The Popularity of Bass Fishing

Bass is the most plentiful fish in North America and consequently bass fishing is the number one type of sport fishing in the United States. It is not only the number one type of sport fishing but one of the most popular sports Americans participate in.

Most Americans today work predominantly inside and spend a lot of time in front of computers. They look for outdoor activities to enjoy in their free time that are easy and offer a mental challenge. Bass fishing is an easy sport to get started in. Beginners can start with a rod and reel, fishing line and some lures and fish right from the shore. It is an activity the whole family can enjoy together. A relaxed day spent outdoors without the stresses and pressures of the workaday world can do wonders for a person.

Very few people fish with the goal of catching their dinner. It is more about the thrill and adrenaline rush of catching the fish. Bass can put up a good fight and can be challenging to catch once they strike.

Fisherman, like bird watchers, find the most productive times to pursue their interests are at dawn or dusk. This is the time when fish and birds are feeding most actively. Bass will feed anytime during the day but the best time to fish is at dawn or dusk. Bass are predators. They eat other fish. They love fish cover and natural or artificial fish attractors like submerged trees provide the cover they need to ambush their prey.

Bass are a type of sunfish and are commonly called black bass. There are four major types of bass. The first major type is the largemouth bass or bigmouth bass. It has dark stripes that run horizontally down its sides. The jaw of the largemouth bass ends back behind its eyes, thus the origin of the name largemouth. These bass can weigh as much as 20 lbs and measure 35 inches long.

The second major type of bass is the smallmouth bass which is closely related to the largemouth bass. This is the bass most often caught in the lakes and rivers of the United States. The smallmouth bass has dark vertical stripes on its flanks unlike the horizontal stripes of the largemouth bass. The jaw of the smallmouth bass does not go behind its eyes.

The third major type of bass is the spotted bass. The spotted bass and the largemouth bass look a lot alike, both black, except the mouth on the spotted bass is smaller and more like the smallmouth bass in size.

The fourth major type of bass is the Guadalupe bass which appears only in rivers on the Edwards Plateau in Texas. This bass is a lot smaller than the other three types of bass with the heaviest one on record weighing 3.7 pounds.

Most Americans can fish for at least one major type of bass somewhere near their homes which makes bass fishing such a popular, easy sport to adopt.