Need Some Advice

[caters]

I know where bass live from catching bluegill and other sunfish. I remember one time my dad and I fished at alum creek lake. I caught a lot of small sunfish including some small largemouth bass. My dad caught a big largemouth bass and took it home. I had fried bass for breakfast the next day.

 

I used wax worms and my dad used earthworms.

 

But besides leaving a small sunfish on the hook if I get a bite from a sunfish, what is the best way to attract a largemouth bass?

[Mike L]

Whew!!

There are so many ways to answer this there really isn't a starting point.

There are literally hundreds of threads on here that will answer your questions with a lot more depth and insight that I can give..

But, I'll at least start...

Not knowing what the water is like in your lake...clean. stained, deep, shallow, rocks, vegetation, pads, reeds, grass, docks etc.

Do you fish from a boat or do you walk the shore??

See what I mean?

If it were me and knowing that worms already work, I'd concentrate on those first. Try different sizes, shapes and colors.

There are thousands of choices.

Throw a T rig all over the place.

Drag, hop and swim it to see what they want on any given day in the type of water you're fishing. If you have thick vegetation peg the weight to the hook and try that switching to a small, sleek craw type bait with a lot of appendages.

Grab a spinner/chatterbait, a small sq bill crank bait, rig a drop shot in deep water, and of course don't leave without throwing a jig.

You asked an open ended question there Pal, I can't give you a definative answer because there isn't one.

Try them all over your next few outings and see what happens.

It really wont take long.

Good Luck and Welcome

Mike

[Todd2]

Hard to beat a T-Rig worm...it's how I was taught many moons ago. I always have one tied on. Like Mike said..vary the retrieve but usually a lift and drop will work.

[scaleface]

You need a few basic lures and understanding when to use them . Rick Clunn said a tackle box is like a tool box and a lure is a tool . Choose the proper tool for the job at hand . I dont know the makeup of the water you are going to fish . So ask yourself what you want a lure to do then acquire a lure that will accomplish that chore .  

[WRB]

Welcome to bass fishing.

We all had to start at the beginning and learn how to bass fish, it can be a life long learning process.

Not knowing anything about where you are located or your age my suggestion is start with something you can use with the type of tackle you have. Maybe your dad has some good advice for you.

Using live bait is one technique, live large Canadian type night crawlers 5" to 7" long hooked with a size 4 bait holder hook through the nose or tail end, a small split shot and cast out to sink slowly works. Watch your line for any movement, if it starts to move set the hook. Cast out let it set for about 2 minutes, reel in a few feet and stop for about 30 seconds and repeat. Move to another spot and repeat your cast and slow retrieve.

If you don't have big night crawlers, catch some 3" crawdads and use those, same method. A soft plastic worm about 5" to 6" can be fished the same way.

A good book to read on bass fishing is; In Pursuit of Giant Bass by Bill Murphy.

Good luck.

Tom

[bigbill]

Tom your right in pursuit of giant bass by Bill Murphy.

I been reading it and find what he says I been doing.

It's a good read for anyone who's serious about big bass

[bassguytom]

If you want to try using lures and not live bait look up "wacky worm" on here. It's and easy effective technique that will catch you some fish. you can also catch some big bass this way. You will soon be on your way to becoming an avid bass fisherman! Good luck and remember to have fun!

[sprint61]

To many answers to that ! I'll just say you came to the right place to learn though. Best answer I can give you is read as many articles on here as you can and it will all come together.