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By Jack Mitchell
As you spend more and more hours and days on bass fishing, you
will acquire lots of knowledge about the right lure and
technique for the proper way to do this sport. The best advice
most experienced and seasoned bass fishermen, is to examine
the
fishing conditions, ask for tips from anglers familiar with
the
waters you are fishing in, and finally, try many different
lures and bass-fishing techniques until you discover what
works
most effectively to the situation, and which one you are most
comfortable with.
Here are some Guides to Bass Fishing to become a better Bass
angler.
The Technique:
The bait must fall to the preferred depth, then you have to
shake the rod tip. By this, you'll be getting the fishes
attention. Do this for at least 30 seconds, then shaking again
for about 2 or 3 seconds intervals, stop and pull slowly about
six inches. Then dropping again, slowly back and down and
repeating the process. The first thing to remember if they're
not biting is to slow down.
Tips:
• During Springtime, fish uphill (position the boat in shallow
water and cast to deep water) and use a 1/8 ounce weight.
• Fish downhill in Fall.
• Try to use a Texas rigged worm to prevent hang-ups.
• Fish out the worm and keep suspended 90% of the time.
• Always try to sharpen the hooks to make sure you have
maximized your hookup percentage.
• When doodling, it is critical to keep your presentation
natural by downsizing your hooks to 1/0 or lower, and paying
delicate, attention to how straight your bait is in order to
maintain a natural presentation.
• Crystal clear waters can be tough. The secret to fishing
weenie worms is to keep slack on your line and "shake" the
bait
instead of dragging. The shaking of the rod and your light
line
gives your worm, grub or reaper an amazing action.
When to Go:
When the bass quit hitting during the daytime and when it
becomes uncomfortably hot on the lake are good signals that
it's time to start night fishing. Night fishing is usually
practiced when the water is in the mid-60s or warmer.
Places to Fish:
Where to fish at night is a question commonly asked by bass
fishermen. Bass don't move great distances in most situations.
Smallmouth bass, especially, are proven stay-at-homes. As the
summer wears on, the bass tend to move deeper and won't come
up
shallow, even at night in many lakes. Night fishing is
productive when the bass are within the 20-foot zone
Tips and Guides
• Position yourself only as far away as water clarity
dictates;
stay close enough for consistent accuracy.
• Try to make the lure land on the water with as little noise
as possible. Cast past the target when possible.
• In windy weather, put tension on the line just before the
lure touches down. This will straighten out the line and
prevent it from blowing across obstructions.
• Learn casting techniques that permit a low trajectory, such
as flipping, pitching, sidearm casting and underhand casting.
• Use a quality rod and reel matched to the weight of the
lure.
Rods with a stiff blank but relatively fast (limber) tip are
easier to cast than extremely stiff or uniformly limber rods.
• Cast with the wrist, not the arm and shoulder.
• Lower the lure a few inches below the rod tip before
casting;
this gives extra momentum for the cast.
• Be sure to "load" the rod tip, causing it to bend backward,
on the back-cast, then whip the rod forward smoothly.
• Fill the spool of any type reel to within 1/8 inch of the
lip
of the spool. DO NOT OVERFILL!
The Flip-Cast; use your wrist, NOT your arm.
• Concentrate on the spot you want to hit, not on what you
want
to miss.
• Use plenty of scent when trying to penetrate thick cover -
it
acts as a lubricant.
• Stick to basic jig colors (black/blue, brown/brown,
black/chartreuse).
• Use a plastic worm with a glass bead between the worm and
the
weight for inactive fish.
• If you think it's a strike, reel down until your rod is in a
hookset position before you check.
• A strike is anything different (something you wouldn't feel
in a bathtub!).
• Tighten your drag all the way down for better hooksets.
• Use 17 to 25 pound test line for bait casting gear, 10 to 14
pound test on spinning (for flipping finesse baits).
In order to establish a pattern it is essential you understand
how a bass lives in its environment. Knowing where the bass
can
be found at any given time or place is something you must
develop. Always go fishing with a plan in mind.
Remember that every fish you catch can reveal clues on how to
catch another. After establishing a pattern, realize that when
the action slows down in the area you were fishing, you can
then search for more areas that would fill the same criteria.
About The Author: Download our excellent bass fishing
mini-course absolutely FREE at
www.bassfishingsystem.com/
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