What’s up my Fishing Friends,
Honest confession, bass are really powerful fish that will get your heart racing. Bass are active feeders and you can pursue them all year round. However, summer is the best season to hit the water for bass.
There is nothing better than this explosive feeling, when you are trolling poppers on the water surface for trophy bass. You should be concentrated on your lure. If you miss the strike, your fish will never come back.
Question is, how can I catch more fish? Or better yet more bass. Fortunately, you’ve found the right place to learn some top bass fishing tips that will bring you to the next bass fishing level!
Bass fishing has many secrets but today we managed to reveal one of them. However, the key of success is not all about the bait, but in the personal experience. Looking for more tips for bass fishing? Then read this article: 15 tips and techniques every bass fisherman should know
BEST BASS FISHING LURES AND HANDY TIPS
Admittedly, it might be tricky to land successfully bass. First of all, you must find them and secondly you will need suitable gear. “How to catch more bass” is definitely a great fishing debate and we managed to compile a guide with the most useful tips.
BASS FISHING TIPS: Best Bass Fishing Lures
It goes without saying that every angler has his favorite lures. However, if you are going to fish for bass, you should choose the best lures that will grab their attention. These fish feed on almost everything but their standard diet consists of baitfish, crayfish, leeches, frogs and insects.
Bass are really picky when it comes to food and they are really suspicious! We tested the following lures, which seem to work wonders all year round. We included four basic lures in our bass fishing tips list, jerkbaits, topwater, swimbaits and spinnerbaits.
- JERKBAITS
Firstly, bass is a predatory fish that typically feeds on smaller fish. Jerk baits are perfect imitations of the prey so it is considered one of the best bass fishing lures. Many avid anglers use exclusively jerk baits because they think that they are the most productive bass lures.
However, it is not all about the bait. We should know the best ways to use jerk baits and the techniques because the thing that makes them unique is the way they are used.
First, let’s see what jerk baits are. As we mentioned above, jerk baits imitate real small fish and they have a thin and long body. They come in various colors with one or multiple trebles attached on their belly.
The most important part of this lure is the lip, which pulls the lure underwater and affects its floatation. Jerk baits are separated into two categories, soft jerk baits and hard jerk baits. Hard jerk baits have also two subcategories, the floating and sinking hard jerk baits.
Hard Jerk Baits
- Floating jerk baits are lightweight with a short lip so they can work in the upper water column (scarcely 2 meters). They are made of hard plastic or wood.
- Sinking jerk baits are heavier of course and true to their name, they are constructed to ‘’sink’’ deeper that the floating jerk baits. Obviously, they have metal ball inside and a wider lip.
Soft Jerk Baits
Nowadays, soft jerk baits are a little unappreciated. However, they have a realistic appearance and most of them look like small shads. If you rig it properly, it will surely gain in weight so it can work in a depth of 2.5 meters.
You should choose the right hook for the soft jerk bait and we recommend the twist on or spear style hook. They have both a weighted shank. Gamakatsu has some very good weighted shank hooks.
Jerk bait colors
They come in assorted colors and shapes like monochrome, two-color or colorful. The first thing you should take into consideration before getting a jerk bait is the color of the prey that the fish feeds on. Therefore, if you are bass fishing and you know that it forages for shad you should get a shad color jerk bait.
However, if you are fishing during daylight you should choose light color jerk baits.
Tip: Many jerk baits come with a ‘’broken-back’’ design which is considered to be very effective due to the incredible action. My grandpa used an old rebel lure, which had this characteristic and seems to be a bass killer!
- Topwater
One of the most ‘’famous’’ fish amongst the fishing community is the largemouth bass. This fish is not only beautiful, but also a sneaky bloodthirsty predator. It hunts close to the water surface or in middle depths and rarely close to the bottom.
During the summer (or spring), they are seeking for food in shallow waters or close to the top of the water. Accordingly, manufacturers observed thoroughly the fish’s behavior and constructed topwater lures. However, these lures are widely misunderstood.
Firstly, we should make two things clear. On the one hand, these lures are more efficient during the summer because the fish moves up in order to find his prey. Secondly, many anglers think that this is a bad lure type because it does not depict the reality. They suppose that the largemouth bass rarely leaps out of the water.
Obviously, this is a myth because this lure works gorgeous and the activity of this lures seems eye-catching for bass. The ‘’ripple’’ action awakes the hunting instincts of the largemouth bass.
Since we are talking about bass fishing tips, we should definitely mention the topwater spinning technique! The best summer bass fishing tips list should definitely include topwater lures as they tend to approach the upper water column.
Moreover, below we analyzed the best topwater lure categories on the market.
Size
The jerk bait size depends only on the fish size you are after. So, if you are fishing for 2kg bass you should choose a jerk bait of the length of 15cm.
Best Brands
Almost all fishing lure companies construct jerk baits because they are not only used for freshwater but also for saltwater fishing. Accordingly, we cannot present some companies as the best jerk bait manufacturers because there are plenty of them.
Some of them are: Yo-zuri, Rapala, Rebel and Cultiva. All of them have excellent jerk baits.
BASS FISHING TIPS: Ways to Fish with Jerkbaits
- Steady Retrieve
This is the best method if you are fishing during the summer period in clear waters. You just have to drop the jerk bait in the water and start retrieving with a slow steady pace. However, speed depends on the weather.
Warm Waters: Fast Retrieve
Cold Waters: Slow Retrieve
- Right and Left- Jerk and Pull
If you are fishing during the cold-water periods, you have to flick of the rod to the right or left. You have to jerk and pull the lures to create noticeable movements. This movement will attract the hypotonic fish and you will definitely get a strike. In order to have a good jerk bait action you have to use your wrist to jerk the fishing rod.
BASS FISHING TIP: Try Night Bass Fishing
A major concern of every angler is the selection of the bait or lure while night fishing for bass. During the night, bass cannot see the lure so they are able to feel the vibrations and ripples of the lure. Bass fishing at night can be really productive but you will have to select the right lure before you hit the water.
Many bait types cross our minds but we always forget about spoons!
This gorgeous bait should always have its place in our tackle box because it is not only affordable but also really effective during low light conditions. You should take into consideration that it reflects light.
However, many people overlook this lure, but why? Hmm..
- Altered perception that it is an old-fashioned bait that does not look like a natural bait or fish: Several people use this excuse in order to reject the spoon from the bass bait list. Indeed, it was invented accidentally 66 years ago and it does not imitate a real fish at all.
This is not a drawback because, as we already mentioned, the bass is a visual feeder so any strange thing tends to appeal it. Consequently, this silver appearance works not as a drawback.
- They are exclusively used for saltwater fishing: Spoons are used for both saltwater and freshwater fishing and they are productive in both waters. However, you should use the right fishing method.
- They are not popular: Of course, it is not popular because the lure companies do not advertise it. You can construct this bait easily at home. A lure company cannot make profit by encouraging people to make their own fishing lures!
Want more Bass tips checkout our article: What’s Best Time of Day to Catch Bass
FINAL VERDICT
Do you love challenges? Do you want to experience unforgettable memories? If yes, you should definitely go for bass fishing. Bass are difficult to catch!
They are picky and suspicious. Consequently, we compiled this list with some top bass fishing tips for all bass fishing enthusiasts! We tested them all and believe it or not, they work wonders!
Whether you like largemouth bass fishing or smallmouth bass fishing, these tips will help you out.
I hope that you enjoyed our article! If you have any other idea or tip, please do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below. We would be more than happy to hear your fishing ideas.
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