5 tips to catch more bass
Bass fishing can get hard at times. Many good fishermen have wondered what they need to do to catch more bass and preferably bigger bass. But how to do it?
While there is no one answer to help solve that problem, there are a number of different tips you can follow to give yourself a greater chance of success when it comes to bass fishing.
Bass are large, muscular fish. They are predators who have an aggressive hunting style. To reel in more of these fish, anglers need to take a number of factors into consideration. Those factors include the season, hatch, weather, location, and bass behavior.
- Be Aware of the season
There are three different phases in the life cycle of a bass. Those are pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn. Pre-spawn happens in the early spring, so you’ll most likely find them in the shallows or in covered areas around that time. Any other time, bass avoid shallow waters because they want to hunt from cover with more room to move when they hunt.
- Find cover, find bass
As we mentioned above, bass want to hunt from cover. So, in order to catch more fish, you need to go where the fish are. There are many different types of cover found around any body of water you might be fishing. Rocks, wood, boats, docks, grass, lilly pads, and more are all places bass like to hang out waiting for prey. Bass do sometimes swim in open water but this can make them harder to locate.
- Be mindful of the Hatch
Bass are aggressive hunters and have a broad diet. They can hunt baitfish like bluegills to crawfish to even baby ducks. You need to figure out what the bass in your area feed on so any lure you use will match what bass are feeding on.
If it’s early in the season, bass are usually hunting crawfish. Using a lure with peach tones and patterns may help get them to strike If bass are feeding on shad, use a silver colored crankbait or swimbait. A dropshot rig may be the best option if the bass in your area feed on small minnows. Bass also like to eat frogs so a soft, plastic frog lure could help lure them away from cover.
It is also important to imitate prey and prey movements when fishing for bass. Using a noisy crankbait to stir up vibrations could tempt the bass closer to striking your line. Vibrations help entice the fish out of cover and onto your line.
- Weather impacts bass
Bass tend to work the opposite of humans. When it’s sunny, they’re lazy while on cloudy days, they’re much more active. They’re also sensitive to changes in barometric pressure. On cloudy days, you could opt for using a topwater plug or spinner bait to get more strikes. On sunny days, bass will wait for their prey to come to them so you may want to use a jig. But you may not get many strikes on a sunny day.
Bass are most active right before a storm so keep an eye on the weather before you head out. Wind also stimulates bass. Wind will also disturb the surface of the water so bass will be less likely to be spooked by a moving boat.
- Research and be persistent
Technology is an angler’s best friend. There are a plethora of resources available so you can get the most of your fishing day. Buying a ConnectScale 3 and using the accompanying logging app will help you keep track of all your catches and favorite spots. Pull up Google Earth or river maps online and search for points where bass like to hang out before you even hit the water.
And finally, don’t give up. Sometimes you may not get a bit despite all your best efforts. That’s ok. Keep fishing using these techniques and eventually the bites will start rolling in.
Once you get to the point you are reeling in catch after catch, you may want to consider joining our Connect Fishing League. The Connect Fishing League allows you to join tournaments and fish from the bank, boat, or kayak. It has a live leaderboard so you can follow along with the results and see where you stand, even as you fish.
Our Connect Leaderboard software also allows you the ability to host your own tournament. Whether it’s a tournament among friends or one involving people around the country, our software will get you more prepared.