Bass Fishing Techniques

Fishing is a thinking person's pursuit. No matter whether you fish for a hobby, as a sport or for a living, you have to be able to outwit the fish you are looking for. Not merely that, but unlike most hunters, you cannot see your prey. You have to work out where it is probably going to be and what it is probably going to do.

Anglers normally fish alone, so it is not surprising that every angler has a couple of of his or own personal methods and preferences. This goes for any type of fishing, but it is particularly a fact of some fish. This usually means the big and the clever (well, for fish) species. One of these clever varieties is the bass.

Bass fishing techniques vary due to several circumstances including temperature, season and type of water and coast line - whether you are fishing fresh or salt water.

If you are fishing for bass off a boat, then you are almost certainly fishing in deeper water, because bass swim in deeper water while it is cold, so make sure that you have all the safety gear and that you know how to use it. Furthermore, you must become aware of your country's or state's legal requirements.

For example, if you take anglers out with you, you might have legal responsibilities or there might be seasons when you may and may not fish. These very from region to region and have to do with spawning and maintaining the amount of stock.

Bass experts have their own techniques, as was mentioned above, but a lot of bass fishermen recommend fishing at night. This is not a bad notion as there is less chance of getting your line entangled with others, particularly if you are fishing off a rock or the shore.

Fishing for bass at night is not a bad system for other reasons too. Although there are different kinds of bass, most of them are shy and careful, so if they reckon that the water is over clear, they may choose to bottom feed. This is one of the areas where local knowledge and expertise plays a big part.

Bass are cautious predators and also a little work-shy. They prefer to hide themselves somewhere and wait for their victim to pass close by. Therefore, a rocky shoreline is ideal bass fishing territory in the summer months while the bass swim and hunt closer to the surface. In the winter, you will need to fish the bottom water where it is somewhat warmer.

When bottom fishing, bass will be looking for small fish and sand worms, whereas in the summer they are feeding on the top and will not be expecting to find any worms. Then they will be searching for small fish and insects that have dropped into the water, like flies. Bass are meat eaters, so berries, seeds and bread should not be of much use, but hey, not all fish behave like the text books say that they should!

The thing to remember is that local conditions matter and although fishing with a rod and line is necessarily a solitary and quiet sport, particularly in fresh water, fishermen love to socialize afterwards and pass on their expertise. So, if you are having trouble with catching the fish you are looking for, join a local anglers' club and mix with the experts.