tips on bass fishing.

i know its to late to go bassfishing now but next spring/summer/fall i plan to do alot of fishing for bass. i had a week this summer where i learned alot about it and now i want to get some more info on it. good brand of casting rod and reels. what types of lures work best. how do you locate bass, and best time to fish them. all of this would be done in a boat and on a lake. thanks guys

I’ll start with a big Welcome to the Club As far as good Rod and reel choices goes it Mostly a Ford / Chevy Type of Debate – I’m a rather big fan of St. Croix rods and either Shimano or Abu Garcia Reels but there are many other fine Rod and Reel manufactures out there as well. As far as lures goes that Depends on Time of season and many other factors. I’ll give you a quick Brakedown of a few of my choices for each time of the Year. Spring Season ( Opener Thru say end of June – Most fish tend to be rather shallow due to the spawn – some Good lures for this time of yeear are: Stick Worms/senko’s, Rattletraps, Spinner baits, Shallow Crankbaits, Jerkbaits and a Jig Pig Combo. For Summer ( July – Aug. ) the fish Tend to move a little deeper – Some good bait choices are: Plastic worms – Rigged Texas Style or Jigworm style, The Jig and PIG again, Some Dropshot plastic worms, Mid and Deep Crankbaits, A swim Jig. Fall ( Sept. – Freeze up ) Fish can be either deep or move really shallow depending on the weather – Some bait choices are: Plastic Frogs, Jig and Pig, Crankbaits. The other 2 Questions will have to wait for another day. Once again welcome to the sport and get out there and have fun Learning

Another good source for Info is to Click on the Forums tab – Then Spiecies specific forums – Then largemouth and smallmouth bass – Read thru pass post and you will find lots of Info. for some of the ?’s you asked.

Good advice! Also check the classifieds regularly for great deals as quite a few guys upgrade tackle by selling theirs in the winter to buy new in the spring.

Find yourself a Good Bass Club with club tournaments.
There are Learning style clubs which are more fun than just strict competition.

Mn Bass Federation: http://www.mnbfn.org

I believe they have a link to Wisc. Federation, but I believe Wisc has strong National Club programs through both BASS and FLW.

My previous club was a learning style, at the end of each Tourney everyone from the winner to the guy/gal with lowest weight told what they did, what did work and what did not work. Great way to learn.

Focus on learning one or two techniques like texas rigging and jigs or crankbaits. Once you get good at those couple of techniques, move on to another one and try to master that. That was my approach to bass fishing when I started out about 3 1/2 years ago (I was a walleye guy most of my life). The first year, all I did was texas rigging and some jigging. I got pretty good at those two techniques and the next couple of years I got heavy into crankbaits and drop shotting. This year I plan on figuring out how to find and fish for bass in the milfoil. The cool thing about bass fishing is there are so many different ways to fish for them and there always seems to be something to learn, even with techniques you already know. It does take a lot of practice and time on the water to completely figure things out, but once you do, the reward is great! As far as rods, reels, and tackle goes, it depends on your personal preference and your budget. Like Fishthumper said, Shimano and Abu Garcia make some nice reels. If you can afford them and are comfortable with baitcasters, the Shimano Curado’s(last year’s models) and the Abu Garcia Revo’s are nice, they’re smooth, cast nice and should last a long time. I personally like St. Croix rods(Premier and Legend Tournament Bass) and have also had good luck with the ugly yellow Skeet Reese Rods and Vendetta from A.G. The main thing with rods is to see what method you’ll be using them for. When I first started getting into crankbaits, I was using a MH Vendetta with a fast action meant for pitching soft plastics and jigs into the weeds. I don’t know how many fish I missed, let alone just trying to cast a darn crankbait with that rod, but until I figured out that I needed a rod with a softer action, I wasn’t having much fun and almost gave up on crankbaits (i’m glad I didn’t because its my most favorite way to fish bass now!). I always try to research before I buy anything, doesn’t matter if its a rod, reel, fishing line, tackle, I want to make sure i’m not wasting my hard earned money. Whether you’re on a budget or not, its always fun building up the fishing arsenal.
If you don’t mind reading, read all the fishing articles you can find in magazines and online (youtube is good too). There’s a ton of good info on this website alone, not to mention all the guys/gals that will answer your questions. Gather all your knowledge and take it too the lake. The main thing is, be patient and have fun fishing!

Fish22,
Welcome to the BASS club. The reason I prefer bass fishing is: even when it is slow fishing and not catching many, it is active fishing; casting, working lures, getting blow ups on frogs, all very active fishing. You are not waiting for something to EAT your minnow or leech.
Everyone who posted ALL have very good suggestions. You didn’t say which BASS you intend to fish for. Largemouth or Smallmouth. All of my Smallie fishing is done with an open face, medium action rod 6-6 1/2′, and 8 pound test; period, that’s what I use. Largemouth, I also use a lot of openface reels and spinning gear. Docks I use 6′-6 1/2 medium to MH action rods and 20 pound braid. Most crankbait and spinnerbait throwing you can use medium to medium heavy spinning or casting gear. My frogging rod is a 7 foot casting MH rod and 50 pound braid tied direct. The only presentation I have to use a casting rod is the frogging rod. And for docks an open face rod and reel are necessary as it is very difficult to skip with a casting reel.
So I lean toward spinning gear for everything except for frogging. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are no problem with casting gear or spinning gear, it’s whatever you are the most comfortable.
Last I’ll say is to get information. This site IS very good for asking questions and GETTING answers. I’d also say subscribe to Bassmaster or another all BASS magazine and study it. I’ve been a Bassmaster Life member since 1977, it has been very good with articles on everything, and tournament stratagies.
Good Luck, keep asking questions, and the best time IS learning ON the water.
Jack