Bass Fishing Trips

Archive for the ‘Bass Fishing Tips’ Category

Bass Fishing in Shallow Water

Bass fish, including the largemouth are notorious for feeding in shallow waters. For this reason novice anglers will use contour maps, or depth finders to locate areas where bass flock together. Since bass will scatter in shallow waters, it is important to find structures where fish group. Novice anglers will avoid frightening bass in shallow water as well. The fish tend to fright easily. Moreover, anglers will move around the waters, scouting the areas. As well, novice anglers will use a variety of lures, particular the presentations (Lures) that retract swiftly. NOTE: When bass join in schools, it is easiest to catch more than one fish.

Anglers who hunt bass often return to locations where they had previously caught fish. For this reason, bass anglers will mark areas to reduce confusion. Take markers with you if you intend to head off on a bass fishing trip. Novice anglers also recommend that you avoid making noises that scare the fish. If you use a boat while fishing, make sure that you avoid running the overboard. In addition, cast your line in areas that do not shadow the fish. Furthermore, when you cast your line, make sure that you extend it away from the boat. The distance you cast often brings good results.

How to choose bass bait:

Anglers often use crankbait or spinnerbait to catch largemouth bass, or related bass. The bait is one of the easiest to retract, or replace quickly. Spinnerbait rotates in the water, especially when the line is reeled in. In brushy or weedy areas, anglers will use weed-less presentations to avoid entrapment, i.e. entangling their line. In brush clumps, anglers will use rods that are rigged with plastic bait, such as artificial worms. The rod and lures assist anglers in working sufficiently. Tip: In deep water, using bread dough, I have caught some of the largest bass in Florida waters.

Fishing:

Anglers will consider casts, fan-cast, spot-cast, position, movement, and lures when fishing. The lures are factored into the structure. For instance, if bass structure is shallow anglers will consider poppers, Texas-Riggs, Floating Weed-less lures, such as the artificial worms, buzz bait, etc. Anglers will also consider spinnerbait, crankbait, artificial minnows, spinners, weed-less spoon, and so on.

Holding your catch

When anglers cast spinnerbait in shallow structures, the angler will direct his catch away from the bushes, weeds, trees, etc, to avoid entwining. To fan-cast, anglers will direct their boat to flat waters. Anglers will gradually and quietly, use their troll motor to manipulate the boat to avoid disturbing the fish.

Boat position plays a part in bass fishing as well. Anglers will often quietly move their boat to the center waters, or channels of the creek before casting. The lure is retrieved at the point of drop off. In addition, the angler may move his boat along the channels and continue casting his line in various parts of the water. Use your maps, or depth finder for best results.

Areas in the water where the shorelines have slopes, the angler will move slowly. In addition, the angler will maintain his boat at a distance to avoid frightening the fish, as well as avoid weeds. During spot-cast, anglers will search for areas, such as flats, sunken islands, clumps where thick weed resides, single bushes or trees, etc. Bass tend to dwell in these areas.

NOTE: Always cast your line toward the wind for best results.

Shallow bass fishing structures differ from deep-water fishing. It is important to learn that deep-water bass fishing is more, extreme than common shallow water bass fishing.

My Favorite Backwater Bass Fishing Haunts | Hi’s Tackle Box

Variety in baitfish and cover is important in locating big bass in shallow backwater. School’s in session at bassprofessor.com. … My Favorite Backwater Bass Fishing…

Bass Fishing With Shallow-Diving Crankbaits

Shallow crankbaits are crankbaits that run from 1 to 6 feet deep and they are very effective when bass are shallow or when they are sitting near the top of the water column. When you are fishing shallow water, try to fish as close to … 

Shallow Fishing With Skeet Reese

Shallow Fishing With Skeet Reese. Monday August 24, 2009. Professional bass fisherman Skeet Reese gives tips on catching bass in shallow water. His tips should help you catch more bass in shallow water. … 

Bass Fishing Forums – Small pond

Yep, weedless topwaters are good, as are soft plastics dropped into weed holes and edges. If some of the weeds are submerged a spinnerbait or shallow crankbait over the tops should also be good if you can get away with using them. …  

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Learn Some Basic Guides On Bass Fishing

As you spend more and more hours and days on bass fishing, you will acquire lots of knowledge about the right lure and technique for the proper way to do this sport. The best advice most experienced and seasoned bass fishermen, is to examine the fishing conditions, ask for tips from anglers familiar with the waters you are fishing in, and finally, try many different lures and bass-fishing techniques until you discover what works most effectively to the situation, and which one you are most comfortable with.

Here are some Guides to Bass Fishing to become a better Bass Fisher.

The Technique:
The bait must fall to the preferred depth, then you have to shake the rod tip. By this, you’ll be getting the fishes attention. Do this for at least 30 seconds, then shaking again for about 2 or 3 seconds intervals, stop and pull slowly about six inches. Then dropping again, slowly back and down and repeating the process. The first thing to remember if they’re not biting is to slow down.

Tips:

• During Springtime, fish uphill (position the boat in shallow water and cast to deep water) and use a 1/8 ounce weight.
• Fish downhill in Fall.
• Try to use a Texas rigged worm to prevent hang-ups.
• Fish out the worm and keep suspended 90% of the time.
• Always try to sharpen the hooks to make sure you have maximized your hookup percentage.
• When doodling, it is critical to keep your presentation natural by downsizing your hooks to 1/0 or lower, and paying delicate, attention to how straight your bait is in order to maintain a natural presentation.
• Crystal clear waters can be tough. The secret to fishing weenie worms is to keep slack on your line and "shake" the bait instead of dragging. The shaking of the rod and your light line gives your worm, grub or reaper an amazing action.

When to Go:

When the bass quit hitting during the daytime and when it becomes uncomfortably hot on the lake are good signals that it’s time to start night fishing. Night fishing is usually practiced when the water is in the mid-60s or warmer.

Places to Fish:

Where to fish at night is a question commonly asked by bass fishermen. Bass don’t move great distances in most situations. Smallmouth bass, especially, are proven stay-at-homes. As the summer wears on, the bass tend to move deeper and won’t come up shallow, even at night in many lakes. Night fishing is productive when the bass are within the 20-foot zone

Tips and Guides

• Position yourself only as far away as water clarity dictates; stay close enough for consistent accuracy.
• Try to make the lure land on the water with as little noise as possible. Cast past the target when possible.
• In windy weather, put tension on the line just before the lure touches down. This will straighten out the line and prevent it from blowing across obstructions.
• Learn casting techniques that permit a low trajectory, such as flipping, pitching, sidearm casting and underhand casting.
• Use a quality rod and reel matched to the weight of the lure. Rods with a stiff blank but relatively fast (limber) tip are easier to cast than extremely stiff or uniformly limber rods.
• Cast with the wrist, not the arm and shoulder.
• Lower the lure a few inches below the rod tip before casting; this gives extra momentum for the cast.
• Be sure to "load" the rod tip, causing it to bend backward, on the back-cast, then whip the rod forward smoothly.
• Fill the spool of any type reel to within 1/8 inch of the lip of the spool. DO NOT OVERFILL!
• The Flip-Cast; use your wrist, NOT your arm.
• Concentrate on the spot you want to hit, not on what you want to miss.
• Use plenty of scent when trying to penetrate thick cover – it acts as a lubricant.
• Stick to basic jig colors (black/blue, brown/brown, black/chartreuse).
• Use a plastic worm with a glass bead between the worm and the weight for inactive fish.
• If you think it’s a strike, reel down until your rod is in a hookset position before you check.
• A strike is anything different (something you wouldn’t feel in a bathtub!).
• Tighten your drag all the way down for better hooksets.
• Use 17 to 25 pound test line for bait casting gear, 10 to 14 pound test on spinning (for flipping finesse baits).

In order to establish a pattern it is essential you understand how a bass lives in its environment. Knowing where the bass can be found at any given time or place is something you must develop. Always go fishing with a plan in mind.

Remember that every fish you catch can reveal clues on how to catch another. After establishing a pattern, realize that when the action slows down in the area you were fishing, you can then search for more areas that would fill the same criteria.

By: pudrick
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For More Information and a free 22 page report called "The Start Up Guide To Bass Fishing" please visit www.complete-fishing.com. Thank You.

How To Enjoy The Outdoors
Fishing guides must report their catch to the appropriate jurisdiction. Fish caught in Maryland need to be reported to the Maryland DNR on a form provided by the Maryland DNR. Fish (currently, only striped bass) caught in Virginia need …

You’re either a Tackle Junky… or not
The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide ….. I just found for me personally when I found things I liked and worked for me, and got out of the upgrade mode, I started to do better. What it amounted to was I needed to learn a whole lot more about bass fishing at this time and spend less time worrying about equipment. I guess that may or may not come later on but at this point I need to be paying a whole lot more attention to the fish. Back to top …

Bass Fishing Forums – Hook Sizes And Bigger bait for bigger fish?
The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide … I was only fishing for catfish, cause up until 2 weeks ago. I never could catch a bass. SO now at age 25 I caught my first bass, while catfishing with chicken liver on a tri hook. So now I’ve become hooked on bass fishing. Bass just always seemed like alot of trouble till I found a great spot. Not sure what the deal is, but everytime i cast out Stripers were tearing it up, I cant even reach in my…

Better Bass Fishing Delivers
They will wonder why your tackle box has the perfect paraphernalia for landing the biggest and most bass. You will be asking yourself if you should let your friends in on the “Better Bass Fishing” guide. …

Getting Hooked on Bass Fishing
 by: Mike Long

Companies have been riding the crest of bass fishing interest for decades now. The hobby has "hooked" many people, and they have elevated this onetime recreational activity to a legitimate sport. Outdoors shops, gear and even businesses have been built in that time, and many other peripheral areas have benefited.

More and more people are starting to realize what the buzz is all about today. The sport of bass fishing is about a whole lot more then just netting a bass. With tournaments, growing in popularity, it’s become more and more about landing that perfect trophy bass. To someone who is just starting out, it can seem overwhelming.

Probably the very first thing to cover is some of the lures that are vital to your success in bass fishing.

Any idea what some of the best lures for landing trophy bass might be? While there isn’t any particular scientific method applied to this, an informal poll was taken of many of the professional bass fisherman, and they determined that plastic worms seemed to be the number one choice among the pros, followed up closely by spinner bait and crank bait.

Often times however, you have to dig a little deeper for the right lure.

There are a number of other things you need to consider. First off, if you think it might be better to work a smaller area of water or if you want to very quickly work a larger body of water, then a plastic worm isn’t going to c

ut it. The use of worms is a more time consuming process, and they tend to work best when you find bass that are running in schools. That of course takes time.

The other area where you can sometimes run into a problem with plastic worms is with strikes. Plastic worms require the use of a fairly heavy sinker to get them far enough under the water to be useful. However, the weight of the sinker can sometimes cause you to not feel a bass strike when it happens.

Conversely, spinner bait can be moved about much more quickly across the surface of the water. You can temporarily bounce it on the bottom, and move it in ways that mimic a live insect, and influence bass to strike. Spinner bait is also an effective lure for the shoreline due to its tangle free design.

Finally, crank bait can also cover a wide area of water in a short period of time. This also helps out with investigating a specific area in a brief amount of time. If you can’t find the schooling bass in the water, this may be your next best bet.

The main idea to pull from all of this is that, whatever type of lure you decide to use, wherever you have decided to cast your line, you absolutely must make it as easy as possible for the bass to see the lure, and strike it. Fish have limited visual abilities, but can sense distance very well. The closer you put your lure to the bass, the more likely they are to make a strike.

This is the single biggest key to successful bass fishing – learn the characteristics of your lures very well, and everything else will fall neatly into place.

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly discuss exactly when you should be out on the water for maximum effectiveness.

Fish tend to go deep into cooler waters when the sun is in the sky, and they are considerably less active. This makes the times just before sunrise, and just after sunset the absolute best times of the day to pull in the highest number of fish.

One thing to keep in mind though…when fishing during these times, be sure to being your lure in at a steady pace. With poor lighting adding to their limited vision, it becomes even more imperative that the bass can consistently sense the bait so he has the opportunity to strike it.

Finally, if you are going to be out at dawn or dusk, make sure the temperature is over 50 degrees. Same as being too warm, bass will become much more lethargic when the ambient air temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

With a solid understanding of the proper time of day to fish, and the proper bait to use to catch them, you’re already ahead of many anglers who have been at this for years. There is much more to learn, such as the way that weather effects bass activity, and water quality and purity, but that will come later. For now, go have fun and bring home your limit!

About The Author

Mike Long is the webmaster and publisher of The Easy Fisherman’s Newsletter, a weekly publication giving anglers tips, secrets, insights, articles and other information cover the sport fishing.

You can pick up a copy of his ebook, "The Pocket Fishing Guide" for free, just for signing up for the newsletter at http://www.PocketFishingGuide.com.

In this article I will reveal some bass fishing pro secrets. I’ll tell you about one bass fishing technique that will make bass literally attack your lure! I’ll reveal why the taste and texture of your bait makes a difference, and I’ll tell you what color lures to use depending on the prevailing weather conditions.

First let’s look at how to choose the best color lure. Knowing how to choose the right bass fishing lure will increase your catch dramatically! There are three main variables to consider when choosing your lure: light, water, and what the bass happen to be eating for supper on that particular day.

The amount of light and quality of light will depend on the time of day and the prevailing weather conditions. On cloudy and grey days, lean toward a brighter color lure like chartreuse. On clear sunny days, a white color lure is often a good choice. Surprisingly, as light becomes more scarce, darker color lures seem to work best. Some bass fishing pros recommend using black or grape colored lures as nightfall approaches.

You must also factor in water visibility when choosing the color of your bass fishing lure. And in case you didn’t know, bass have excellent eyesight! According to Bill Dance, "A bass’ eye receives five times more light than the human eye and can see forty feet in clear water. In murky water, they can see up to seventeen feet. In muddy water, they can see five to seven feet."

If the water is dark or murky, bright and shiny or flourescent colors will be your best choice to attract attention. When the water is downright muddy like chocolate milk, then flashy, bulky, and noisy baits are your best bet. If the water is clear, you will want to choose natural colored lures that imitate the food found in the bass environment.

Try to determine what the bass are eating and factor that into your choice of bait. Bass eat sunfish, minnows, shiners, bluegill, crayfish, frogs, and insects. But you could add a lot more things to the list. Large bass have been known to eat baby ducklings, rats, and blackbirds. Your shiny and silver or yellow lures will imitate minnows and sunfish. Your greens and browns resemble crayfish and frogs. If you can determine what the bass are biting on, you will always be more successful.

Equally important to the choice of color is the smell, taste, and feel of your bait. According to Bill Dance, "Bass can smell eight times better than a dog."

A lot of fisherman fail to take into account the smells that rub off their hands onto their bait. Your hands must be free of the smell of any petroleum products like gasoline, suntan oil, or sunscreen. Insect repellent, nicotine, and the natural oils produced by your skin alert bass that there’s a predator in the vicinity. These man made scents will literally scare away a wary bass. Conversely, coating your bait with a powerful scent like cod liver oil or other fish attractant can make a big difference in the size of your catch.

If you’re a smoker, just remember that when you’re bass fishing, you have got to clean your hands before handling your bait or lure. Bass fishing expert Russ Bassdozer recommends, "Just keep a bar of Ivory soap on the boat. It is 99.44% pure, no added perfumes, and it floats if you drop it." The smell of soap, of course, is not exactly a plus either, so you should use some kind of fish attractant to mask or neutralize the negative smells that adhere to your hands.

As for the taste and feel of your bait or lure, it’s important to understand how a bass eats its prey. When chasing a fish, an agressive bass will inhale its prey with its large cavernous jaws. But once inside its mouth, the bass will taste and feel whatever it is it chomped on, and only then will it decide to swallow. If a bass detects a hunk of metal, it will likely spit it out. That’s why you will often have more success with a lure or bait that is gummy or otherwise imitates the feel of something natural like a fish or frog.

Still another good reason for using a fish attractant is that once the bass has your lure in it’s mouth, "the scent and taste of the attractant will cause the fish to hold the lure in its mouth longer," says Russ Bassdozer, "rather than taste an unadulterated DEET, PVC plastic and L-Serine cocktail and spit it out." This will allow you a couple extra seconds to detect the bass on the end of your line and to set the hook.

OK, I saved the best for last.

Here’s a bass fishing technique that will provoke a bass to attack your lure ferociously! As you know, bass see in color, and some colors are more effective than others depending on various factors. But when a bass sees a bit of red on your lure, it really drives a bass crazy. That’s because a little red on your lure looks to the bass like the blood of injured prey! It’s not surprising that pro bass fishermen will often attach something red to their bait that resembles blood. Adding a sploch of red can double the effectiveness of your lure.

Bass Fishing Lure Selection Tips | Saltwater Fishing Rods and Reels
There is many helpful bass fishing lure tips that will help you whether or not you are a pro or you are just getting started in the bass fishing sport. Learn What Your Options Are. One of the most important bass fishing lure tips is to …

BASS gone WILD
We have Pro Staffers from all over the world creating videos,catching up to 8 lb carp & various other species with them. As far as PSI that would be needed,I’m no scientist. dice142803 Says: May 9th, 2009 at 6:15 am … I couldn’t have done it without watching your bass fishing videos Joe. Those tips you give are priceless!!! The only troble I had was the bass were kicking the stuffing out of my 6lb line. Keep up the good work! Fishnwithjoe Says: …

Bass Fishing Pro Tips | Fishing for Fun and Adventure
Bass Fishing Pro Tips. In this article I will reveal some bass fishing pro secrets. I’ll tell you about one bass fishing technique that will make bass literally attack your lure! I’ll reveal why the taste and texture of your bait makes …

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Bass Fishing and Having A Big Catch

Want to learn more about bass fishing? Are you catching less bass because you’re using the wrong lure? You can finally learn how to do it the right way. There are many ebooks as well as web sites on the internet which can help you providing information about bass fishing and how to be successful at it.

The promise of this bass fishing ebook is that it will surely aid you in getting better bass. Moreover, you just have to follow the tips and techniques and you will surely catch more and larger bass than you ever thought possible.

There are bass secrets that are contained in many books. Most are amazed to see the results on their very next bass fishing getaway. Some may be very disappointed spending the day bass fishing and never having a good catch.

Maybe because you have used the wrong bait or if you had spent a little more time in a different location of the lake before the wind suddenly came. Well, if you have been thinking about those problems, these secret bass fishing guides and ebooks will easily solve your problem. How? With these, you will know the best baits to use in every case or situation. Moreover, you will be able to know where the best part of the lake for catching fish is.

It is affected by so many factors like wind and weather at any particular time so it is really advisable that one should know about it. The next time you try, you are close to being a bass professional.

These guides will let you learn the various techniques and tips on how to catch a bigger bass. If you have never tried fishing before, then you will be an enthusiast once you have read information and ebooks about bass fishing.

It is not that hard at all. Many people are often disbelievers and have a common notion of bass fishing. They say it is complicated. But this is not true. Once you have got an ebook or you have appropriate information on bass fishing, you will no longer have a hard time getting improved bass fishing results. So what are some of the few big bass fishing secrets?

First and foremost, you must start off by thinking like a bass fish. It may sound crazy but it could help you in finding where the big one is. It is also advised that you find the right and appropriate tackle to use in any situation or case. You must have a lot of information on crank baits, spinner baits, plastic worms, buzz baits and many other types of baits.

This would be one of the things that you would find very important. A good lure is one of the techniques you have to learn and be knowledgeable about. In addition, you must know what part of the lake or stream is best to bass fish in different weather conditions. It will be different on a rainy day or a windy day, early in the morning or late in the evening. Other factors also affect fishing such as on a crowded lake or a steady lake and many other conditions. It is up to you to research it further.

Another thing you must know are the most common bass fishing mistakes that almost every fisherman makes and executes. After knowing them and knowing the reason why it will instill in your mind that these common practices end up in error so you must not practice them.

Another significant thing is that you must choose the right bass fishing rod. You must learn the techniques and secrets on how to choose and where to find the most appropriate bass fishing rods there are.

Furthermore, you must know how to develop a successful bass fishing pattern. This will really help you in your fishing trip result in catching a larger bass. Some may go bass fishing at night so it is good that you learn professional night bass fishing techniques. Moreover, others may also be benefited by learning the professional winter bass fishing techniques for those who experience four seasons.

These are only some of the many techniques and tips on how to improve your bass fishing strategy. If you do not have any strategy at all, you may really get disappointed from time to time. But, it is suggested that you first learn and read sufficient information and guides on bass fishing.

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Spring Time Bass Fishing Skills
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Night fishing for bass is one of my favorites ways to catch them in the summer. It will soon be too hot to comfortably fish for bass during the day and night fishing will be a lot more fun. And the bass bite.

Bass fishing in tournaments doesn’t seem like a sport in which "proper etiquette" really means much. I’ve fished many bass tournaments in Florida and found out through experience that it is very important.

Let’s look at this bass tournament scenario. You get up early in the morning preparing for your fishing trip. You then drink a couple cups of coffee, light up a cigarette and take care the 3 s’s before you hitch up your boat. Once on the road you have a nice conversation with your "draw" partner on where you’re going to start and what you’re gonna throw so you guys can catch loads of fish in your favorite honey hole.

By the end of the tournament, you weigh in your fish and manage to get 5th place! Lucky for you, the tournament had enough entries to pay all the way to 7th place. You are real happy until a few of the guys give you the "bird" and say some unpleasant things to you. Then you think, "What’s their problem?"

It isn’t until you partner says he’s getting a ride home with someone else and starts taking his tackle out of your boat that you start thinking it maybe something you did.

Let’s replay the tournament day.

Early that morning you get up a little late ’cause you forgot to set your alarm clock. Once on the road, you swing by to pick up your partner. He asks why you didn’t call him telling him you would be a little late and you respond: "I didn’t have time!" You also tell him that your swinging by the gas station and he needs to fill up the boat and truck since you make the boat and insurance payments. You emphasis that it’s normal for the "draw" partner to do this.

You finally get to the boat launch area and wait patiently in the line of trucks to launch your boat. You leave your lights on so anyone coming behind you will see you. When you get to the front of the line you and your partner exit the truck, and start boat launch preparation. You put in the drain plug, take off your transom saver, pull of your safety straps, put in your boat lights, etc, etc. About 10 minutes later, your partner finally start backing you and the boat down the ramp. The sky is starting to light up from the early morning sun. The two trucks behind you start to honk their horns! You shout back, "You shoulda got here earlier!"

The boat is finally launched, you beach the boat and pick up your partner. The tournament director had already started to call the boats numbers out as many of them were already going down the lake. Your boat number had already been called, and there were about 20 other boats still waiting, so you quickly take off leaving a huge wake right in the middle of the waiting boats.

As you approach your fishing hole, you see another boat sitting right on your spot! The spot is a bulrush line which is loaded with bedding fish, but it’s only about 30 yards long. You are real anxious so you don’t get off plane until your right on the weedline. You quickly lower your trolling motor, pick up your bedding fish rig and start pitching the pockets and points along the bulrush patch. Your partner is doing the same thing, in fact he get’s the 1st fish around 2 pounds and you tell him to swing it in like a "real" man.

The other boat doesn’t have an anchor down nor has his trolling motor up so you edge to within 20 feet of his boat and as you do you get your 1st fish on. You yell at your partner to get the net and he quickly scoops up your nice 2 pound fish. You give him a high five for a nice netjob!

On the 1st pass, you noticed that the fish were getting spooked from their beds as you approached, so you decide to try to keep the boat outside of the weedline, with the nose of the boat pointing towards the weeds, and the back of the boat out in the main lake. You figure this tactic will keep ‘em from spooking.

By about 10 AM, you have your limit and the tactic of keeping the back of the boat out of the weeds paid off. Your partner still only has one fish, but you think that he just doesn’t know how to fish. He then asks you if he can share the front deck of the boat with you and you tell him no, there’s no room and he’ll mess up your hookset.

About noon, you’ve culled a few fish but can’t seem to get a nice kicker fish. You see the other boat land a nice one, so you put your trolling motor on high and take the inside track in the bulrush patch right in front of the other boat. Your about 30 feet from the other boat, but buried up in the bulrush patch, scouting for bigger fish. You see a nice one about 4 pounds on a bed. The fish doen’t seem to want anything as you toss just about everything in your tacklebox at it. Finally, you tie on a tube bait and "Wam" the 4 pounder hits, your partner quickly nets it and into the live well it goes.

You only have 30 minutes to go and to play it safe you decide to go. You fire up the big motor right in the middle of the weeds and take off, sending a nice wake into the other boat.

You get to the weighin with about 25 minutes left and beach it. You kick back waiting for the director while your partner takes off for the nearest restroom.

OK, so my story is a little extreme but lets look at the missing etiquette:

1- Always leave on time. Your partner won’t worry and you’ll get to the ramp and not hold up anyone.

2- Turn off your headlights while waiting in the launch line. Keep your parking lights on. This will prevent you from blinding the person that is backing the boat down the ramp!

3- Prepare for boat lauch long before you get to the front of the line. This will speed up the entire launch process for everyone.

4- Never plane right in the middle of a bunch of boats. You need to get beyond the last standing boat before you take off on plane.

5- Always give some room to another boat even if they don’t have their trolling motor up/anchor down especially if they are there 1st. In the scenario above, you should only respectfully fish the furthest bulrush from the boat that is there or maybe not even fish there at all until he leaves. At least ask if he minds if you do decide to share the spot with him. If he says yes, you are way better off in the long run to leave. Your day will come!

6- Always net fish (if allowed by the tournament) and don’t wait for the partner to ask you to get the net. If your partner prefers you not to net the fish, he’ll tell you.

7- Always be considerate of your partners fishing position. In this scenarion, he didn’t stand a chance because he was too far away to site fish! Offer him a chance at the front of the boat. In fact most tournaments (not the proams) state they have 50% share in running the trolling motor. At least ask, and if he refuses because he’s not comfortable running it then fine.

8- Fish until the last possible minute with a slight safety factor unless you have a large limit of fish , especially if your draw partner isn’t doing well. In this scenario, give you partner the full front of the boat and let him choose his spots.

9- Draw partners should only pay 50% of the fuel bill for both the tow vehicle and boat. If they drove to the ramp themselves, then they need only pay 50% of the boat fuel.

If you follow these bass fishing tips, you’ll have a better relationship with all the fishing community!

Classic returning to Lay Lake in 2010
It seems one of the marshalls went fishing and camped out on one pro’s spot where they had been the previous day during the tournament. The marshall was there when the pro, who made the cut, arrived to fish. Yes, it’s public water. But that is such incredibly bad sportsmanship and fishing etiquette that it defies logic and comprehension. How anyone would, or could, do such a thing is beyond words. Hopefully, BASS will urge the Marshalls to avoid this display of unse…

Fishing etiquette
The weekly fishing tournament is taking place this afternoon in Stranglethorn Vale, and I’ll probably be in attendance, hoping desperately to catch the last rare fish I need. I’m often intrigued by the etiquette that comes into play in…

boat ramp etiquette
I got my first boat in 1989 and in all of the year fishing the CA waterways I have not experienced that (yet). All of the boat launches in CA always had some people taking their turns launching their boats. The two ramps which I’ve used…

BassMaster Championship on the Red River
It came into my thoughts as I was wondering why we haven’t tried to get Karl Malone enlisted to host an annual Karl Malone fishing tournament to benefit Tech athletics. I bet he could use some influence to pull in several celebrities…

I remember my dad taking me and my brothers fishing in Michigan many years ago. We would often go to a local river, lake or cut to fish for perch, bluegills or anything else that would hit. Often, the fish weren’t biting and my dad and brothers would want to pack up and go home. I would almost always ask to stay a little bit longer but usually the answer was a vote, and I normally lost.

I distinctly remember a trip to a Michigan cut, off of Lake Huron, when supposedly the perch were running. After a couple of hours soaking minnows, we had not caught a thing. My dad had a friend who lived within a mile of the cut and told us to pack it up and we’ll all get warmer at his buddies house. I complained as usual and asked him if I could stay because I thought the fish would start biting when the water started warming up later in the day. He took a while to answer and replied "Paul, aren’t you cold? Let’s warm up at my buddy’s place. Besides, the fish aren’t biting." Of course my answer was, "Dad, please can I stay longer? I know they’ll start biting." Dad said, " You know Paul, you must love fishing. I’ll tell you what, you can fish for a couple of hours and I’ll take Mark and Matt with me unless they want to stay." Was I ever happy and of course my brothers didn’t want to stay, so they took off with dad.

It was cold, about 40 degrees and I checked/changed my minnow every 5 minutes or so. I’d cast up the cut, down the cut, changed my spot but nothing seemed to want my bait. I was watching my line (no bobber) when finally I got a bite. Jerked on the pole and reeled in a 10" perch. Within about 10 minutes I caught about 5 perch, stringered them all up and time expired as my dad and brothers came to pick me up. Darn, I wish they had stayed at my dad’s buddies house a little longer.

Well guess what, they were so surprised that I caught some fish, we got to stay a couple more hours and we came home with a nice bucket of yellow bellied perch (Mmmm, these were delicious).

Prerequisites for a Tournament Bass Fisherman:

So what’s my point? The point is that you either love to fish, even if they aren’t biting or you like to do it once in awhile. If you love fishing as I do, you can be very competitive in bass tournaments, while if you only want to fish once in awhile, you won’t be too successful. If you are the latter, just fish for fun and save your tournament entry money.

Another prerequisite for a good bass tournament fisherman is the will to compete. If you are laid back, just like to cast your line out and wait for the fish to hit, then tournament fishing isn’t for you. I grew up playing baseball, running some track and enjoyed these sports. I also had a bunch of brothers, so competition has been instilled in my personality. In fact, whenever I get together with my best bass fishing buddy (met him in Gainesville, Florida while going to UF for my degree) either fishing for fun or prefishing for a tournament, we are always raz each other. If he has more fish, he’ll yell something my way saying something like "So, when you going to learn how to fish" or " That’s a sissy bait your throwing, no wonder you can’t catch any fish!" Big fish also has the braggin rights and usually we tease each other with sayings like this, "How many more dinks ya gonna catch?" or "My one fish outweighs all 3 of yours", etc. It’s always competitive, so if you have this spirit in your blood, then you can be a good tournament fisherman.

How to Start Bass Fishing in Tournaments:

OK- So you think you have met the prereqs and want to tournament fish. Here’s my first suggestion, join a local bass club. There are many published bass club lists on the internet, so just Google with "Bass clubs your state" for a list to start with. You could also inquire at a local lake and talk to some fishermen there.

There are two types of bass clubs: 1- Draw tournament and 2- Team tournaments. The draw clubs have boaters and non-boaters prior to the tournament launch, the boaters are paired with non boaters through a random draw out of a hat. If possible, try this club style 1st and fish a few tournaments as a non-boater. You will be surprised how much you didn’t know about bass fishing when you see how your boater partner fishes. It’s great to learn from more experienced anglers!

The team type clubs have the same non boater and boater teamed up all year long. If you have a good fishing buddy that you want to fish with, go ahead and join this type. The main disadvantage of this style of tournament fishing is that your learning curve for competitive fishing is much longer because you don’t have any experienced tournament fishermen to learn from. You’ll miss out on some special tips on how to flip, pitch, sidearm cast, prevent splashes during pitching, Texas rig correctly, etc. If you do this style, read a lot of online information and perhaps subscribe to Bassin’ or Bassmaster magazine (I think FLW also has one).

So, you followed my recommendation and want to join a draw style club tournament so what’s next. You will usually need to attend their club meetings. In the south, there’s usually one club meeting a month while in the north it maybe as often as twice a month because of their limited fishing season. At the club meeting they usually discuss new members, tournament results, payouts, the next tournaments location and a sundry of items. In that meeting, you usually decide to go boater or non boater. After this, the boater is paired with the non boater and you’ll find out who your partner will be. If there are more boaters than non boaters, it’s usually worked out who will be the boater through a rule or through negotiation between the paired boaters. During the meeting, get your partners phone number so you can call him. During this meeting, the boat launch position is usually announced as well.

Prior to the actual tournament call your partner. When you get a hold of him ask him the following questions:

1- Do you want me to come to your house and we can go together or do you want to just meet at the ramp? Tell him you will share all gas expenses with him which is the norm for draw tournaments or team tournaments for that matter. Of course you don’t have to pay for his truck gas if he says just meet him at the ramp. You will always need to split the cost of the boat gas!

2- How many rods can I bring and how much tackle ? Can I bring my cooler or do you have one for my drinks? If the boater has a small boat, he may ask you to downsize the amount of equipment to bring. This is a common courtesy, besides you are using his boat aren’t you?

3- Do I need to bring my lifejacket? Lifejackets are a mandatory item for bass tournaments, however your boating partner may already have 2 and your extra one may only crowd the boat. Ask him just in case he doesn’t have an extra, or he doesn’t like strangers using them out of courtesy.

4- What time do you want me at your house or ramp? There’s nothing more aggravating to a boater than a late non boater. Usually the boater will "pad" the travel time with an hour or so to allow for gas stops, snack stops and possible flat tires. So if your are not spending the night before at a local hotel near the lake, be ready to get up very early to make the trip to the boaters house or be ready for an early pickup by the boater. Just be ready when the boater asks you to be.

5- Would you like me to make some sandwiches for you? Although not a mandatory question, it is a nice offer and the boater will be more willing to help you during the tournament.

I probably forgot some que
stions, but please ask the ones I listed. Things will go a lot more smooth if you do.

Pre Tournament Preparation

Prefishing: The most neglected part of pre-tournament preparation is the lack of pre-fishing. If you are a boater or non-boater, just like a class in high school or college, if you don’t do your homework you will not do well on your test. Just think of the tournament as a test and pre-fishing as homework.

Pre-fishing involves checking out the lake where the tournament is to take place prior to the actual tournament. No matter how many times you have been successful on this lake in the past, you should pre-fish to find the dominant pattern for the current weather conditions, water levels, cover and time of the year. Try to pre-fish as close to possible to the tournament date. During prefishing, never stick more than 2 fish in one spot, and if the fish are not very active such as in cold fronts, you may want to limits it to 1 fish. After that, use hooks with the barbs removed if you want further verification that the bass concentration is good and don’t set the hook on any more hits in that area. If you are sight fishing, just use your GPS to mark the spots and maybe toss a hook less bait to verify that the fish would be willing to hit the bait.

Try a variety of baits and locations during prefishing. GPS all of the spots that produced fish and note the cover/depth and weather conditions when/where you caught fish. If you are the non-boater, it is still your obligation to pre-fish if you have a boat. You need to help your partner as much as possible, and you never know as you may have better spots than your boating partner. Try prefishing with a partner. The partner does not have to be your boater/non boater, but the more lines in the water with various baits, the more likely you will find the successful pattern.

Fishing Tackle: Make sure your reels have good line on them i.e. the line is not old or has not taken too much set resulting in tight curly loops. Replace the line if necessary. Lube up your reels if time permits.

Retie all lures with fresh knots while removing the 1st couple of feet of line. You never know if you have nicks or knot abrasion from your last fishing trip. If you still have plastics on your hook, throw them away, leave the hook barren until the day of the tournament, then put on your soft plastic. This retains the smell/scent of the bait.

Be sure you have adequate fish scent for your soft plastics as well as enough toothpicks for Texas rigged baits. Make sure you pack your pliers and clippers.

Sharpen all of your hooks. If possible replace your worm hooks with new ones. Crankbaits such as Rattletraps often have dull hooks. Replace them with sharper ones like Gamagatzu’s.

While pre-fishing, tune your lipped crankbaits by bending the eye so they run straight.

Finally, use a rod cover if possible prior to storing the rods in your rod locker (it’s also good for the non boater). This will not only protect the rods, but will prevent the rods from tangling inside your box.

Boat Gear and Tow Vehicle: As a boater you need to check the following:

1- 2 cycle oil reservoir is filled and take an extra gallon if possible.

2- Fill up the gas tank or at least put in enough to last the whole tournament.

3- Charge up your trolling motor batteries and big motor battery.

4- Check your trailer tires/tow vehicle tires for air pressure and lube the trailer wheel bearings via the zerk fitting.

5- Fill up your tow vehicle and check the oil and antifreeze.

6- Bring an inexpensive 12V air inflator and tire plug kit. These work great in case you get a screw/nail in either your tow vehicle or trailer tire.

7- Make sure your vehicle jack will work on your trailer, if not you may need to buy a bottle jack for your trailer in case it gets a flat.

8- Make sure your spare tires have air in them.

9- Always hook up your safety chains when towing and check your winch strap/cable for any signs of wear.

10- Be sure to plug in your trailer lights

11- Put in your boat plug just to be on the safe side. If it is raining you can always bilge or pull out your plug at the ramp. It’s better than trying to get the boat back on the trailer when it’s sinking because you forgot to put the plug in!

12- Check your boat lights out to make sure they work.

13- Make sure you bring your raingear and lifejackets.

14- Make sure you have non expired flares, fire extinguishers and whistle or horn.

15- Check your boat registration/trailer registration. I leave these in a compartment in my boat.

16- Pack your float markers.

17- Bring your fishfinder and GPS.

18- Check all your trailer and tow vehicle lights.

19- Bring your weigh in bags.

There’s probably some other things, but this list should always be checked.

Boat Ramp Launch Preparation and Launch: 1st, make sure you leave early enough to get to the boat ramp at least one hour before safelight. Safelight does not equal sunrise! It is usually 30 minute to an hour before sunrise. Bass tournaments start the launch process at safelight.

Bass tournament fishermen are often impatient. That’s their competitive nature going to work and rookies at boat ramps are often aggravating to tournament fishing pros. The main reason is the amount of time the rookies take to launch their boat.

When you get to the ramp and you are approaching a line of boats switch to your parking lights only (as long as you can see in front of you). This helps the fishermen who are launching their boats see the ramp and the path their boat is taking while they back up. Bright headlights in their eyes while backing up blinds them!

While in line, both you and your partner need to make launch preparations. here’s the list:

1- Keep your parking lights on and exit the vehicle.

2- Remove your boat straps, transom saver and double check that your boat plug is in.

3- If a vehicle ahead of you pulls up, get back in your vehicle and pull up again. This will prevent a line forming that goes out to the main highway.

4- Prime your fuel bulb in your boat.

5- Put in your boat lights.

6- Lower your motor to a lower position, but not to low as to hit the ground while going over bumps/grade.

7- Make sure everything is out of the tow vehicle and in your boat that you are going to take. If there is a boat check in the line, open up your livewells and your compartments so the check can be done quickly.

8- If you are next in line to launch, line up the tow vehicle and boat to the ramp. If the non boater can, have him back in the boat with you in it. Make sure you tell him to close all windows, bring the keys and lock up the vehicle after he parks. Tell him to watch you for hand signals as the backup lights will light you up and that you will be having him stop when the tires first touch water. This is so you can undo the bow strap/cable. Also have him open up the side window so he can here you just in case something happens or he misunderstands your hand signals. Usually a come here motion with your hands means keep backing up while a palm forward (like a policeman stop) means stop. Tell him to take his time. A point to the left or right means that the boat needs to go that way, while a straight back come here means to go straight back.

9- When the tires 1st hit the water (this is approx. and may vary according to what you like), indicate a stop. Go to the front and undo your bow strap. Get back in the boat driver seat, and have the non boater come back until the boat is floating, then give him the stop signal. Give him the go forward signal (motion forward) so he can park.

10- Lower your motor the
rest of the way for carbureted motors (not necessary for EFI systems) and put your idle bar in the best position to start . Prime the motor by holding the key in (most motors) and start the motors. Get out of the way of the ramp as soon as you can and find a spot to beach or dock.

11- Turn on your boat lights.

12- Warm your engine until it’s warm enough that it will be easy to start at launch time. Then turn it off.

13- Plug your livewells.

14- While your partner makes his way back to your boat, get the rods out you are going to use and strap them in with your Rod Savers or bungies on your front deck.

15- Use your flashlight and get your soft plastics on.

16- Now your ready for the pre-tournament meeting.

Pre-tournament meeting:

This meeting is usually held when all fishermen have launched their boats. It may start before if there are late arrivers, but those late arrivals will just miss the meeting.

During the meeting, the size limit, the number of fish per fisherman or boat, off limits, weigh in time and other items will be discussed. Make sure you get the weigh in time and the official time. The official time is the one announced that corresponds to the tournament directors time. Therefore offset your watch to match the tournaments official time.

Once the meeting is over, go to your boat, dawn your lifejackets and attach your kill switch. Don’t start your motor until it gets closer to your launch number. This just makes it easier to hear the tournament director.

If the boat check is on the water, idle slowly by the check point with livewells running. They will signal you to go if they see you are clear.

When your boat number is called idle beyond all other boats, once you have cleared them, get on plane quickly so you don’t hold up the line. Never start to plane if there are alot of boats idling in your planing path. Just use common sense here as no one likes to have a wave come over the sides of their boat when another boat planes right next to them!

Tournament Time

If you and your partner did your "homework", you won’t be doing a lot of lure changing, tying lures or running around the lake trying to find biting bass. If there was a major cold front or other major change like water level drop, you may have to adjust. Still rely on the spots you caught fish in pre-fishing but you may have to flip or go to the next closest dropoff to find the fish you located during practice.

The non boater must respect the boaters preferences, however if you developed a good rapport prior to the tournament, things will go much smoother. The non boater usually has rights to 50% of the front of the boat during a club tournament. In some big tournaments this is not the case. If you want the front, just be courteous and ask. If the boater says no, don’t bring it up any further and do the best you can from the back. A boater that always says no to a non boaters request will often be found out at a later time and will no longer be welcome in that club.

If you are a non boater and fishing from the back of the boat always cast towards the front or side of the boat, never behind when working a weed/timber line. Just respect the boaters line and never cast over his line or into the path of the trolling motor.

If you are the boater, just remember when you 1st started and how unfair it was when that boater never let you up front. Don’t you remember the club murmurs of a certain individual that constantly backboated his partner, elbows out like a chicken so there was no way a non boater could effectively cast. I guess this is the biggest downside of a draw tournament!

When you catch your 1st fish, quickly measure it, closed mouth on a metal ruler like the "Golden Rule". Make sure it measures as not only can you be penalized at weigh in but you could get a ticket from the wildlife officer. Close the drain plugs for your livewells if you haven’t already and turn on the aerators. Put the fish in the livewell as soon as possible. When the livewells are full, I like to switch over to recirculate and put my timer on.

If you gut hook a fish, I normally leave the hook in it’s stomach and cut of the line. This will do a lot less damage than ripping out the hook.

If you get a limit, I cull by weighing all my fish and using a numbered float system. For example, #1 float = 2.8 pounds, #2= 1.5 pounds, etc.. I record this on a piece of paper. When I get my next fish over the limit, I release the lightest one and place the new weight on the paper for that float number. Hopefully you’ll be doing this all day long, but remember never to have more fish in your livewell than the limit.

Netting fish properly is also very important. The last thing you want to do is to wack the fish in the side or the head and knock off the fish. When your partner has a fish on, quickly reel in your line and get the net. Try to get the net near the water, when the fish approaches, try to net it by submerging the net before the fish and getting it head first. That way the fish is swimming into the net rather than away from it. Never hit your partners line or the side of the fish with the net. Usually your partner will let you know when to net, but you must be ready!

If it is hot, be sure to add ice to your livewells on occasion. Also make sure you use sunscreen.

When it gets close to tournament weigh in time, remind each other of what time it is and how long it’s going to take. Make time adjustments according to weather conditions. A thunderstorm or high winds in the afternoon will likely double or triple the time it took you to get to your spot. Just make sure you adjust for this.

It’s time to go, so put on your lifejackets, attach the kill switch and go!

Weigh In

If there is a big line, keep your fish in the livewell so they don’t have to be in un-oxygenated weigh in bag. When the time is close, quickly move your fish into the weigh bags being careful that the fish don’t jump out of your livewells (Hmmm, has this ever happened to me) and into the lake. For the too close for comfort fish, re-measure and if not sure ask the tournament director for a courtesy measure. This will prevent measurement of short fish and a hefty penalty.

Watch the scales while your fish are being weighed. If the scale doesn’t closely match your culling weigh paper, ask for a retare of the scale if possible. Sometimes the scales mess up do to low battery or wind conditions.

If your in the money, congrats! Shake the tournament directors hand with a big smile on your face.

If you got the prereqs, you’ve got to try tournament bass fishing! So pre-fish and Do ore Catching with Less Fishing.

Sincerely,

The Largemouth Herald

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