It has virtually no stretch and is extremely strong. Its only downside is that it is often more visible in the water making it best suited to fishing in areas where there is coverage or vegetation. Because of its strength cutting through weeds in not usually a problem.

How strong should your line be? The right strength varies depending on your technique. A general rule of thumb is 8-12 pounds for mono when using spinner gear. And 15 or 20 pounds when in heavy cover or if chasing larger bass using big swimbaits or crankbaits.

Match your line to the conditions, your chosen technique, and your budget to maximize your catch.

Rigging for Bass Fishing

Bass might be voracious predators, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take any bait you throw at them. If your presentation is off, the bass will know, and you won’t have a very productive day on the fishing grounds.

Depending on the bait you’re fishing, you’ll find that some knots are better than others for a particular bait or technique. Regardless of the knot you select, pay close attention to the way the knot attaches to the eye of the lure.

When you hold the line at tension, the line should be perpendicular to the lure. As the lure travels through the water, it will swim with lifelike action that’s sure to trigger a reaction from hungry bass.

If the line is traveling parallel to the lure, you’ll end up fishing it with an erratic up-and-down motion that isn’t going to look natural. Bass will know something is up, and they’ll avoid what you’re offering nine times out of ten.

Fishing rigs to catch bass

Match your rig to the conditions. Drop shot rigs are great in deep water. Wacky rigs are best for precise fishing in spots like brush piles. Carolina rigs work well with a range of stick baits and soft plastics and are a great-searching rig to cover water and find bass.

Tips for Spring Bass Fishing

When the water temperature gets above 45 degrees, they’ll start moving in from the deep to shallower waters. Here are a few tips to help you land more bass when the fish are looking to fatten up and become more aggressive.

Find Transition Points

Areas with abrupt depth changes are always hot spots for predatory fish, and this is especially true with bass in spring. Use a depth finder or map to identify spots where there are significant depth changes and target those areas.

Cover-More Water

Covering a lot of water is always a wise idea, no matter what species you’re targeting. In the spring, when bass are often on the move, covering more water will help you find where the big bass are hiding out.

Slow Down Your Retrieve

This tactic pays major dividends, especially in the early spring. These bass are just waking up from a long winter, and they’re not moving as fast as they do when the water warms up. Give bass the opportunity to strike your lure by slowing your retrieve speed so they can catch up to it.

Summer Bass Fishing Tips

In the summer, the bass are big, hungry, and ready to strike.
Maximize your summer fishing haul with these tips.

High Visibility? Size Down

You can get away with murder in murky water. It doesn’t matter if you choose the wrong colors or lure styles or use an especially sloppy technique. Chances are, the bass will bite. As bass are visual predators with a keen seen of eyesight, when the water is clear, they’re not so easy to outsmart.

Size down your line weight, lure size and lure weight to provide the most natural-looking presentation possible. You’ll be more likely to fool a discerning bass this way.

Timing is Everything

During the summer, bass are most active in low light hours. They can see better than most of their prey in the twilight, which is why you’ll find the best fishing just after dawn and right before dusk. When the sun is higher, target shady areas in search of bass. But, you’ll probably enjoy your best fishing in the early morning and early evening hours.

Size Up Baits

Monster bass will often school with smaller bass. Sizing up your baits will help you avoid some of the smaller schoolies while providing opportunities for you to land the bigger bass in the school.

Fall Bass Fishing Tips

While fishing for most species tends to cool off in the fall and winter months, bass are active year-round if the conditions are right. With these tips, you should have no trouble filling your live well with some chubby bass this Fall.

Shad is King

As the water cools down and bass try to fatten up for the winter, shad is by far their food of choice. Matching the hatch is essential, no matter what you’re fishing for. But when it comes to bass, fishing with shad soft baits in the Fall is a cheat code. Anything in the 3-4” size range should serve you well.

Shad is a best bait to catch bass

Try and find colors that mimic the baitfish of the water you’re fishing.

Lose the Lip

Fishing with lipless crankbaits is another way to score some monster bass in the fall months. As bass return to the shallows to stay warm while they continue feeding, they can’t seem to resist smashing surface lures. Work a lipless crankbait in open water between areas of cover, and don’t be surprised if a hungry bass crushes your lure.

Final Word

Bass fishing is one of the hottest and most exciting ways to get out on the water. Regardless of the time of year, you can find bass in your area by following your instincts and the advice above.

Be sure to adjust your technique to the season you’re fishing, and you’ll likely be surprised by how many bass you’re able to put in your live well this year. I hope this article has improved your knowledge about how to catch bass. Let me know how you get on.

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