While it might be intimidating to beginners when watching bass fishing on Bassmasters on TV, it isn’t that complicated to learn in reality. Here are some bass fishing tips for beginners that have been collected year to year from my experience (and consulted from other experts). Take a look!
Structure and cover are the two most common terms you will hear from other anglers when they want to describe locations of bass.
Learn to distinguish these two words carefully, this will help you find out some potential fishing spots.
Water temperature is the key-core to change bass behavior, including location, metabolism, food, and spawning cycle. It even varies at least 10 degrees on different parts of a lake.
Usually, the north end is more sensitive to the sun than the south end, which means during a spring, bass in this area will start spawning cycle sooner because the water temperature heats up faster.
In the fall-winter season when the water cools down, bass will start fishing faster and school up large bait balls to feed on before cold weather comes.
Whenever hitting the water, it’s essential for you to pay more attention to the water temperature. This is an important element to decide when and where to fish for success.
To know the most favorite food of bass, spend some time to “scout” around your fishing spots. For example, if you intend to fish near a shoreline and find out lots of frogs cruising around, try to imitate them with a frog type bait.
To understand the bass schedule, consider these elements:
Might beginners don’t know much about this, so here are some pro tips for you:
In the spring-summer season, bigger bass feeds a few times a day, usually in the dawn and dusk or even night whenever the water is warmer.
The same when it’s in the winter, however, they will feed sparingly.
You also should take note bass migration schedule since, in different seasons, they will migrate to different water body parts. Luckily, this activity is predictable so you can learn yourself for a better fishing trip.
For novice anglers, I highly suggest choosing spinning rod and reel because of their ease to use. When you already gain some more experience in bass fishing, baitcasting rod and reel is worth considering since they are more powerful and versatile.
Abu Garcia, Shimano, Fenwick, and Pflueger are four Mr. Giants in this field where you can find reliable, high-quality rods and reels in different sizes, colors, and materials for long-term fishing.
For the very first rod and reel, spending $200 to $250 for a 6′-6″ MH Fast Action spinning combo is ideal for balancing between easy casting and backbone.
When changing to baitcasting combo (after learning curve with a bait-caster), I believe that you can use heavier line and cast heavier lures to deal with fighting fish or vegetation.
Three common types of fishing line are:
Braid
Come with a small diameter to balance between toughness and strength. Compare to other types of fishing line, a braid is more durable, which leads to their higher price. You also should learn curve before a real fishing trip.
Monofilament
Highlight ease of use and affordability, monofilament is the best choice for beginners. In turns, you’re in risk of breaking off more lures since this type of fishing line is really prone to be picked up on wood and rocks.
Fluorocarbon
This is the most popular but only should be used within pro anglers who use a baitcasting rod and reel. If you want to try, start with 12-15 pounds test.
Ensure that the line strands don’t cross each other while learning fluently how to tie Palomar knot. To prevent bad backlashes and limit the stiffness, use a good line conditioner.
With a spinning rod and reel combo, the fishing line should be lighter than 10 pounds diameter for ease to cast. For baitcasting reels, choose the same lines but weighing up to 30-50 pounds braid and 15-20 pounds monofilament.
Choosing hooks depends on the type of fish bait you choose.
For example, Offset EWG and Offset Wide Bend are best for soft plastic baits while Offset Wide Bend is ideal on Texas rigged creature baits or worms.
Four common types of fishing lures are:
From a kayak
This type of fishing allows you to approach small fishing areas near the piers and parks. If you’re a beginner angler, start near shore and keep things simple are keys to success.
From a dock
My advice is to find edges and clumps in the weed growth while considering depth changes. Find a drop off to catch bass easily and sufficiently.
From a shore
This is the greatest out of a bunch since it costs nothing. All you need to equip are a good rod, reel, and tackles.
For the very first try, my pro tips are looking for bridge overpasses, boat ramps, and parks. Learning some shore fishing techniques is also a very good ideal.
Around vegetation, fishing a spinnerbait or topwater lure is top priorities while on shallow cover nearby, try a Texas rig or Senko to all possible hiding spots are high-recommended.
Conclusion
Such a long guide, huh? So, let me summarize them into simpler steps:
Hope this article is helpful to you. Thanks for reading!
