Choosing and Using the Best Bait for Bass
The rods and reels are packed. You’ve gone through the usual inspection of all your gear. Your reels have been spooled out and filled with a fresh new line. You’re ready to go! As a bass fisherman, you’re aware that having a game plan is the key to success, and there’s one last component. The bait chosen will determine what kind of setup you use. Seasonal and weather conditions will also play a major role in determining the best bait for bass on any given day. So you wait to decide, but you won’t go unprepared.
Advantages of a Fully Stocked Tackle Box
All the technology put into your rods and reels won’t matter if you don’t have the bait that bass is after. Fishermen love to pick up deals and fill in their tackle box for just this reason. We always consider both bait type and line accessories like swivels, weights, and hooks. We fill our boxes, backpacks, bags, and plastic containers with a variety of lures designed to make good offerings in any situation.
Whether you’re fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, or any number of saltwater bass species, having a well-rounded selection of bait and tackle helps to increase strike count.
The Basics of a Well Rounded Selection of Bait and Tackle
Most species of bass are extremely hardy and versatile fish. Their diet consists of almost any creature that lives in or enters the water. This means the best bait for bass can be very diversified. An extremely large bass would eat a baby duck. Larger lures are in fact used when targeting monster bass, but we’ll stick with a rundown of a basic list of solid bait and tackle.
Sample Selection of Bait and Tackle for Bass
- Line – It’s always a good idea to have an extra line for leaders or quick fix situations.
- Line Accessories – Also known as a tackle. These consist of swivels, weights, hooks, bobbers, floats, indicators, and any other item you might tie or place on your line. Having a decent size range is also important as this too can be a need that changes on the water.
- Lures – They go by so many names. Artificials, jigs, flys, spinners, grubs, plastics, and poppers are just a few of them. Bass will eat frogs, insects, other fish, you name it. You could never bring everything with you, but having a few extra won’t hurt.
- Prepackaged Bait – Countless products are sold in today’s market. Garlic cheese power bait or jarred salmon eggs are hard to go wrong with. It can be quite beneficial to add these to your box.
- Live Bait – Live bait comes in a selection of just about everything that’s alive that can be packaged, stored, bred, or found. Worms, crawdads, baitfish, frogs, grubs, and even mice can be used to entice a bass into feeding. While netting live baitfish is prohibited in many areas of the United States, using a sabiki rig with a live bait bucket is an effective method of gathering and keeping baitfish fresh.
Proper Use of Bait and Tackle
Having the right bait to catch bass is essential on the water, but just as important is knowing how to use it. Let’s revisit that selection of bait and tackle with some valuable tips on techniques and suggested setups.
Technique Tips and Set-Ups
- Line – The most important aspect of the line is that it’s in good condition. Monofilament and fluorocarbon lines are easier to cast than braided lines, but not as strong. Braid is also a bit harder to manipulate when knot tying.
- Line Accessories – The best practice with tackle such as swivels, hooks, and weights is to learn your knots. My go-to knots are the Improved Clinch knot and the Palomar knot. Tied properly these two knots will hold against extreme pressure.
- Lures – One of the trickier parts of fishing, but equally rewarding to those that practice is casting. If you want to fish lures, it’s a good idea to develop your casting skills. Flipping and Pitching are advanced techniques that work well, but starting with a basic cast is best. Many lures are built weighted and all that’s required is to tie them on to the end of your line. Other artificials like worms and plastics must be fed onto the hook for securement. Texas and the Carolina rig are the two most popular setups for these kinds of lures.
- Prepackaged Bait – Power bait and salmon eggs are simply secured onto the hook and cast out. The Texas and Carolina rig also works well with this style of fishing. Bobbers and floats are another way to present these baits They’ll stay on top, and drop the bait down to the depth you desire.
- Live Bait – An age-old favorite, live bait is often used with the above-suggested rigs. Live bait is also fly-lined (placed on a hook that is tied straight to the line with nothing but the bait).
Best Bait for Bass – Catching the Conclusion
Coinciding with the ever-changing diet of wild largemouth, smallmouth, striped, and saltwater bass is the kind of bait that’s best suited to catching them. It takes all the knowledge provided here and more to become a pro bass angler. Expertise in skill and experience in reading water conditions separates the pro from the amateur.
The pro also studies specific water locations before he fishes tournaments. The amateur, however, can take and apply this information. Knowing the full spectrum of the best bait for bass takes the skunk out of many a fishing adventure!
