Read our top 3 most important tips for finding largemouth bass. Learn where and what to look for while on the water, so you can increase your catches.
While there are hundreds of tips and secrets for finding bass, many of them are one-off tricks that cannot be duplicated across bodies of waters or seasonal changes. The most useful bass fishing tips are the ones that change your thinking and process. By improving the way you approach a body of water and target bass, you will improve your whole game and compound your catch rate. Here are three fundamental tips on finding bass that will improve you as an angler over the long run.
In general, bass are found in 10% of the lake. Not a specific location that makes up 10%, but a specific combination of characteristics that make up 10%. This could mean that bass are holding the entire circumference of the lake, but concentrated under the shade providing overhangs such as docks, branches, and fallen trees. It isn’t that bass are holding to that secret dock the bait shop hinted at, but that bass are holding underneath docks in general because of the extreme pressures of heat and sunlight. Thinking through why fishing are holding to a spot will narrow your options down to key locations that make up 10% of the lake.
Successful bass fishing is not about finding a spot, but finding a combination of factors that are often spread out in pockets of the lake. Finding the right combination of depth, structure, cover, water temp and conditions is more valuable than a general location. You should approach a body of water with a few hypotheses on conditions and bass fishing tackle. Test these conditions and look for patterns that are replicable, such as a transition in depth and structure. A hot spot tip is great for that spot, but once you catch the bass holding their, you will scratch your head not knowing what to do next. It is more important to understand why that spot is hot and to duplicate the conditions paired with your lure selection.
Cover a lot of water to find the 10% where bass are holding. Finding out what works may take a little time, but time can be expedited when you efficiently search out your original hypotheses. Fish each planned spot for 10-15 minutes with a baitcasting rod & reel to speed up your casts. Keep moving and testing a variation of three 3-4 lures in each location. This means stocking up on popular bass lures and sectioning off a core few for each condition you target. Larger bass often form in pods of 2-3 or go it alone, so you will need to keep moving and duplicate the same 10% over more water to keep catching.
Post Contributed by Edward Hitchcock at Tailored Tackle
Veterans Day allows for free admission into all of America's National Parks and license free fishing in New York State. The fishing may be slowing down in many northern parks, but we have picked some of the best options for fishing while celebrating those who sacrificed for their country.
We love fishing, but it turns out fishing can love us back. During the winter months when the sky is gray and the thermometer won't get above 30, serious mental health problems can arise. Check out how our favorite past time can help with our struggles this time of year and why it is worth it to hit the water during the coldest time of year.
Bobby’s one of the passionate community advocates on Fishbrain and has been since he started. He joined the Fishbrain Pro Staff family in 2019, he loves sharing and helping other anglers and last week we sat down with him to get to know him even more.
Don't let lack of a boat keep you from catching stripers. Learn where and when to target stripers from the beach during the fall migration.
Learn how target bass and crappie this fall from Captain Angie Douthit, one of the top guides on the historical Lake Okeechobee.
Fishbrain looks at some of the best locations around the country for fall scenery, solitude and fishing opportunities. Hungry fish, migrating species, cool temperatures and bright foliage await your next fishing adventure.