bass fishing tips

For many reasons, it is with some trepidation that I approach this subject. As I have stated in previous articles about fly fishing gear, you ask 15 people, and you get 15 different opinions. Choosing a fly rod is no different. In fact it might be the epitome of that statement. Fly anglers are picky about their fly rods, and they love their fly rods. To many it is like comparing spouses, and if you love your spouse then you have the best one. But having said that we can lay down some truths about the fly rod industry, and then go into more specifics about the fine art of finding you a partner with which to share the passion of fly fishing.

What is it to be used for:

The first thought when selecting a fly rod, is its most often intended use. Are you casting for Tarpon or small trout on a creek? Most likely somewhere in between, and maybe even several uses. You first need to think about the size of the water you are mostly going to be fishing, and then the size of the fly you intend to cast. After that you need to consider the size of the fish you intend to catch. The rod size effects both the casting and the playing of the fish. The nice thing is if you are both a smallmouth bass and a rainbow trout fisher, you can probably get by with one rod. The same for Largemouth and Steelhead and Salmon. You might not get the ultimate choice for either, but depending on your budget you can get a very nice choice for a variety of fishing conditions.

THE #s:

Fly rod sizes are categorized by numbers. Unlike flies, where the smaller the number, the larger the fly. Rods go by the larger the number the larger the fly rod. A number 3 rod is a very light rod, used for small trout in small streams. A 12 wt. rod is used for Tarpon, Stripers and other fish that need long distance casting, big flies. The most popular all-around rods are in the 5-6 category, here you can cover the whole gamut of trout fishing and a good chunk of bass fishing as well. A number 6 rod can also tackle small steelhead and other sea-run fish, if the angler is skilled. Most steelhead anglers will choose a bigger rod however, in the 7-9 range, and they can also fish salmon with that range as well.

The other number to consider is length. 9 is by far the most popular length right now. You can cast a 9 long distances without getting tired, and have good control of the drift. If fishing smaller streams and or bushy areas, 9 will frustrate you, as there isnt enough room to maneuver it. Rods commonly go down to 7 and even shorter ones can be found. If doing a lot of fishing out of a float tube, longer rods are common place, as one can get more distance with a longer rod, and the extra length helps to keep the fly off the water on the backcast.

Action:

Here it gets even more complicated, as different manufacturers call the action of their rod different things. But basically action can be broken down into slow, moderate and fast. Many manufacturers have 4 classification, but they all are based on the same concept. And that is how much of the rod will bend, when casting.

A fast (or super fast) rod will have only the tip bend, they offer the longest casting distances, they also are great if you are fishing in the wind. Allowing for tighter casting loops, they are great for shooting head lines, double-hauling casting techniques and are a treat for the skilled caster. They are however, are harder to learn on and therefore not recommended for ones first fly rod.

The next level down is medium and is the most popular action being sold today. They flex further down the rod than the fast action. Great for beginners, it is also the choice of most experienced anglers who dont own a bunch of rods. For beginners they are forgiving to learn on, providing more accuracy then the super fast. They dont cast as far however, and you will battle the wind more in this type rod.

The last level is slow or full bend, often bending all the way to the grip. These rods are dying out, which is a shame, because for fishing small creeks they are the best. They dont cast very far, but you dont need that on tiny creeks, but what they do best is absorb the shock, so your tippet doesnt get as stressed, there fore your chances of snapping off the fly are reduced.

Grips:

The choice of grip is often over looked when choosing a fly rod. This is a mistake, as the grip is important in the comfort of your fly rod in your hand. Most decent fly rods these days use standard cork as the material. full wells grips are the choice if you have large hands, and half wells grips are popular with lady anglers. They both many ways you can hold the rod, and your hand seems to naturally find its preferred method of holding the rod. It can also be altered once fatigue sets in, so you can fish longer without cramps.

Manufacturers:

There are many of them, and guess what, the most common names all make great fly rods. With the advent of graphite in the 70s the fly rod industry was revolutionized, and now one must not spend a fortune for a bamboo rod, to enjoy great fly fishing.

I, personally have fished almost every name brand on the market today. Like every other angler I have my preferences but I must admit the differences are nil, and I could probably learn to like any of them, just as well as the ones I won. I currently own rods from Scott, LL Bean, Loomis and Cabelas, and they all have characteristics I love and some I would like to see improved, and I am a very happy owner of them all.

I do look for the lifetime warranty, and it offered by virtually all major rod makers today. It is figured into the price of the rod, and you must register your rod upon purchase to qualify for it. But if you have your rod for any length of time you will undoubtedly be glad you have it. Whether you broke your rod tip off fighting a fish, trying to free a snag, or in the car door, most rod makers will send you a replacement.

Recommendations:

Realize these are very basic recommendations and use them as a starting point. But for small streams and brook trout I like 3-4 weight slow action rod. They are still out there, but you may have to look. For other trout and small mouth bass I like 5-6 wt. rods and medium action. And for largemouth, salmon, and steelhead, try a 7-9 weight fast action rod. Look for future recommendations on Saltwater Fly rods from The Big Y Fly Fishing E-zine at http://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html .

When it comes to bass fishing, or any other type of fishing for that matter, there is no shortage of products people will try to market to you. They have every color of lure and jig imaginable, spinning reels, baitcasting reels, rods of all different lengths and materials and the list goes on. The aim of a bass angler is to have the right bass fishing equipment for the job. The trouble is that the job is constantly changing. Anglers have to walk the fine line between being equipped for everything and not breaking the bank to do it. This article will provide some useful insight on what kind of bass fishing gear equipment is right for you so you can be prepared for as much as possible with your particular budget.

Have you ever wondered how T.V. fisherman can land fish after fish all day? Obviously a big part of that is that they know the behavior patterns of their fish like the back of their hand, but most people don't realize how much preparation goes into their gear. T.V. anglers have at least 5 or 6 rods already set up with whatever lures and jig rigs they think they might need for the day. That way if they encounter a change in the weather or if the fish just stop biting whatever they're using, they can switch it up in a second. Think of how much time you've wasted on the water tying knots, assembling rigs and changing lures? Now obviously it's not in the budget to go to the extreme with your bass fishing equipment that the professionals do, but even having just one baitcasting rod and one spincasting at the same time can make a world of difference. Consider this: it's a bright sunny day with very little wind in mid afternoon, therefore you're focusing your efforts in somewhat deeper water where the bass will be to get away from the heat and brightness of the sun. You're trolling a crankbait on a spincast rod and reel with moderate success when the weather suddenly changes. It turns cloudy, the wind picks up and all of the sudden you're not getting any strikes. Instead of spending 15 minutes setting up a Carolina rig to fish the shallows with, you just grab your baitcaster with the rig already set up and go. Say your Carolina rig isn't getting results and you want to try a top water popper, you can just take that crankbait off your spinning rod and throw on the popper. That way you won't create another 10 minute job for yourself next time you want to use the jig rig. It's still there, all set up for whenever you want to use it again.

Now if you're not too concerned with maximizing your time, you can always improve your effectiveness by diversifying your bass fishing equipment. Having a well rounded tackle box allows you to take advantage of different situations. I wont get in to what exactly you should be doing in these situations, I have other published articles about that, but for now I will say that having something you can use in shallow or deep, bright or dark, still or calm conditions will greatly improve your chances. I like to have a couple crankbaits of different colors, a top water lure or two, a jerkbait, some various colored spinners and an assortment of soft plastic worms and jigs. With that you should be covered, providing you know where and when to fish them. And even if you don't, you would at least have more to work with. It also helps to have a good assortment of colors.

Another great piece of bass fishing equipment is a fish finder. While not essential, a fish finder can provide you with invaluable information about water depth, structure and even the fish underneath you. If you're looking for a great item to add to your bass fishing equipment collection, perhaps its time to purchase a fish finder.

A great way to start out bass fishing is to purchase a combination package of bass fishing equipment such as the kind at ChampionBassFishing.com. There you can find packages that come pre-selected with a variety of bass fishing equipment so that you can get started immediately. These packages not only contain absolutely everything you need to start fishing but are designed by bass anglers for bass anglers. You can find lure combinations, rod and reel combos and even entire bass fishing packages made for the beginner or veteran alike. Beginner packages have everything you need to start and all packages are designed to provide you with a very diverse range of bass fishing equipment. There is no better place to find exactly what you need for a low price.

Be sure to check out http://www.championbassfishing.com for bass fishing equipment as well as videos, articles and more on everything you could want to know about bass fishing. Champion Bass Fishing is made by bass anglers for bass anglers!

Choosing the right bass fishing lure at the right time to catch the right bass can be one of the most difficult things to do. Let's face it there are hundreds of different lures in hundreds of different colors and sizes. What lure are you using to catch bass may be the most asked question when you are out fishing. At the very least we tend to keep one eye on what bass lure the competition has tied to the end of their rod.

If you are serious about catching bass you most likely have three or more rods already set up with your favorite lures ready to cast into that weed bed or drop off. One with your favorite spinnerbait, one with your favorite top water lure and your favorite crankbait and probably a fourth one with that favorite plastic worm rigged up in your favorite style. We choose these bass fishing lures because they are the basic year round successful bass fishing lures around.

Using spinnerbaits is easy and fast, covering a lot of water at many different depths to find and attract the bass. Keep in mind that bass are schooling fish and once you get a strike you can fish out the area using the other baits of your choice. Fish it fast with the spinnerbait and crankbait then drop in your plastic worm with a little finesse and wiggle.

Crankbaits is another easy and fast fishing lure to catch bass with and if I had to choose just one fishing lure for my tackle box it would be a lip-less crankbait. I would choose the rattle noise making kind of crankbait. I would also choose one of the basic food chain colors, chartreuse, chrome, crawfish brown, or shad lures. Know what kind of bait is common in the lake or river you are fishing in and go with those colors. I was just at the sporting goods store and cannot believe the myriad of different colors available. I have a hard time fishing with a hot pink or lime green fishing lure for bass. Give me a bait fish or crawdad color and let's catch bass. Make sure you have more than one color and a tackle box full of your favorite. Nothing irks me more than losing the one lure that is catching bass and not having a back-up.

My all time favorite lure is the Rapala 6 inch shad color floating topwater cigar shaped bait. I get overly confident with this bait and even though I catch a lot of bass with it I many times over fish it and miss bass I would have caught had I chosen a different lure. Of course having confidence in your selection of lure for the conditions you are fishing is an important aspect in catching bass. However, when they are not hitting on the lure you have chosen then by all means choose another bass lure until you find the sweet spot.

On a final note, choose the right bass lure for the conditions you are fishing. If the waters are muddy then the bass will be feeding by sound then use a rattle crankbait or Colorado blades on your spinner bait in a copper or painted blade. In clear waters a good bright silver is best. Don't just throw on any old lure out there but choose the best bass lure for the clarity of the water and the type of food available in other words, give some thought to where and what to fish with.

"Remember even a bad day fishing is better than any day working unless your work is fishing then every day is a good day!"

Dennis has been fishing mainly for bass for over 45 years. His website http://www.bassfishingfundamentals.com is loaded with great stuff for fishing. Dennis has started a great new web 2.0 site dedicated to Bass Fishing complete with videos, forum and chat go here My Bass Fishing Space

Bass fishing ures come in many different varieties. There are more types of lures for bass fishing than for just about any other kind of freshwater fish. With so many different shapes, styles, sizes, and colors you'd have a hard time trying out all of the options. It would take a long time to use every type of bass fishing lure. While there are many different types, some tend to be better than others. Most bass enthusiasts pick their favorites and stick with them.

Crank Bait Lures

Crank bait is one of the most popular lures among bass fishers. This type of lure got its name because of how it operates. They are connected to the line and then cranked back into the fishing boat. There is a vast array of different options when it comes to selecting crank baits.

Some crank baits will float atop of the water when the fisher is no longer winding the reel. Others will sink to the very bottom when the reel isn't being turned. Still another type stays suspended in the water, not moving from the depth it was when the user stopped cranking.

Deep Water Crank Bait Lures

Some of these types of lures are intended for deeper water fishing and can go about 15 feet down below the water's surface.

Medium Depth Crank Bait Lures

When fishing in water that is about 10 feet deep, you are better off using a different type of crank bait. The best choice for this depth has a medium lip that will hit bottom once it reaches a depth of approximately ten feet.

Shallow Water Crank Bait Lure

When fishing in water that is less than five feet deep, it is best go with a different option. For this depth, fishers should use a lure designed for shallow water. This type has a small lip and will make hit bottom at depths of approximately around 3 to 5 feet.

Top Water Bait Lure

Still another frequently use type of bass fishing lure is top water bait. This type of bait gets its name because it floats all the time. They float even when they are being cranked in. A disadvantage of this type of bait is that it is noisy. Noise is not ever desirable when bass fishing. It is particularly problematic when trying to lure fish at dawn or in rough waters under cloudy skies.

Spinner Bait Lures

Spinner bait is yet another lure option for bass fishing enthusiasts. This style of lure is often used in bass fishing This type of bait is actually tied directly to the fishing line or attached to a tiny swivel. Spinner bait lures are bright and shiny, typically with blades that are either gold or silver. However, they are often painted in different colors. Some enthusiasts prefer metallic spinner bait lures, and others prefer painted ones.

The blades of spinner bait area available in many different shapes. The best bass fishers know that sometimes the fish have to be outsmarted. The different shapes are created in the hopes of imitating the different fish found in the waters. The idea behind spinner bait is to trick the bass into making an impulsive strike.

Another unique characteristic of bass fishing lures [http://www.knowbassfishing.com/Bass_Fishing_Resorts/] is that they are used with rubber skirts. The rubber skirts travel alongside the lure and help attract more bass, theoretically. These rubber skirts are interchangeable, which allws for versatility. Many who enjoy bass fishing feel there is an advantage to using a variety of different colored skirts. They enjoy being able to remove one color skirt and replace it with another in the hopes that doing so will draw more fish.

With so many different options, bass fishing lures can get very complicated for anyone who doesn't understand the dynamics of the sport of bass fishing.

Once a bass fishing enthusiast begins to to investigate the multitude of the different options for bass fishing lures, he or she will likely see that it all makes sense. To an experienced bass fisher, the vast array of available options is really not as overwhelming as it seem to a novice. The best thing for novice bass fisher to do is just to start trying different options and experiment until they are able to find their favorite lure.

Source: Bass Fishing

When it comes to fishing crankbait this is a question that many bass fishing enthusiasts have, at one point or another, asked themselves. And a very valid one as the decision will surely affect the amount of fish you catch. But how do you decide?

With so many different sizes, colors and shapes from several different lure manufactures, deciding on which one to tie on your line can be tough. Here are some things to consider to help narrow down your choice.

The size of the crankbait you use should be appropriate for the size of the bass you are going after. If you are fishing for White Bass then you should be using a smaller size lure based on the fact that these fish average in size from 10 - 12 inches and no more than 2 pounds.

On the other hand, going after Largemouth bass or Peacock bass will require much larger lures. Keep in mind if you want to catch bigger fish then you should use bigger lures but know what is in the water you are fishing and don't go so big with your crankbait that you risk not getting any strikes. Is the lake or river known for big bass? Is it likely that you can pull a hawg weighing in the teens or bigger?

Or does the history of that body of water show no significant catches? If so then lighten up a little to improve your chances of getting the strike. As you fish, if you feel the potential for bigger better bass you can always tie on a larger one on and "test the waters".

Get started practicing now! Below are some crankbaits from our eBay Store, Outdoor Supply Source. Check them out to see if any might work for you.

Seasons

Another factor in deciding on the best crankbait lures for your next fishing trip is the time of year. Well really what we are talking about here is knowing how the bass react to the current conditions. If you are fishing on hot, summer day then you must understand that during the morning hours you may be able to find bass near the surface, in the shallows but once you get past those early hours of the day the bass will retreat to deeper waters to escape the heat of the sun. These situations will call for some deep water cranks.

Deep diving crankbaits can be identified by their larger "bill" or "lip". The larger the lip the deeper the dive. Some of these lures are made to go several feet deep so you can reach deep structure and bang them around underwater timber and rocks to provoke a strike.

For spring or fall bass fishing, you can use shallow diving or lipless crankbaits. These will work just below the surface of the water to entice a strike from bass that will spend most of their time during these months closer to the surface than they would during summer.

The action of the lure you choose will play a role in the amount of bass you catch. For crankbait, the action (or wiggle) of the lure can vary, once again, by the shape and position of the lip. You will find crankbait lures with rounded lips and some with square lips, each producing a different kind of movement in the water. The position or angle of the lip from the center line of the lure also affects the movement of the lure during retrieve. The straighter or more inline the lip is with the center of the lure the more wobble the lure will produce. Another popular technique to adjust the movement of a crankbait used by some anglers is to file the lip of their lure to make the it respond the way that has produced the most results for them. Of course this comes with experience in using these lures over time.

Sometimes to entice that aggressive strike from that lunker bass you'll want an erratic moving crank that is just going crazy on the end of your line. A more squared off, centered lip or bill will get you that type of action. If the read you are getting from the fish is opposite, like on a cooler fall morning when a bass will not want to expend much energy, you may want a more subtle, easygoing crankbait to provoke a strike from a bass looking for an easy target. This is when you will want to choose a crank with a rounded lip that is angled down from the center line of the lure.

The key here is to know what your crankbait is doing underwater. Find some clear water and try your lures out before you fish with them. Learn what they do upon retrieval. Retrieve them at different speeds to see how this changes the action of the lure. See how quickly they start diving and how far they actually dive. Learn how they work and you will have taken another step in knowing which crankbait lures to use.

There are many different view points on how to choose a color of crankbait to have the best chance of catching that lunker. Some people will take to the science of the vision of a bass and how they see colors differently than humans because of the difference of their rods and cones, which is valid information but let?s stick to the basics of what works.

The general rule of thumb here, as with choosing and using any lure, is what appears natural to the fish. What type of bait fish naturally occur in the body of water you are fishing? Find that out and find crankbaits similar in color to add to your arsenal.
So already we arrive at our first subjective point. The flip side of this is the argument from some that you want to use something that stands out, something bright and flashy to stimulate interest and provoke that strike. And this has also been proven to work. But once again it may boil down to the temperament of the bass in the body of water you are fishing. Are these fish aggressive and lively? If so you will probably have good success with the brightly colored, flashy cranks. If not then you may wind up spooking a careful, lethargic bass with something so unnatural looking. Again knowing your surroundings and knowing how the current conditions affect the temperament of the bass is going to help you decide what route to go.

Another thing to take into consideration is the clarity of the water. Is your fishing spot dark and murky or is pretty much clear? When conditions are clear you can tone it down a bit as your lure will be easier to see in the clear conditions. If your are fishing less visible, murky water then is the time to bring out colors that can cut through the murkiness to catch the eye of that hungry bass.

Depth is another factor that may influence your color choice. The deeper your crank is running, the less light there is to make it noticeable. So again your brighter, florescent and neon colors might come in handy here. Now if you decide to really plunge down into the depths then color might actually not be a factor at all as nothing can be seen if you get to far away from the surface and any light being able to shine onto the lure.

You may be able to make out a pattern here that we could make into another general rule. The clearer your situation, be it water, weather or depth, the more neutral or natural colors you can go with. The darker the situation in any of those same areas the more you will want to lean towards brighter lures, again taking into consideration the "attitude" of the bass.

These are some of the things to consider when trying to decide on which Crankbait lures to use. Don't over complicate things. Take some of this info, choose yourself 6 - 8 lures to take with you and see what the bass like. They'll let you know. With experience you'll narrow it down to a few productive lures in no time at all.

Goodluck and Happy Bass Fishing!

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