bass fishing tips

Gear & Tackle
Among serious fishermen, bass are by far the most sought-after game fish in South Africa. More gear and tackle is available for bass fishing than any other, catering to the myriad methods for finding and catching this explosive and powerful predator. Rod-and-reel combos range from light action spinning outfits for finesse presentations to heavy duty bait casters designed to yank the biggest brutes through heavy cover. Line choices range from limp, castable 6# Trilene XL to extra tough 20# Trilene XT to no-stretch FireLine in up to 30# test weights. Depending on the body of water being fished, line considerations also include high and low visibility, diameter, stretch factor and more.

If there was one all-around bass fishing outfit to be recommended, it would arguably be a medium heavy, 6' to 7' graphite rod with a fast action tip and plenty of backbone, combined with a rugged levelwind reel, in the class of the Ambassadeur 5500. Line choice would most likely be Trilene XT in 10# to 14# test.

Bass Fishing Lures & Presentation
Plastics of every size, shape and color. Crankbaits that run shallow and deep and everywhere in-between. Rattlers. Buzzers. Spinners. Poppers. Chuggers. Wobblers. Baits that look like frogs, rats, birds, lizards, crawfish, even french fries. All are tucked into their own little spot in some of the largest tackle boxes known to mankind. And every one of them catches bass. Basically, though, bass fishing can be broken down as follows.

Shallow bass can be taken with horizontal casting lures such as topwater and shallow-running plugs, weedless baits, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, flippin' and pitchin' jigs, split-shot finesse plastics and live bait under a float. Mid-depth bass are most often caught with diving crankbaits, lipless sinking crankbaits, neutrally buoyant plugs, Texas-rigged plastics and unweighted "whacky worm" rigs. Deep bass can be hooked casting deep diving plugs and slow-rolling big spinnerbaits, or by vertically fishing heavy jigs, weighted plastics, jigging spoons and blade baits.

Generally speaking, bass prefer smaller, slower-moving baits in cold water, and larger, faster-moving baits in warm water. The best advice is to spend as much time on the water as possible and experiment.

How to Locate
Bass is one of the most adaptable species that swims and bass can be found almost everywhere in South Africa. Bass inhabit lakes, rivers, reservoirs, farm ponds and coldwater streams. Bass live in water ranging from crystal clear to dark as cocoa, relating to weeds and brush, rocks and docks, roots and timber, grass and rip rap.

To narrow down your search, remember that bass spawn on shallow beds in spring, usually relating to sand or gravel. As the season warms, fish tend to be drawn to weeds- either shallow slop or mid-depth weedlines.

During the hottest part of the season, bass go deep, holding on rocky humps and drop offs. If deep water is not available, fish will hunker down in the shade of any cover they can find, usually in ambush positions. Check cuts in reeds, open areas in lily pads, the ends of docks and boat lifts and horizontal timber extending into deeper water. Undercut banks are common holding areas. Even shadows cast by trees or buildings have been known to harbor bass in warm weather.

Effective bass fishing Baits
Live baits effective for bass fishing include minnows, leeches, frogs, crawfish and salamanders, although plugs and scented plastic baits are far more popular. Recognized by professional bass fishermen as the most effective of these is Berkley Power Bait. Power Bait is made with an exclusive scent and flavor formula which stimulates the natural feeding instincts of bass. It is available in dozens of soft plastic shapes, which imitate a wide variety of bass prey, as well as a number of choices in color and opacity.

Power Bait for bass includes original formula; Tournament Strength, which doubles the intensity of the active ingredient; Custom Poured, a softer form of Power Bait; and Neonz, a special, bright-color formula. Power Bait is available in silicone skirts on spinnerbaits and jigs; liquid formula for applying to various hard and live baits; and even a fluorescent jelly form, which is specially formulated to withstand the rigors of casting and retrieving.

If you had to choose only one bait to use to chase bass, the Berkley Power Bait 7" worm would be at the top of the list. Because it can be rigged in so many different ways, Texas style, jig worm or Carolina rig; it is truly effective for bass in all seasons

Barometric pressure
Barometric pressure is the pressure of the atmosphere at a given point and time. Understanding its effect on bass behavior has made me a better fisherman. All serious bass anglers know that barometric pressure has a dramatic and immediate impact on a fish's personality and mood. It is an important element that influences fish behavior, especially shallow-water bass. Deep-water fish are not affected as much by major pressure changes and this is why they are more dependable on those low-pressure days. Something to keep in mind is that barometric pressure doesn't change dramatically during a period of just a few hours unless a major storm is moving your way.

Rising and falling water level
"When fishing an unfamiliar lake, the most important thing you can learn before ever leaving home is whether the water level has been rising, falling or remaining stable. That will tell you where the bass will be positioned throughout the lake. If the water has been rising, the fish are going to be on the inside portions of cover and tight to structure. They will be in the backs of creeks and coves. In a deep reservoir, they will be on the tops of points and flats. If the water has been falling, you will find bass on the outside of the points and breaks. They may even suspend off of the breaks. Generally, they will be out from the cover when the water is rising. That knowledge gives you a starting point."

Worms and toothpics
"For doodling or vertically jigging a plastic worm in deep water, a trick that has paid off handsomely for me over the years is inserting a toothpick through the worm and the eye of the hook (clip off the ends). A lot of times with this type of fishing, the strikes are real light and by the time you set the hook, it's too late. If you insert a toothpick, the worm will stay in place and won't pull down on the hook. So you can drop the worm right back down and the same fish will often come back and take the worm again. Without the toothpick, you usually have to reel the bait in, straighten the worm and then drop it back down. By then, the bass may have moved off and you've missed your chance to catch it. Time is of the essence in situations like that. "Another trick for doodling worms is to place a glass bead between the hook and the sinker. That creates a rattling noise that will often attract bass."

Mismatched Tackle
"One of the biggest mistakes I see throughout the country -- even with some tournament pros -- is using mismatched tackle. By that, I'm referring to using the wrong rod and line size to fish a particular lure. The first step in bass fishing is to figure out which bait will work best for that certain situation and then use the proper technique and equipment to increase your percentages. Not only will you hook and land more fish, but you will also get more strikes because using the proper rod and line gives the lure a better action. Plus, you will be able to cast it better and it's going to be more comfortable to fish. "Although selecting a rod for a specific purpose was once difficult, many of today's rods are labeled for the technique that it is best suited for like cranking, flipping, pitching, worming or spinnerbait fishing. These rods have the proper action built into them and the correct range of line sizes is printed on the rod. Match it with a well-balanced reel and you are pretty well set."