When my family first started to vacation in the Northwoods in the early 1960s, fishing was my father’s favorite activity and Walleye was the species he and most anglers sought. Today, even though Walleye and panfish are still popular, more and more anglers are pursuing Bass.

So, do you want to be a successful Bass angler? I would say, before you step into a boat, you should do a little research on Bass. If you do not know the seasonal behavior and patterns of Bass, the forage they dine on, identify peak times, studying lake maps to find the location of the cover and structure Bass use and you will catch tons of bass.

Ok, that’s not the way I see it, but this is what professional Bass anglers will tell you on T.V. If fishing Bass tournaments is what you do for a living and you want to keep your sponsors, then yes, you should know all that stuff written above, but I don’t think it’s not as difficult as these pro’s make it sound. As always, my fishing topics are to help novice anglers and I believe this week’s article could be helpful.

If this is the fish you want to target, here’s some BASIC information that could help you catch Bass.
First, every lake has different structure, amount of cover, oxygen depths levels, water current and forage.
Second, Largemouth Bass eat insects, other fish and even frogs. So, soft plastic, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, top water lures, swimbaits and or live bait rigs will work. Basically, offer different types of lures until you start getting hits.
Third, Largemouth Bass hide in cover with shade (docks) or parts of structure (drop-offs) to ambush prey.
Fourth, During the summer as the water warms, slowing your presentation down can help. Largemouth become sluggish and normally won’t chase top water baits or lures being cranked back to the boat at speeds you would use in the spring or fall.
Fifth, Bass will be more active, and fishing will be better on overcast days.

SMALLMOUTH BASS are a little different.
First, unlike largemouth, Smallies usually look for cooler temperatures and are usually found in deeper water. (MORE ON THAT BELOW)
Second, smallmouths’ food source is also insects, small fish and crayfish. For bait/lures, like all game fish, mimic their choice of food. Crankbaits, swimbaits, weedless jigs (Carolina rig) and jigs tipped with live bait will land smallmouth.
Third, deeper submerged wood (stumps, trees) and deeper rocks is a great starting point for locating Smallies. Even deeper weed edges can be productive.
Fourth, to see if they are aggressive, try different speeds when reeling. Stop and go can also trigger strikes.

Everything above could help you find and catch bass, but is this information, correct? In the perfect environment I would say yes, but if you read the last fishing report, Smallmouth Bass WERE NOT being found on the chain in deeper water. Anglers were catching smallmouth in 3 to 4 feet weeds. So, not all species can be found in the location anglers might believe is a great spot. Each year can be different. Most old spots that held fish no longer do, and other locations that you wouldn’t fish before can be a great new spot to fish.

TIP: WHEN FISHING FOR ANY SPECIES IN THESE AREAS, ALWAYS FISH THE SHORELINES THE WIND IS BLOWING TOWARDS. CURRENT NOT ONLY WILL BOOST OXYGEN LEVELS HERE, BUT ALSO PUSHES BAITFISH INTO THIS AREA WHICH INTURN ATTRACTS (BIG FISH) PREDATORS.