|
Bass
Make a Change
this Bass Season
With the season scant weeks away, an excitement is building for those that
have a profound love for bass. I myself make no excuse for my affinity to
these green and brown fish - a specie that can tug, tussle and splash with
the best of them. But how many of us are in a rut when it comes to chasing
this pugnacious adversary? For those that throw the same bait, to the same
patch of pads, with that same ten-year-old spinning combo, then this
fishing makeover is tailor-made for you.
Toad Rigging
Tactics
When conditions are right, I like nothing more than catching largemouth
bass on soft-plastic top water baits. Whether you like hollow-bodied frogs
or the slimmer profile of toads (also called swimming frogs), both are
outstanding baits. In this article, I'll cover some tips for rigging and
fishing toads to put more largemouth bass in your boat this season.
Cold Fronts &
Deep Weedlines for Largemouth
Cold fronts will challenge your angling skills. This is mainly because
fronts send most fish into a negative mood, and largemouth bass are no
exception. To successfully fool largies, you need to learn to recognize
what stage of a front you're fishing and match your presentation
accordingly. In most cases, fishing deep water is the best strategy once a
front has passed.
Shad-Feeding Smallmouth Tactics
When shad school up in the summer over open, deep water areas, smallmouth
bass won't be far behind. For anglers who may wonder, "Why aren't the
smallies in the rocky shallows?" In many lakes I fish, the answer is often
that the bronzebacks are chasing schools of shad. You can catch these
roaming smallies with a variety of baits. Here's how.
Trolling for
Offshore Smallies
I first stumbled upon deep-water bass trolling in 2002, while fishing at a
friend's cottage on a lake west of Ottawa, Ontario. It was early fall and
the foliage was beginning its colourful transformation, a sure sign
smallmouth would be putting on the feedbag. After scouring the shoreline
for most of the morning with little to show for our efforts, we decided it
was time for a change of pace.
Ten Tips For
Flipping and Pitching
If there are two techniques that have accounted for more and bigger
largemouth in my boat over the years, they have to be flipping and
pitching. Not only are these short-string tactics both finesse and
heavy-handed, they are also a ton of fun to perfect and execute
Largies on
Rocks - The Flipping Jig Solution
Largemouth bass and green vegetation have become a unanimous equation for
locating and catching fish. Toss in some docks, laydowns and slop, and the
basics of the bassin' game are seemingly covered. Or are they?
Biking For
Bass
It had been a stressful day and I wanted to unwind outside and be near
water. I didn't have enough time to take my boat and go fishing, so I
opted for the next best thing. I grabbed a few lures, strapped my fishing
rod to my bike, and peddled to a few shoreline fishing spots along a bike
path
Deep-Water
Jigging for Smallies
The fall colours were in full effect, dotting the shoreline on a crisp,
October morning. I was fishing for deep-water smallmouth around rocks and
boulders in 20-30 feet of water. I jiggled my tube jig along, paused, and
then felt a slight tick. I set the hook and the fight began. The three
pound smallie bulldogged for a few minutes, but eventually got in net
range and was landed. After the hook was popped out, the chunky specimen
swam away strongly after being released.
Scoring Big
Bass with Football Jigs
The variety of jigs available at a tackle shop can be mind-numbing to
anglers. Although their differences may appear trivial, jig heads are
designed for specific fishing situations. The football jig is a bait
that's often overlooked, but deadly on bass. Here's some advice on why and
when you need to fish them.
Setting Your
Sights on a Trophy
Everything in life seems to garner respect for being big. Big cars, big
houses and of course, big wallets. The same can be said for fishing, where
average-sized fish get nary a raised brow, yet oversized monsters are akin
to hitting the lottery jackpot.
Season-Ending
Largies
As the days grow shorter and the leaves take on their colourful hues, an
anticipation and excitement begins to build, of which I have waited all
summer for - - - fall time bassin'. This end-of-season pilgrimage to my
favourite largemouth haunts is the highlight of the season for me. At no
other time of the year can I experience waterways that are void of boats,
jet skies and tubers, but bursting with rod-busting bucketmouths, with
nary another angler in sight. Keep the boat going until the ghouls come
out in October, and I can guarantee some of the biggest and most plentiful
bass you have ever reckoned with.
Soft-Plastics
For Bass
You don't always need to flip pockets in heavy weeds to catch bass. In
fact, one of my preferred options for uprooting largemouth from heavy
cover is throwing soft-plastic topwaters. These baits can be rigged to be
virtually weedless and their soft bodies make them more lifelike to bass
than hard-plastic baits. Although flipping can be fun, there's nothing
like a bucketmouth exploding at the surface, separating lilly pads and
sending slop flying.
The Ten
Commandments of Topwatering
The art of angling is built upon many different techniques and methods in
order to catch fish. From tossing a crank, hopping a tube, or burning a
spinnerbait, the options are wide open for the intuitive rod slinger.
For those searching out heart-stopping action and high-energy thrills,
however, tempting fish on the surface is a hands down winner, if only for
the visual aspect of boiling water and the crashing of fish. Here are ten
tips to get the most out of your topwater experience.
Work The Flats
for Wandering Largemouth
Flat fishing for largemouth bass can produce
predictable and exciting action for anglers searching for fruitful days on
the water. Not only do flats hold tremendous numbers of fish, they also
hold a large number of trophies, hidden from prying eyes throughout this
great expanse of "nothingness." Learning when to hit the flats, and what
to use, will be your greatest strength when it comes to limiting out on
the water with this tried and true technique.
Tweak Your
Jig and Pig for Optimum Results
The jig and pig is a classic bait that catches a ton of largemouth bass.
It offers the angler versatility because it can be used with so many
different techniques and tactics….from flippin' to pitchin' and docks to
slop. They've accounted for many of my biggest largemouth over the years,
and are the only bait I turn to when a tournament win is on the line
Boat
Control is Vital When Playing the Bassin' Game
Before you fire off that fateful cast in search of the next trophy bass,
have you considered the position of your boat? The majority of anglers
neglect to realize that boat position, and how you work your rig can play
an important part in the success you achieve. Although it will ultimately
be up to you to put the fish in the boat, your approach before and during
each cast is a crucial link in the game of catching bass.
Sorting
Through the Spinnerbaits for Bass
Spinnerbaits and largemouth bass go together like bread and butter.
Although they have been on the tackle shelves for a long time, the
effectiveness and efficiency of these baits make them a top choice for
bass anglers all over North America. But where do you start when it comes
to choosing the right spinnerbait for the job at hand? Follow these simple
techniques and learn to turn this simple bait into a deadly bass machine
Knock on Docks for
Bruiser Bass
Finding bass on any given lake can often be a challenging
task. With so many places to occupy in a body of water, anglers may spend
more time looking for fish than actually fishing for them
Fall Bass
When Zeke and I launched the boat on Crooked Nose Bay a flock of Canada
Geese lazily watched the launching operation before their next leg south
to their winter nesting grounds. It is time for autumn bass angling.
Largemouth
By The Light Of The Moon
Working the nightshift in search of big
bucketmouths can be a profitable and exciting endeavour for those anglers
looking for a new twist in the bassin' game. Fishing under the moon
comes with its own set of rules and techniques because once the sun sets,
you really are smack down in the middle of the largemouth's playing field.
Come and explore the graveyard shift and discover all the action that
you've been missing.
Crank Up
That Next Smallie
Crankbaits have a universal appeal when it
comes to luring in smallmouth bass. Whether they represent a baitfish or
crawdad to the opportunistic bass, the end result is always the same -
another bass in the boat. Although crankbaits come in hundreds of styles
and shapes, a select few can get the job done right when applied
correctly. Utilize these tips and tricks the next time you hit the water,
and have fun cranking in bass after bass.
Seven
Tricks for Improving Your Bassin' Results
Bass fishing is a game
of highs and lows. Going from banner days on the water to empty live wells
the next is a fact of life when chasing these challenging adversaries.
There are, however, a number of tricks that can improve and elevate your bassin' game to the next level. Test these out on your next trip to the
lake and watch your success jump in leaps and bounds.
Twitching Your
Way to a Bass Bonanza
Cast. Twitch, twitch, twitch….pause. Fish
on! Throwing twitchbaits to bass can lead to some exciting days on the
water - and some big bass to boot. Twitchbaits mimic the natural look and
action of a baitfish to a T, and therein lies the reason for their
incredible fish-catching abilities. Try your hand at the following "twitch
tactics," and reap the rewards that the bass gods will shine down on you.
Spicing Up for
Autumn Appetites
The next best venue is an established outside weedline, but only one that materializes off a large weed flat.
Additionally, my top weedlines setup next to major drop-offs and
incorporate a few weeded fingers. And as far as weed composition goes,
nothing outshines deep coontail. Unlike cabbage and milfoil, coontail
holds its characteristics – baitfish sanctuary, oxygen, shade, etc. –
throughout the fall.
Toss the
Versatile 'Flipping Jig' for More and Bigger Bass
The flipping
jig, or jig-and-pig as it is commonly called, is one of the simplest
looking baits on the market that routinely accounts for huge stringers of
bass year after year. For the majority of anglers, throwing the bait to
the odd dock or tree is the extent of its usage. For those in the know,
however, the sky is the limit when it comes to where and how to throw this
versatile lure. Learn the ins and outs of the 'jig-and-pig,' and watch
your catch rate grow in leaps and bounds
Bass & Slop
Soon the shorelines and shallow sections of small bays and coves will fill
with slop and weeds. Don't avoid them because they seem so thick. This is
the under water forest for bass. The bass moves through the slop like a
deer hunter through the forest. Slop in shallow weed choked flats can hold
some big bass.
Timely
Tactics for 'Negative-Mood' Largemouth
Nothing can frustrate an
angler more than targeting largemouth bass that are in a definite finicky
mode. The more lures you throw at them, the more they seem to turn up
their noses and silently mock your futile efforts. If fronts, dog days of
summer or pressured fish are bringing you down, try these proven tactics
in order to put more largemouth in the boat during these "tough times."
Vertical
Jigging for Suspended Smallies
Retrieving baits and lures in a
horizontal fashion is one of the most commonly utilized and effective
techniques in fishing today. There are times, however, when a vertical
approach may be your best bet when dealing with certain situations.
Smallmouth that suspend in open water is one key period where vertical
jigging a lure will outshine and out produce any other methods on the
market.
Football
Jigs for Bass
Bass have been eating football – “roller” – jigs for
years. In fact, the lures gained tremendous popularity in the early 90’s,
but have since lost some identity. These days, most guys lump bass jigs
together, labeling them ‘jigs & pigs’, not paying much attention to
specific designs.
The Basic
Lures for Lunker Largemouth
For those anglers that have caught a
severe case of the "bassin' bug," deciding on what lures and baits to
choose can be a complicated and difficult decision. Breaking down the
collection of baits into five significant and productive types will help
all those new to bass fishing get a better handle on what to throw a
largemouth's way. Stock your tackle box up with each of the following
lures and watch how simplified the bassin' game can be and how your
success rate will seemingly skyrocket.
|
