My personal favorite fish to target is the Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). These fish fight rather hard for their size and often put on acrobatic displays while jumping out of the water. Although they may not be the best tasting fish, they certainly make up for it with their great fights.
These fish are the jewel of competitive tournaments all over the country. Fishermen compete to catch the heaviest 5 Largemouth Bass within a certain time period. Upon returning to the boat ramp, fish are weighed and the winner of the tournament is announced. According to Leeland Bettis from Sapling.com, "Typical Bassmaster tournaments at the highest level of competition (Elite) pay around $100,000 for a first-place finish, $25,000 for second place, $20,000 for third place, with prize money diminishing for lower placing fisherman thereafter." (Bettis, 2011, Para. 2)
These fish are the jewel of competitive tournaments all over the country. Fishermen compete to catch the heaviest 5 Largemouth Bass within a certain time period. Upon returning to the boat ramp, fish are weighed and the winner of the tournament is announced. According to Leeland Bettis from Sapling.com, "Typical Bassmaster tournaments at the highest level of competition (Elite) pay around $100,000 for a first-place finish, $25,000 for second place, $20,000 for third place, with prize money diminishing for lower placing fisherman thereafter." (Bettis, 2011, Para. 2)
STRATEGIES AND TIPS FOR CATCHING BASS
TOP WATER: Largemouth are caught in a variety of ways depending on the season, weather, and body of water being fished. My favorite strategy for catching large mouth is on top water lures. A top water lure is a bait that resembles a frog or wounded fish swimming on the surface of the water. These are fun to fish with because the bass will often come launching out of the water in order to eat your lure. Justin Hoffman, a fishing expert from BassProShops.com says, "If I had to choose one style of bait that consistently provokes heart-stopping excitement, thunderous thrills and a fair share of big bass to boot, it would be no other than a topwater lure. There's something about the way these plugs and prop baits sputter and weave across the surface of the water, filling an angler with anticipation while they patiently await the churning of water and splash of that next big strike"(Hoffman, 10 Topwater...).
JIGS: Fishing with jigs is another valuable strategy when bass fishing. A jig consists of a sturdy hook with a weight molded onto the end. Jigs range in weight from 1/4 oz. to 2 oz. Bass jigs are designed with a skirt that resembles fins on a fish or legs on a Crawfish. The best way to fish these is to drag them along the bottom and lift up on your rod to feel for bites. According to Chris Schneider from GameandFishMag.com, "Watching your line must become second nature while jig fishing for bass, and any type of fishing off the bottom." (Schneider, 2015)
CRANKBAITS: Crankbaits allow anglers to fish for Largemouth Bass more efficiently than other lures do. Since they can be reeled in quicker than other baits, fishermen can cover water a lot faster than if they fished with a jig. According to Mark Bilbrey from WorldFishingNetwork.com, "Crankbaits provide water displacement and movement in target depths that fall and winter bass will be found and they best imitate the primary fall forage of bass such as baitfish and craw fish." (Bilbrey, 2014) Crankbaits come in many
varieties and can be used almost under any circumstance. A webpage I find useful when researching crankbaits and other similar style lures is https://www.bassmaster.com/gear/slideshow/awesome-hard-baits-bass-fishing.
This page provides many useful facts about these lures and even gives tips on when and
where to fish with them. Personally, crankbaits are one of my favorite lures to use
because of their great variety in color, shape, size and situations they can be used in.
varieties and can be used almost under any circumstance. A webpage I find useful when researching crankbaits and other similar style lures is https://www.bassmaster.com/gear/slideshow/awesome-hard-baits-bass-fishing.
This page provides many useful facts about these lures and even gives tips on when and
where to fish with them. Personally, crankbaits are one of my favorite lures to use
because of their great variety in color, shape, size and situations they can be used in.