Bass 101 - Basic Bass Fishing Techniques
Terry Skipper

For most bass anglers, the spring brings hopes of catching those elusive “hawgs” and the excitement of buying the next best lure, line, reel or rod to bag such a trophy. By the end of this article, you should have a better understanding of where and how to target largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Starting in late fall to early spring the thought processes are the same. When do I start heading out, where do I go and I wonder what the water temperature is? Water temperature plays a vital part in locating both species of bass as they do with any other species of fish. However during the fall and winter months you should be encouraged to know you can catch large or small mouth bass during these docile periods. Although, it is said they “shut down”, it is more accurate to state they are stationary. An ambush predator will not chase down the next meal during this time but will indeed jump on the opportunity offered. Fish deep and fish extremely slowly should be the rule of thumb. I have personally caught largemouth using a surface popper in February. If the weather is consistent for an extended period of time, anything can happen.

The following presentations can be fished with a casting set up but I highly recommend using a 6’6” or 7”0” medium action spinning rod and reel with 6lb to 8lb test monofilament as this system allows you to down size to maximize the effectiveness.

I would recommend the following lures and this is how to fish them. These techniques can be used successfully from November through to May.

1. Jigging/Vibrating Lures: The jigging or vibrating lures are typically fished with a vertical presentation by snapping your rod tip and guiding the lure back down, keeping the line taught for maximize sensitivity. Locate your targets using your depth finder, position your boat over top of the fish. Cast your lures beyond the target area and jig through the school. Once you have the lure completely vertical, reel up until it is about 12” off the bottom and begin snapping your rod tip and guiding the lure back to the resting position. By jigging through the school, hopefully you are able to pull the more aggressive fish away, which should result in a positive hook up.



2. 4” Sinkslo/Senko: Set up your soft stick bait or worm with a Carolina rig. Make a long cast beyond your target school or structure. Slowly crawl your offering along the bottom with periodic pauses. You can also “dead stick” the worms by casting directly in the school or structure and letting it settle and sit. Watch your line as the hit will be very subtle, if you pick up your line and it feels like a sponge then set the hook!!



3. 3”or 4” Grub with lead head jig: Jig and grubs are fished the same way the vibrating lures are fished. Snap your rod tip while keeping control of the lure as it drops. Strikes will again be very difficult to detect.



4. Dew worms: The easiest of the all to fish, use the dew worms in a Carolina rig, make long casts to the targeted structure but leave it on the bottom and make very limited movements. Keep the line taught right to the rod tip to identify the slightest strike.



5. Fly Fishing: Fly anglers can also find fish during these times by using a deep water, full sinking type 6 line and a 10’ leader of 6lb or 8lb. Try using aquatics that are present throughout the season like leeches, dragon nymphs and crayfish. I have heard of several smallmouth bass being caught while chironamid fishing with an indicator but the reports where very inconsistent. When fishing a fly, you would have to make a very long cast and feed the line out as it sinks to maintain the distance and depth. Your retrieve should be very similar to chironamid fishing, use a very slow hand twist.

In the spring, once the water temperature increases to 50 to 55 degrees, both species will start their pre-spawn patterns. Male bass will begin their staging at this point by entering the shallow waters and half heartedly clear off their beds in an attempt to woo a nearby female. For western, provinces and states this process starts to occur in May through June. Males are commonly caught around docks, fallen trees, rock piles or anything adjacent to deep waters. Females are typically caught in the deep portions near the bedding areas until they move to the shallows, pair up and start going through the spawning rituals. There is much controversy surrounding the “bed” fishing time frame. Targeting these fish during this period does cause undue stress and most likely impacts their ability to properly protect their young. Once the females lay her eggs, they move back to the deeper waters to rest. The males at this point stay on guard on the nest until the fry hatch. This period usually take 10-14 days, depending on water temperature. Catching the males and removing them from the nests make the fry exceptionally vulnerable to other predators. If caught during this time frame, release the bass quickly and he will return to the nest to assume his natural duties.

Lures of interest would be the following:

1. 3 ½” Salty Tubes: Color can be an issue. My top picks are Reaction Baits tubes in black/blue glitter, black/red glitter, pearl/silver glitter, green pumpkin, and green pumpkin/copper glitter. Rig the tubes with either the Eagle Claw HP-L150G hooks or Gamakatsu EWG (Extra Wide Gap) hooks. I really prefer the HP (High Performance) hooks as this hook allows me to use quick clip weights for added casting distance, control and sink rate.
   
   Tie the hook directly to your spinning outfit spooled with 8lb test monofilament and open the clip on the shank. Slide a quick clip weight inside the tube. Using the hook point, insert the point directly through the top of the tube and catch the loop of the weight before exiting the hook point through the side of the tube (This secures the weight for casting and ensures it will not fall out). Once the hook point pops through the tube, slip the clip back onto the shank of the hook, now the tube is secured as well as the weight, you would literally have to tear off the tubes to replace it. This clip keeps the tube in the proper position to ensure the gap is not interfered with, causing a missed hook set. To finish the rig, just measure the bend of the hook on the tube body and drive the hook at that point straight through to the opposite side of the tube body. Once that is completed just bury the hook point in the skin of the tube making it weedless, now you are ready to cast it into the ugliest cover as well as around and under docks.
   
   My favorite presentation for tubes is to skip the tube up and under docks, fallen trees and over hung foliage. By using a spinning rod with a fast action tip, bring the tube close to the rod tip but leaving about 6” from rod tip to the tube. With a quick and powerful wrist action, roll the rod tip from shoulder height down towards the water level. Release the tube just at water level, allowing the lure to pull line off the reel as it skips along the waters surface. Use your finger on the spool of the reel to feather the lure down to the desired target. Watch your line as both large and small mouth bass like to hit the tubes on the drop.



2. Poppers/Prop baits: With plugs, whether or not they are top water or sub-surface lures, I prefer to use a 6’0” or 6’6” medium power, fast action tip casting rod. The reel of choice is the Team Diawa Sol, Fuego, or Viento low profile bait caster with 10lb or 12lb monofilament line. I prefer this set up because it gives me more control when imparting action to the lure. The bait caster reels perform better when there is a potential for slack line being retrieved onto the reel. Spinning reels have a tendency to foul up when the slack becomes too evident. Cast your popper or top water lures tight to the cover and as close to shore as you dare, using your rod tip in a downward motion, snap the lure making it “pop” water or spit water with the blades. Return the rod tip just a quick to the starting position to ensure the lure sits properly before the next movement. The strikes can be very violent or quite subtle, either way once the strike has happened hold off on the hook set until the line moves or you feel direct contact with the fish – then set it hard!!



3. Flies: This is prime time for fly fishing. With the bass being shallow and very protective, you could cast anything from string leech patterns to deer hair poppers or sliders. Using a floating line and an 8’ to 10’ leader, cast your fly into the shallows or along structure for best results. Twitch the fly with the rod tip while stripping the line, this will drive them crazy. It is even more imperative to hold off on the hook set until the bass have completely committed to the fly. Most bass flies are tied with weed guards and it takes a bit of pressure to get the hook past the weed guard and over the jaw bone of the bass. Although, it is more common to use 7, 8 & 9 weight fly rods for bass angling, it is by no means the law. When using smaller classes of rods like 3, 4, & 5 weight rods it becomes more of a lob session when casting but the overall fight is more enjoyable with the lighter rods. It is a lot easier to choose the flies that cast well with each of the rods selected. Most fly manufacturers now make flies specifically for the smaller rods.

Post spawn to early fall fishing, when the bass are off their beds and in their regular routines. Anglers have an awesome opportunity to catch personal bests. The females have recovered from the spawning and the feed bag is on. It is not uncommon to see several large bass cruising together foraging for baitfish, aquatics or crustaceans. Sight fishing is probably the most exciting part of post spawn and summer fishing for me. I love watching their reaction to certain lures, I honestly learn more by seeing how they refuse my offering than fishing in deep water with the odd strike. This time of year can require fishing shallow for largemouth and down to 25’ for small mouths, but the common denominator for both species is structure, structure and structure. By using your depth sounder for small mouth bass, you can locate deep water drop offs, rock piles or points. These are common areas for the high populations of small mouths.

Deep water presentations for smallmouth bass are:

1. 3 1/2” Salty Tubes: Fished with the lead head jig or a football head jig and crawled along the bottom with the occasional hop. I like the green pumpkin/copper, watermelon/red glitter and black/red glitter tube colors.



2. 4” or 6” Lizards on a light Carolina rig: When using a light Carolina rig, it typically entails using ¼ oz. brass and bead with 24” of 8lb. test monofilament. Cast beyond your target and either use your rod to move the lizard towards the structure or drift with the wind while maintaining bottom contact. Strikes are like a series of three taps. Once you realize the difference between the bottom and a fish strike, this is a very effective technique and can quite honestly put a bunch of fish in the boat.



3. 3”, 4” or 5” Sinkslo/Senko on a drop shot: Drop shot fishing is relatively new, although the technique has been used for almost 10 years, in relation to the standard techniques everyone is use to, it is still young but incredibly effective. Try using the soft stick bait in the following colors pearl/silver glitter, black, green pumpkin, pumpkinseed and watermelon. I prefer to use a 6’10” Drop Shot Spinning Rod with 8lb. monofilament line.
   
   The advantage of drop shot fishing is it keeps the bait 10” to 16” off the bottom in the line of sight for the bass. The bass does not need to turn on it side to feed, instead it just needs to swim up to it and inhale. A fantastic presentation for deep water fishing as well as effective in the shallows around lily pads, docks and fallen trees but the hook is exposed with this technique so it can be rather frustrating around certain structure.
   
   I really prefer the Gamakatsu Drop Shot hook as it has a straight shank and an incredible gap for using soft plastics. Hook size really depends on the bait size but a size 1 works quite well for most applications. To fix the hook to the line – take the last 20” of the monofilament, measure up about 15” and double the line over making and bit of a point. Slide the line through the eye of the hook so that the hook point is up, using the polymer knot to secure the hook in place, take the remaining line and feed it back through the hook eye from the top. This will ensure the hook point rides true. Now you are ready to add the drop shot weight by inserting the remaining line through the eye of the swivel, then pulling it upwards to secure it into place. Add your soft plastic of choice by either inserting the hook through the tip or directly through the middle of the body.
   
   The drop shot weights are unique in that the line pinched on the swivels holding it in place with tension but if you hung up, it can then be pulled off the line releasing your hook and lure to fish again. When fishing the drop shot rig, cast directly into your target structure, let the weight settle and use your rod tip to shake the worm. Shake, shake, shake and then hold the line taught. Continue this technique but keep your bait in the desired location for as long as possible. This is no different when fishing shallow water structures, just stay back from the target and make longer casts as not to spook the fish in the shallower water.

Locations and timing:

This article was written for the magazine BC Outdoors so the locations are located in BC Canada.

There are several lower mainland locations to target largemouth bass only. Smallmouth bass can be found on Vancouver Island and the Interior of southern British Columbia.

Lower mainland: March through October
Hatzic Lake, Mill Lake, Whalmsley lake (Molson Pond, Albert Dyck Park), Sturgeon Slough, Gatsy Marsh and outlying tributaries, and Lost Lake. There are several “private” waters where access is through private property, please leave these poor people alone. They tend to be very unapproachable and rather grumpy towards all anglers as a result of bush whackers looking to the land their fish of a lifetime. There is plenty of public access lakes locally and through out Washington State.

Vancouver Island: March through October (regulated retention in place, consult your regs.)
Elk/Beaver Lake has both largemouth and smallmouth bass, Thetis Lake, Long Lake, Quesnelle Lake, Shawnigan Lake, St. Marys Lake and Cushion Lake to name a few. The island lakes are phenomenal for the smallmouth numbers and quantities they yield, in my estimation they can be considered world class bass waters.

Interior: Late May through October
Oosoyos Lake(both largemouth and smallmouth), Christina Lake(largemouth), Vaseux Lake(both), Skaha Lake (smallmouth) and there are a few outlying lakes with smaller populations of largemouth.

Whatever your outlook is towards the bass that are in our systems, they provide an extended opportunity to fish when other fisheries require less pressure as well as additional revenue to the province in license sales, traveling costs and tackle sales. Not to mention they provide a very exciting fishery.
Give it a try, who knows you too may become a closet bass angler.
 

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