Fish'n Kids Resources

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BASS FISHING TIPS
  • When fishing for bass, always try to see what they are eating before you start fishing. Generally you can see this easily.  I always try a Rapala original flotant F07. If this does'nt work, try a beatle spin, generally black. You also can jig a yellow-headed jig.  To catch a fishes attention, try to put a cricket, or red wormon the jig head.  If the bass still doesn't take anything, try a minnow floating popper lure.  With this lure, go along the edge naturally, generally about 4' to 5' out.
    Colin from Starkvill, MS
  • If you want to catch lunkers, try using those big monster 10" worms. Bigger lure - Bigger fish!
  • Here is a good tip. If you are fishing on a dark colored day, use a black worm, or any kind of bait. If it is clear, I would recommend using a watermelon red worm.
    Good luck, Grady-age 10, Clay County, FL
  • Before you even get your line wet, take a look around at where your fishing. Keep a sharp eye for signs about what lures to use. If you notice lots of action on the surface where bass are breaking the surface going after insects or minnows, then a topwater lure such as a Tiny Torpedo, Jitterbug, Pop-R, or buzzbait. If you don't see any action on the surface then experiment with the right depth until you find where the fish are hovering. Start out using a crankbait, small spinnerbait, or small plastic worm to search the middle depths. If you go a while without getting anything then go a bit deeper with a bit heavier spinnerbait or deep diving crankbait. If you STILL don't get anything, then you know that they're deep. That's when you move to your heaviest, deepest diving lures. I would suggest using 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits, 6-8" ribbontail plastic worms/lizards, or 1/2 oz. spoons. Remember, don't be afraid to change your retrieval technique to attract more fish. A change in color can help quite a bit, too. Tyler from Georgia
  • When you are fishing clear water or murky water the lure that I have found that never fails is the spinnerbait with a fast retrieve for clear water I would use a blood and pumpkin colored and for murky water I would change a little and use a blood and yellow color...you will get the hit it within the first few seconds after casting if you use this method as soon as the spinnerbait hits the water pull it at a simi fast pace this method works wonders. Billy M.
  • The best lure you can use year-round, especially in the winter, on any pond or lake, is a shaky-head. Go to Wal-Mart and ask where the jigheads are. Get  the  kind with a little screw on the head, then get some 4"  ZOOM  worms  in watermelonseed  and  green pumpkinseed. Screw the worm into the head and cast out anywhere in the water where you can see sticks and brush. Good luck!

  • My name is Andrew and I am 16. I have a tip that kills at the lake. For beginner bass anglers who just want to start out small, use a Yo-zuri pins minnow from the shore to the boat or vice versa. Make sure to jerk it in quick, even intervals. You should use a very fast retrieve. Every so often you should have a school of 1/2 to one pound bass follow you in very aggressively. You can simply use this technique, or follow up with this next step. Have a second pole handy rigged with a shiner and a split shot weight about 6 to 8 inches up from the hook. As the school stops to search for the missing lure, cast the shiner 2 to 4 feet behind the school. As they turn around to return to the cover of deeper water, they will see the shiner, and will usually go after it. The rules of sight fishing generally apply here. If you get a strike on the pins minnow, you will most likely feel dead weight similar to hooking weeds. If this happens, immediately begin to lighten on the jerking. You should then feel a strong tapping caused by the fish shaking its head. There is usually little need to set the hook, but it's a good idea to give a little tug just in case. I hope this tip helps.
  • When fishing for Smallmouth Bass, find where they're nesting or just holed up and fish that spot using a leech. They're freaky to put on the hook at first, but they won't suck ALL of your blood- you'll get used to them trying to get you. Let the leech swim around and fish will be on you soon... works great for Walleye also.
  • The best times to fish are early in the morning or late in the afternoon that's because at around noon they tend to slow down and become inactive. At this time it's hard to fish with worms unless you fish it slow and right in front of their faces. I would use a spiner bait at this time. Last week I went to this park just a few minutes away from my house and the lakes there are stocked with bass, big and small and they're right there just hanging out because there is no deeper water to go to. That is another thing when bass are inactive they tend to go to deeper water. Well anyways I tried a spiner bait and it didn't work and then I tried one of my redshad zoom u-tale worms, they were all over that thing. I used a texas rig on that, ust pulling it off the ground with my rod tip and repeating it until I got a bite. This is when I learned that you don't have to go by what other people tell you just experiment with all of your lures until one of them shows results.
  • If you're after bass, then head out to the nearest lake you know and try there, don't worry if it's too small, you'll be surprised what you can catch in small ponds. I would use a 1/0 laser sharp hook from eagle claw and a 4" worm with a really attractive color like a light pink with green sparkles or a watermelon type thing.
  • If you want to catch a big bass, use a topwater cricket, grasshopper, or locust lure (2-3 in.) You will catch the most either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. I have even caught them in the rain using this technique.
  • If you fish weeds, I got a tip for you make your cast in the weeds put you a bullet head sinker on what is called a love bug worm it is red with green glitter with a lazer sharp hook cast it in the weeds and lift it off the floor of the lake and let it sink back down and repeat it again.
  • When you are fishing for bass and they continually run for the weed beds and break free make a 3 to 5 foot leader of Spider wire (rights reserved) or an equivalant. I do this to my baitcaster and do not see much of a casting difference. R.D. Burns 13
  • Here's my tip: when fishing for large mouth bass, use a watermelon colored zoom lizard, about 3" long. Put a 1/2 oz. sinker about 3 inches up the line from the bait. Reel three times then jerk. Repeat this action. You'll catch some big ones! Griffin J., Bethesda, MD
  • Go to a lake around 6 to 8pm and use a plastic kind of minow. than start reeling it in about average speed. when you fell a tug pull the fishing pole as hard as you can(up) so it will get stuck in the basses mouth really tight(no more than 10 pound line)so than you could reel it in without loosing it (you rarly loose it). Natalio, Florida
  • If you want to catch smallmouth bass, then go out at about 8:30 PM and use a spinnerbait, with a grub as a trailer, and fish it along a rock bank, and you'll wear the fish out.
  • Hey I got a great tip take a torpedo (heddon) and flick it with your wrist and make it have life-like movements, great results
    Trey 13, SC
  • If fishing for bass I recommend a baby bass rattletrap. They work really good over structure.
  • Here's a great tip for bass:
    Use a 4 or 5 inch live nightcrawler, put a sinker 5 inches above the line and jig the worm along the bottom or just above the bottom. The bass will totally murder this thing!!!!
  • Use top water that makes alot of racket at the night time, it really works.
    Trevor -13
  • Plastic worms - While fishing by stumps and timber in the early morning, bass love plastic worms. They love the color junebug. The later it gets the like the color redshad.  Make sure that you Texas rig that.
  • Spawning bass - When bass are at their spawning stage or even just in the shallows on a good spring or fall day when the water temperature is about 70 to 80 degrees, use a fluke. My favorite color is white or pearl. Skip it across the top of the water and it will look like jumping shad.  Prepare to have a heart thumping fishing trip.
  • Try casting a black 4" plastic worm up into the shallows without the use of a weight. Just twitch it along the top of the water with a # 1 brass hook. I would advise using line of no more than 8 lb test. Watch the worm as much as you can because a lot of the strikes will come as soon as the lure hits the water. When I fish a 4" worm I generally choose a black color. Watch your line when it pulls tight set the hook. Catch a Bigg'n
  • If you want to catch a big fish use dogfood with a bobber. Wait for 5 seconds when the fish tugs.  It's good for catfish, bluegill or bass
  • To catch big fish. Catch a minnow with bread  if you wanna waste your worm then catch a minnow with a worm. I would do this in a man made lake, they have tons of minnows. After you catch like 5-10 minnows go to a more bigger lake with basses or muskies. You can chop the minnows or leave them like that (I catch more chopped) Then you're ready to get those Muskies.
  • When fishing for bass in clear hot water use a lipless crankbait and fish it deep i have caught alot of smallmouth and rock bass doing this
  • When its cloudy fish are at the top of the water so use topwater baits. When its sunny most fish are light sensitive so their at the bottom of the water i use zoom lizards (bass) with 2-3 sinkers. Ryan/Borger, Texas
  • Use a small eagle claw hook with a zoom green lizard I caught a 15" fish and 17" fish.
  • My tip is to use a buzzbait in clear water in 2-3 foot of it you can catch 20 even 30 bass in a day and the good thing about it is that a buzzbait brings the fish from the bottom
  • Try using a plastic worm that's long and that has a long hook. It work's. I caught a big bass. Charles - 6 CT
  • I have found that if you use a black and purple rubber worm under an over hangin tree near shore you WILL catch HUMUNGOUS bass. I caught a 5lb bass doing that.....KNOCK'EM DEAD -Bryan, 13 NY, NY
  • When Fishing A Rattletrap use fast retrieve
    When using ZOOM Lizards twitch 1-4 times by twitching up.It hasn`t worked really any for me but it has for my dad. From Jon S. Big time bass fisher
  • When fishing for smallies in a river or stream try using a REBEL wee-craw. While using this crankbait have a light action to medium light action rod with 4 to 8 pound test line. (try casting around big rocks) Good luck and tight lines!! Bart,Kris,Sam & Wil
  • Throw more shallow crank baits to get more bites. shallows are versitile baits you can reel them slow for top water action or reel them a little faster fo deeper action. good luck
  • I've figured out on my recent trip to Pickwick Lake for my birthday that if you take a cricket (you may not believe but it works!) and put it on normal brim or small bass hooks (If a Bass Pro Shops is near you go there and buy a small bass kit! It's Awesome I've already cought over 15 nice bass (3lb+)) put two sinkers on your line also a medium sized bobber (you don't need to,but for some of us star gazers they come handy) around maybe 2 feet between your bobber & sinkers.Cast your  bait to or near a rock wall or a fallen tree near the bank.Wait a bit. Talk to our frinds or what ever and sooner or later thet big honkin catfish 'll come to ya!If you have a mangled hook in the end...don't worry.Just try to bend it back to shape and put another cricket on....if you can't just put another hook on . But  Cricket's are my favorite thing to use because almost every thing i know like 'em!Also try smaller spinner baits with long arms.Largies love 'em.Also if you want a good laugh or two get a cane pole,line, hook, and some lunch meat and fish off the dock.....i've cought a lot doing that with my grandma!--Good Luck nd Happy Fish'n!--Ashleigh,11,TN
  • My tip is when fishing for bass in small ponds and lakes try a purple and green or brown bungee worm. They work good jigged or just realed in they have a very good action. Nathan - Age 14. Miles, Iowa
  • In 2 to 3 ft of water use a 3'' shiny top water minnow style lure cast ,move it a little let it set 4 about 7 seconds move it about 2'' then repeat that about 5 times.if you don't catch any thing repeat it again. Tip from Timmy - Mineral, VA
  • We use Bolonie and Bacon when we go fishin at our pond. It's good for perch, small bass, regular bass and big bass. Hope it works for you.
  • When you throw your bait in you wait eight seconds and then start to real it slowly. If you can feel that the fish is trying to get your bait then stop for a minute.
  • In clear water bass tend to go in deeper water.  So when you are fishing in clear water use a big spinnerbait with big flashy blades and fish it fast.
  • If you want better rod acton or longer casting I would suggest getting a rod with more guides.
  • Bass-When fishing in cold water use slower baits (or reel in slower), this will attract some bass. You might also want to look for some hot water springs. The best days to fish bass are when it is about 65degrees out. If it is to cold they'll be slow, but if it is to hot they'll be on the bottom, or under logs and brush.
  • An easy way to attract a monster bass is to catch a small bass or bluegill on a spare rod. Pull it in to make sure it is a good hooking, then cast the fish out. let it just run around a bit. The big fish will sense the distress and go to it, sometimes actually eating it. Then immediately cast out a bunch of crawlers or minnows in front of its nose. Be ready to set the hook.
  • Here is a tip to catch bass. Look for a ledge that comes off the bank, I throw a rat L trap or a shallow running crank bait.  I have caught many fish this way.
  • A tip for BASS. In cold water use suspening crankbaits near trees,stumps ect.
  • In the late fall to early winter, when the bass seem hard to catch, use a 4-inch Lunker City Slug-Go with no weights. Cast it out, then just wait for 2-3 min. in that time, the lure will slowwwwlllyyyy glide to the bottom. If nothing takes then, lift it up to the top and let it sink again. Use this in shallow water where bass gather, like in front of a storm drain.
  • Usually when I'm fishin for largemouth I'll usually use a 5 inch zoom worm, but I want to tell you my super tip. What I do is first put on a bullet weight, then I get a 3 inch Berkley crawdad and I take some Jacks Juice and barely squeeze some on it, oh make sure the flavor of the juice is crawdad flavor and then cast, flip, flick... heck do what ever you want to do just make sure your hitting 4 to 5 foot depth. good luck using my tip       Charlie Johnson
    p.s. the best time to hit the big ones is just when summer ends
  • When fishing for bass use a light green frog near weeds under water structer, dead trees or topwater plants.  
  • When fishing in pond or small lake; look for minnows on the edge of the lake or pond where it is about 4ft. and use about 3 redwriglers and put them on your hook at the same time and just drop it in the water. This is how I caught my 9 pd. bass. Joe-13 from Georgia .
  • When fishing for bass, use a purple worm and fish it right close to heavy cover such as tree stumps, fallen over trees or any other good cover.
  • A great tip is if you know of a big bass that hangs around your fishing area or is under your boat take a dozen night crawlers and catch about three blue gills 4-6" and put them on a stringer and leave them there for 10 -15 minutes and if that bass comes around and is hungary he will see these fish in destress and knows their helpless he will want to eat them.  So catch another blue gill and cast him in to a brush pile,under that dock with the whopper or if you see him just put the blue gill in front of him and he'll nail it thats happend to me before he (or big daddy i call him has taken it, its cool )            blake .p.
  • To catch largemouth bass in a pond or small lake use softplastic worms in the colors.....JUNE BUG....PUMPKIN....AND OTHER NATURAL COLORS.
    For catfish and carp use.....MASHED UP WHEATIES MIXED WITH RED POP(OUT ON THE BOTTEM) MIX THE UP TILL THE ARE LIKE PLAYDOUGH AND PUT THEM ON A BIG TREBLE HOOK. From NukedBass (a big time basser)
  • To catch largemouth bass in a pond or small lake use softplastic worms in the colors junebug, pumpkin and other natural colors. For catfish and carp use mashed up wheaties! Mix with red pop (right out of the bottle) till the mixture is like playdough. Then put them on a big treble hook. From NukedBass(a big time basser)
  • When fishing for largemouth bass use a pure black artificial worm with a pink tail
  • When fishing for bass use small spiner baits when it is colder than normal.
  • Just use a jointed rapala. Pick size by how big the fish get in the lake or river. And the rainbow trout color it works for almost anything. all kinds of bass, pickeral, perch, trout, sunfish.
  • If you are used to using worms and junk like that and are not producing many strikes.  Mix up your tackle box a bit.  First, use crankbaits, all fish species love them expecially bass.  Just find out how deep the water is and pick a bait that is adjusted for the depth.  Second, the Rapala Husky Jerk a #8 in any color is a great bait. It suspends and is just plain awesome
  • When fishing for smallmouth bass in average size rivers, locate the flats and points that will hold fish then it's just a matter of choice of bait, size, color and basically what the fish are interseted in. Also remember when the water is clear use natural colors like shad, baby bass, and colors like that, but when the water is murky make sure to use brite colors that will help you trigger a strike happy fishing - Joey, Age 14
  • Right before a front comes through the paremetric pressure drop's. And the fish go into a feed mode. Once the front passes all the the way through, the paremetric pressure rises which makes the bass stuborn.  when this happen's you shoul'd go to a smaller size lure, an work it extermely slow,Also try casting in the same spot 3 -4 times this can anoy the bass , and prevoke a hit.!!!!
    submitted by: SHANE FERRELL
  • When fishing with minnows, take an empty, clear, water bottle and punch holes in it with a phillips head screwdriver. then put about a dozen live minnows in it. Next, tie it to your boat or dock about 3 feet down and use a live minnow lure about 2 feet away from the bottle. this will catch em every time. works best in the spring.
  • I have a tip that might help you catch a few more largemouth bass. This works well usually anytime of the year, but I find it most useful from pre-spawn to summer. I like to take a plastic worm, lizard, or crawdad with about a 3/O to 4/O hook, depending on the size of the lure, and like to flip and pitch it into heavy wood cover, and work it from there. I would use anywhere from 12 to 25 pound test depending on how heavy the cover really is.  When you hook one keep heavy tension, and pull em' out. You can take some big bass this way.
  • One tip I would think you should use in the winter time use a jig with a pork frog it kills the largemouth evey time good luck fishermen.
  • when fishing for bass use a split tail jig with a shiny chrome weight right in the front of it
  • If you love bass fishing, put a bobber on your line with a live minow on the hook. Allow minow 2 feet of line. This tip works best in sping & summer.
  • Don't use a bobber and let it sink, this works with all kinds of bass.
  • A good strategy for largemouth bass is tossing a frog 3 feet below the bobber on a steep drop off. Another deadly strategy this time for smallmouth, is to cast a crayfish onto a shoal without a bobber and wait for a smallie to hit it.the best time for fishing with these techniques is just when the sun leaves the water to when it's almost dark out.If you don't catch anything, that's why they call it fishing not catching.
  • I like to use rubber worms alot and one of the things i like to do is cast it over a stump hanging over the water so when you jig it it goes up and down and stays in one spot so when you want to fish the same spot for a while you don't have to keep on casting.
  • If you keep your line tight and always set the hook with a shiner you'll always get'em.
  • A good strategy for largemouth bass is tossing a frog 3 feet below the bobber on a steep drop off. Another deadly strategy this time for smallmouth, is to cast a crayfish onto a shoal without a bobber and wait for a smallie to hit it.the best time for fishing with these techniques is just when the sun leaves the water to when it's almost dark out.If you don't catch anything, that's why they call it fishing not catching.
  • When using a Rat L Trap move the lure in a z motion then it will look more like a real minnow
  • Other thing bass like anything that shines. Do that and you will be fishing master.
  • My tip is when you are using a black and white worm .Put the hook in between both colors.
  • I have a tip that might come in handy for catfishing. Channel cat live shrimp
  • When you are fishing a top water popper,when you cast you should let it sit there for about 15 seconds or ontill the riples are gone.then popp it about 4-5 times then let it sit ans do it over again . Most of the time the bass will hit it when it first lands in the water when its just sitting there.
  • For nesting Bass use a tub jig with a little alkeseltser in it. It will drive the bass crazy and they will strike hard, so hold on tight.
  • My bass fishing tip is to always keep your eye on the pole.

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