All About Bass Fishing Overview

All about fishing for bass.

3 Most Important Factors About Bass

Aggressive feeders and prefer generally warmer water.
Bass are affected by many water, weather and light conditions.
Can be caught on a wide variety of lures, baits and techniques.

Efficient Predators

First and foremost, a bass is a predator. They live their life ambushing smaller food sources to survive. Everything they do, with exception to the spawn, is in direct relationship to their feeding instincts. They will look for feeding options that also offer comfort. Areas with food sources that provide comfortable temperatures and ideal water conditions will attract bass over areas with food but less desirable comfort zones.

The knowledge presented in this book will help you increase your catch rate. By understanding the life cycle of the bass, their annual migrations, their daily activities and the impact of weather conditions will help you know where to look for bass. Often weather and water conditions will dictate your approach and presentation methods.

By and large, all bass function and live very similar lives. The difference between largemouth and smallmouth is largely the way they pursue their prey. Largemouth bass (and most varieties of largemouth bass) tend to ambush their prey by hiding in cover. Smallmouth are more often found in open water areas where they root out their food from gravel and rocky areas.

Largemouth Bass

The primary food source for young largemouth bass is shad or other baitfish. During warmer months these smaller bass (generally up to two pounds) will follow schools of bait and move great distances to stay with the food source. During cooler water temperatures, these smaller bass tend to take up residency in areas where the shad hold and use ambushing techniques. Larger bass are less likely to move great distances chasing shad. Their diet consists more of crawfish, bluegills, sunfish and other small species of fish, including small bass. Ambushing is the primary method of feeding for larger bass. A largemouth typically has a life expectancy of up to 10 or 12 years. In the southern states they have a longer feeding season and tend to grow to larger sizes than the northern states.

Smallmouth Bass

The primary food source for smallmouth bass is crawfish. They also feed on shad, other baitfish and small fish of many species. Smallmouth tend to run in packs, not so much like schools of largemouth, but small groups that look for food in a relatively small area compared to largemouth. Cover is not as important to the smallmouth either. Their security is acquired by holding in deeper water on vertical walls and rock piles. They move from these spots to shallow feeding areas that hold crawfish and other food sources. The smallmouth often prefers colder water than the largemouth and is also prevalent in northern states with exceptionally cold waters, many that freeze over annually.

Spotted Bass

Spotted bass are easily identified by the predominant spots along the lateral lines, they are found primarily in the southeastern states and are often called Kentucky bass, Kentucky spotted bass, Alabama spotted bass and Kentucky spots. They prefer warmer water temperatures from 70 to 78 degrees. Spotted bass have a smaller mouth than the largemouth so use lure sizes similar to smallmouth tackle.

Shoal Bass

This strain is closely related to the spots and is often misidentified as a redeye due to the red coloring in the eye. Their coloring is generally brownish, similar to smallmouth bass. It is found primarily in the warm waters of Florida, Georgia and Alabama where they populate lakes, rivers and streams. Fish for shoal bass as you would most other bass and, as the name implies, look for them to congregate on shoals and similar structure. Shoal bass prefer water temperatures from 65 to 72 degrees.

Redeye Bass

The redeye bass looks very much like a largemouth with a red eye and reddish coloration in the tail fins. Found in the southeast part of the US it is often confused with the shoal bass, because both have the red eye. Redeye bass prefer water temperatures from 65 to 70 degrees and are often found in cool streams and rivers. Fish for the redeye with conventional bass tackle favoring smaller baits and lighter tackle. For those who like to fly fish, try fly fishing for the redeye bass.

A bass is a bass, no matter where you fish.

Local food sources and water conditions may direct you to make minor adjustments to your fishing tactics, but at the end of the day the bass is a predator looking for something to eat and probably hanging around some kind of cover.