Bass fishing 101

How to Fishing Guide - How to Fish Bass

Bass Fishing 101

I get a lot of great "How To" bass fishing questions from beginners, and I think it's great that more and more people are getting interested in fishing! I love answering questions and helping people get started. But frankly, it's easier to "show" than it is to "tell" (or type, as it were). I can't really explain every specific situation in this one short guide. Of course, you're always welcome to email me specific questions. This is just meant to be a short guide to the "How To" bass fishing basics.

"How To" - Bass Fishing Guide

Bass fishing techniques are varied as they are numerous. There's no simple answer that will suit everyone all the time. I've picked out two of the best and easiest techniques to explain and I feel that they will have some benefit to those who are just getting started in bass fishing.

• Shaky Head Fishing - This is a rather new technique that is quickly becoming one of my favorites (and apparently many other people feel the same way). It's making the rounds in the fishing tournaments and does quite well. Ironically, it seems to do even better when other lures aren't getting much attention from bass. I have actually made a page completely dedicated to shaky head fishing at www.ShakyHeadJig.com , so I won't explain it in detail here. You can visit my other articles for this one.
• Top Water Fishing - This tried and true technique requires a floating bait, a rod and real. You generally use a bait that replicates an injured minnow -some of them have propellers that sputter and splash across the top of the water. Buzz baits are also a topwater bait. You can cast and reel at a slow, steady pace or you can cast and reel it in short spurts to further reproduce the effect of an injured fish. The great part about topwater fishing is that when the bass strikes there's a HUGE splash. It's really exciting to watch the fish lunge toward the bait. There's usually a lot of action on top of the water.

Either of these styles of fishing should be enjoyable and successful for anyone. There are a lot of articles out there that make both styles sound much more complicated than need be. They are both effective and simple and should be enjoyable to any fisher man. It takes some experimentation to find what you like best and what works for you.

How to Fish Bass Equals Where to Fish Bass

Just as important as your bass fishing technique, is finding a good spot to fish. There are a lot of considerations, and it's another one of those things that would be easier to show than tell. Because I don't know what you have available to you in your area, I'll tell you what kinds of places I look for in the waters where I fish.

• River Fishing for Bass. This is my favorite way to fish bass. I've fished on big rivers, but enjoy smaller rivers more. Naturally, a quiet, out of the way, place work better than areas with a lot of people and commotion. Just as a general rule of thumb, it's a good plan to try to look for the spots in the river that aren't typical. For instance, if you find a big boulder or something blocking the current, you can generally find a nice fishing spot on the downstream side of the boulder because dead bugs and such gather where the current is blocked. Another place bass gather is anywhere where tree branches overhang the water. Fish gather to eat the bugs that fall out of the trees and they like the shade, especially in hot weather. Downstream of a confluence is also a good place to look for a fishing spot. Fish tend to gather in hopes of getting the extra grub that washes out of the creek, stream or river.
• Lake Fishing for Bass. Bass fishingfrom the bank can be very challenging, but not impossible if you have the patience and dedication for it. Look for schools of shad. Anywhere that shad gather, bass will be nearby. An abundance of underwater cover such as logs, rocks or artificial crappie beds are places where bass like to hide out. All fish like cover and quiet little hiding spots and bass are no exception. The challenge to this is that often you get your favorite lures caught in the cover and can't retrieve them. Boat fishing defiantly has its advantages, but there's a lot of good fishing to be had without a boat. Of course, if you have one, use it. If you don't, don't worry about it. Just go out and fish and have a fun!

That's it! You're on your way to be best bass fishing of your life! -Fish On!

Author's Bio:

Ted Thurman has been an avid fisherman throughout his life, but has been involved in several aspects of the fishing industry for the past 10 years. He lives near some of the best fishing lakes in the United States and loves sharing information about fishing with others who enjoy fishing and people who are interested in learning more about fishing.

For More information, please visit http://www.FishinLures.net

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Top bass fishing home page

Great Resources Make a Great Bass Fishing Home Page

Every bass fisherman dreams of becoming the next bassmaster elite. In fact it could be said that a bassmaster elite is made not born. The secret to becoming the next Roland Martin is arming yourself not only with a great tackle box filled with goodies but also having a solid understanding of all the top bass fishing techniques. The best way to get started in the transformation from bass fisherman wannabe to bassmaster elite is through the use of a great bass fishing home page. Here are some of the requirements that you should consider for your bass fishing home page resource.

1. Complete Breakdown of Bass Habitat. It makes no sense for a web page to show you how to rig a Texas worm and simply instruct you to chuck that puppy in the weeds, if you do not understand when and where to use such a rig. This is something that any great bass fishing home page should strive to accomplish that is proper education about the environment in which a bass lives. You'll never be a bassmaster elite if you simply do not understand the world in which the bass lives.

2. Choice and Selection. It's great that websites narrow down and specializes, but for a great bass fishing home page to shine it needs to stand on the cutting edge of bass fishing techniques. Every year something new changes within the bass fishing world and so in order to stay competitive for that next tourney you need a great resource, and this is where a great bass fishing home page comes into play.

3. Bass Fishing home page should be about bass not catching bass fisherman. Let's be honest, most of what hangs on the walls of your favorite tackle shop, are designed more for catching bass fisherman then they are for catching bass. Again this is where a solid understanding of your prey (larry the lunker) helps you to weed out what will catch him and not what is going to catch your wallet. The bass fishing industry is huge, but learn more about larry the lunker and you'll save yourself buying a ton of crap that just won't catch bass.

To learn more about how great resources should help you catch more bass and how learning about bass habitat is the first step in becoming a bassmaster elite check out http://www.squidoo.com/basshabitat Here we go over in detail not only all about larry the lunker and his habitat, but also all the bass fishing techniques you need for each situation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Bolton

Top Bass Fishing Tips - part 5

Top Bass Fishing Tips - Part Five - Bass Fishing the Reeds

This is the last article in our series entitles Top Bass Fishing Tips. If you have missed any of our previous articles in this series I highly recommend you do a quick a search to find them as they compile some of the best bass fishing techniques that will help you catch more bass. With all that said, let's look at the topic of today's top bass fishing tips article. Today will be looking at bass fishing the reeds.

The secret behind many bass fishing techniques is knowledge and understanding of proper presentation in order to catch that lunker we dreamed about the night before. Well every time I spy a bed of reeds this is exactly the first thing that runs through my mind, and my heart starts pumping as if I just won the lottery. It is no surprise really that this happens because any good bassmaster elite fisherman is going to tell you bass fishing the reeds is gold. Here are a few things to keep in mind when fishing the reeds.

1. Getting a Great Cast. This is one of the most valuable top bass fishing tips when it comes to fishing in the reeds. The reason is that the weed structure is actually quite thin surrounding the bass and without setting up far enough away from the bass and going for those longer distance casts, you risk spooking the bass. So it makes sense the farther away you are from the bass in this situation the less sensitive the bass will be to your presentations.

2. The Trajectory of the Cast. Wow I bet you never saw that one coming. A lot of bass fisherman rarely consider the actual trajectory of their cast yet talk to a bassmaster elite and he'll tell you he has his mind on that all the time. It is one the most critical aspects to getting a great cast. Thick reeds do not lend themselves well to flipping or pitching rod techniques and will cause you a lot of hang ups. What I like to do in reed growth is cast for the sky. The idea is to get it high and long. By doing this you will have a better chance of landing in-between the reeds without hang ups and place that bait or lure right on the bass's nose.

3. If you don't get a Strike "Dead Stick It". Bass fishing the reeds is like walking fine line, and sometimes you'll have no idea if you crossed it. You could be sitting far enough back, pitching your lures high to the sky and still not getting any strikes. It's hard to say the exact reason, perhaps you think you are far enough away from the bass to not be spooked, but aren't. Perhaps the guy you fished this spot and hour before made the bass shy, there are million reasons, so if you don't get a strike after a few casts, dead stick it to them. Let your bait or lure sit there for a few minutes, just in case the bass might what to think about it your presentation before nailing it. After your convinced nothing is there (or your patience just can't take it anymore) work the lure back slowly, don't horse the retrieve as you'll not only spook the bass but in all likely hood get hung up in the reeds then your done like dinner. This method of bass fishing may be frustrating but learning to finesse weed rigs is the real winner for bass fishing the reeds.

Well there you go a couple quick top bass fishing tips for fishing the reeds that are sure to help you catch more bass. The goal of this series was to give you great bass fishing techniques so that you can become the next bassmaster elite. So what are you waiting for head on out, wet that line and catch the lunker of a lifetime. See you on the water.

To learn more bass fishing tips that can help you catch more bass, head on over to Top Bass Fishing Tips. Here I not only show you more bass fishing techniques but take an in-depth look at bass habitat and a whole lot more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Pentoch

Top Bass Fishing Tips - part 4

Top Bass Fishing Tips - Part Four - Dead Sticking For More Bass

This is the Fourth installment in our five part series called Top Bass Fishing Tips. If you missed the first three then you will not want to to miss this week's installment.

In this fourth article I want to look at the fine art of dead sticking for more bass. Dead sticking for bass is simply casting out your bait or lure, and letting it sit out there until you can't take it anymore. It tests your patience, but that is exactly the purpose behind this bass fishing technique. It should come as no surprise that a bass can out wait you. People by nature are impatient and even after casting out a power grub or any other bait or lure and letting it just sit out there, "dead sticking" in the water for a few minutes most people will be going insane. But this is the point behind this bass fishing technique.

Let me share with you a quick story to illustrate this technique. I was fishing up north in the weeds searching for those campfire story sized largemouth bass. I was flipping, chucking spinner baits, walking the dog etc. basically every trick I had that my tackle box could deliver and was catching more of my impatience then anything else. When all of a sudden, I noticed that there were bass in the area but they were following my baits and lures so slow that I hadn't noticed them before. Ok what to do? I knew that these bass were inactive, very inactive, most likely these bass already had their guts full, so their eyes were bigger then their stomachs but they still felt the need to follow baits and lures they just didn't have the motivation to nail them.

So I tried the dead sticking bass fishing technique. I let my power frogs sit out there in the weed clumps for what turned into my brain into nothing short of insanity. You would be surprised at how long an inactive fully fed bass will stare at your baits. Believe me when I say longer then you can handle not touching the urge to reel it in. Then finally, I started catching bass. Sure I didn't boat dozens but this bass fishing technique works.

It's best to try this when you know the bass are there, and non of the other tricks and tactics are working. When this is the case you have nothing to loose but time to try dead sticking. I bet you would be surprised at the results. My personal experience has shown that plastic baits and lures work best with this bass fishing technique so don't be afraid when you find very inactive bass, to go with this bass fishing technique. It's better to catch a few bass then nothing but frustration. Inactive bass fishing requires you to slow your presentations down, and if they are super inactive perhaps because their bellies are full, you'll have to slow it down even more and this is when dead sticking to catch more bass comes into play.

Stay tuned for the next article that will continue our series on top bass fishing tips and I hope you follow along in our series to pick up even more great bass fishing techniques.

To learn more bass fishing tips that can help you catch more bass, head on over to Understanding Bass Habitat Tips . A great resource for a more in-depth look at bass fishing.

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Top Bass Fishing Tips -part 2

Top Bass Fishing Tips - Part Two - Where Are the Bass?

Welcome to Part Two of the series Top Bass Fishing Tips. If you missed any of the other articles in the series then just do a quick search for top bass fishing tips and you should be able to find the other articles. The goal of this series is to provide you with top bass fishing techniques to help you catch more bass. In today's article we will look at answering the crucial question where are the bass?

A lot of considerations come into play when we consider how to locate bass. The body of water we are fishing, weather conditions, structure and other elements but let's try and put these together to round out this bass fishing tip. So to try and help do that first I want to discuss water.

Water us made up of 3 strata. There is a top strata, a middle strata and a bottom strata. During the course of the year water tends to form into these 3 distinct layers, and easy to help you identify with this is concept is, have you ever gone swimming while you were up at the cottage or camping? I'm sure you have, right and as you were swimming you noticed that in the summer swimming along the top can be quite comfortable but dive down a few feet and you instantly notice a drop a in temperature. Now I'm not suggesting the middle layer is just a few feet beneath the surface, but it's just an example to help identify the concept of water strata. These strata play an important role in a fish's life. This is applicable to all fish species and not just for bass fishing. Without getting into a huge discussion about water strata, for now for this bass fishing tips I just wanted to get you used to the concept.

Things to consider when thinking about water strata and how we can use that in our bass fishing technique. Let's break it down.

Top Water Strata. This is a section of water that generally for the most part if the year is warmer then the other 2 layers. Although it is important to note that this layer also drops to the bottom during fall weather and is the first layer to become available in the spring on the surface. Ok to catch more bass in the top water strata consider proper bass fishing lure choice. For instance, top water or "floating" lures with splashing and darting actions can help trigger active fish in this zone of warmer water. Remember this zone becomes very active in the spring as the water stratifies and by summer becomes distinct. Also weather patterns and time of the day help to dictate when active bass may move into this layer of water.

Middle Strata of Water. Is often a transitional section of water that determines how the water will circulate during the yearly seasons and also acts as the definitive barrier of range of water temperatures that separate the top water from the bottom. Tacking advantage of these bass fishing tips for this section of water takes some consideration. Bass will usually hold in this water as a transition. Sometimes moving off to drop offs sections and holding in this strata yet still having access to the active top water. Finding choice bass locations that contain this middle strata along close access to top water habitat can make for some of the best bass fishing. Bass fishing lure choices here range from swimming action baits, rattle baits, shad rap style lures and other medium diving plugs.

Bottom Water Strata. This section of water is generally the coldest in terms of water temperature within a lake. This section of water also rotates to become the top water strata during certain times of the year so be aware of that and be ready to adapt to this to catch more bass. But to make bass fishing tips easier to understand let's stick with a summer scenario when this is the bottom strata. Bass fishing in this strata takes special considerations. Bass generally drop down here during certain weather patterns, when bass are spooked or go in-active. It is still possible to catch more bass here you just have to adapt. Bass fishing lure choices for this water layer are, worm rigs, flipping jigs, deep diving crankbaits and so on. Often the presentation method is slow and methodical to entice the bass to bite.

There you have it a couple quick bass fishing tips, that discuss water conditions how water stratifies and how that can determine our bass fishing technique and bass fishing lure choices. Tomorrow will continue in our series of top bass fishing tips and hope to see you there.

To learn more bass fishing tips that can help you catch more bass, head on over to Top Bass Fishing Tips. Here I not only discuss more top bass fishing tips and bass habitat and also take a more in-depth look at bass fishing technique.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Pentoch

Top Bass Fishing Techniques

Top Bass Fishing Tips - Part One - Top Water Fishing For Bass

Today I decided to start a special 5 part article series I am going to call Top Bass Fishing Tips. I plan on releasing a addition to the bass fishing tips series each day for a total of 5 killer bass fishing secrets to help you boat more bass. In this article I want to take a look at top water fishing for bass.

Top water fishing for bass both largemouth and for smallies has got to be the most exhilarating experience as the fish inhales the bait dramatically right before your eyes. Unlike other bass fishing techniques, top water bass fishing for bass is the most special. It is all about sight and sound. Take you eyes off of what you are doing even for a moment and you could miss landing that lunker. Top water fishing for bass requires that you master 2 techniques, the twelve o-clock rod handling technique and the six o'clock rod handling technique.

The twelve o-clock rod handling technique is a fancy term I like to use describing the position of the rod after casting. Just like the name suggests you hold the rod out in front of you with the rod tip pointing towards the sky, hence it's twelve o-clock. Where and when you would use this rod technique depends on the situation and that is the key to not only this but other bass fishing tips. The 'twelve o-lock' method works best in thick weed cover. Such top water fishing bass lures that go hand in hand with this rod technique are lures that imitate bait like frogs and rats. Another great lure choice are those cigar shaped bullets like the water demon. Because of the heavy weed cover use a solid medium heavy action rod with line that can handle the heavy weeds. Pumping and twitching the lure or bait on the retrieve will help keep you snag free.

The six o-clock rod handling technique is when you hold the rod out in front of you but this time the tip of the rod is just above the waterline, hence the term six o-clock. This is the rod technique of choice for open water. Fishing bass lures of choice here are popping those water chuggers and walking the dog with those cigar shaped bullets are as easy as eating apple pie using the six o-clock technique. Adding twitches and small pumps can add an erratic action to your retrieves and it helps to vary it up to keep the bass on the bite. A medium action rod and reel seem to work best with this rod technique.

A Great way to practice both techniques is in your backyard. Grab some fishing bass lures that you plan to use on your next bass fishing trip, take the trebles off and practice casting and retrieving getting used to using both rod handling techniques. Master these 2 methods and you have a top water fishing for bass secret that will keep you live well full.

Stay tuned for continued articles in this series of bass fishing tips. Tomorrow I hope to release the next article.

If you don't want to wait for tomorrow addition to this series and learn more bass fishing tips head on over to Bass Fishing Tips. Here I not only discuss more about fishing bass lures and bass habitat but also more in-depth bass fishing tips.

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Bass fishing tactics - The water

There are many a good bass fishing book, but the best bass fishing secrets I have found, are from the internet. There are many professional bass fishing experts online sharing their bass fishing tactics, yea you have to pay for some of them, but the bass fishing techniques revealed are some of the best available. Top bass fishing requires top bass fishing tips and techniques.

How to Catch Bass Fish Successfully Every Time

Bass fishing is an enthralling sport. Every one will aspire to come out successfully in any sport or game. To be a good angler one should know the information that is discussed below.

Depth of the water

Any water body will have three layers. They are deep layer, middle layer and surface layer. The surface layer will be warmer than the middle layer and the middle layer will be warmer than the deep layer.

Before heading for the bass fishing you need to know the existence of the three layers and should be able to find out the temperature of the three layers. Thermometers can be used effectively to measure the temperature of the different layers of water.

Bass fish prefers comfortable temperature. Hence in hot weather condition the bass fish will remain in the deep layer as it will be cold. During cold weather condition the bass fish will try to remain in the middle or top layer.

Temperature of the water

The metabolism of the bass fish is influenced by temperature of the water. There is no second opinion that bass fish can withstand temperature fluctuations better.

Bass fishing can be done thorough out the year when the temperature of the water is around 70 -75 degree Celsius. The bass fishing is possible even when the temperature is around 32-39 degree Celsius.

When the temperature of the water becomes cold the movement of the bass fish is getting slower. This piece of information will help the anglers immensely to get big booty of bass fish.

Clarity of the water

Bass can survive well in both clear and murky water. Bass fish tries to remain in the deeper water for most of the time. They tend to come to the top layer only for feeding and reproduction.

Male fish remain near the nest and does the protection job. The male bass fish will enter in to the fight with any intruder who comes near the nest with the aim of destroying or eating.

If the water is clear and calm, good deep water bass fishing is possible. If the water is cloudy which means a lot activity in all three layers, the bass fishing will be difficult.

Noise or vibration or other disturbances

Bass fishes are highly sensitive to vibration and noises. Hence you need to keep the place as quite as possible. Any kind of noise will scare away the bass fish. It is better to reach the selected place without much of disturbance to the water and stay put and goes for deep water bass fishing.

Time of the day, effect of sunlight and color or the prey

Experienced anglers feel that dawn and the dusk are the best time for successful bass fishing. The best feeding time for the bass fish is dawn and dusk. The bass can be lured with the live or artificial bait at this time.

The noon time is not at all suited for bass fishing because the bass stop feeding and go deep in the water in search of cooler place.

The bass fish are more attracted by the light colored fast moving prey. you can use light colored bait that moves fast or create vibrations, your chances of making the bass fish to strike and get hooked is bright.

However bass fishing can go on in other times also. The success depends on your strategy in attracting the bass fish to strike and get caught.

Change of season, time and other things

There are various opinions as far as best season for successful bass fishing is concerned. Some feel that fall of season is the best time for bass fishing.

The season is not going to be the same all through the year. There are so many other things like sun light, water movement, speed of water, direction of the flow etc. also change.

There is no fixed time and season for bass fishing. Bass fishing can be done successfully even during severe cold season [ice fishing] provided you also change your strategy and technique in line with the changes in the season climate and other things

The nature and the habitat of the bass fish

Try and know as much as possible about the nature and habitat of the bass fish. This can be achieved by reading the related articles and discussing with the seasoned anglers.

Once you are thorough with the nature and habitat of the fish you can successfully select the place for bass fishing. Once the place is selected thinking in the lines of bass fish will increase you chance of enjoying a successful bass fishing

Map

Knowing preferred habitats of the bass fish is possible though the map that contains the complete details of the place selected for the bass fishing. You need to find and select a map that has even minute details like length, depth and slope of the surface of the water body.

The bass prefers to stay at deep waters. Once you know the depth and the surface detail of the water body you can select the place for bass fishing more accurately. Deep lake with a slope floor is the best place to look for bass fish.

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