New to bass fishing please help!

[Tanner.]

So I just started bass fishing. But I can never tell if I have a bite or not??? How do I tell? Will a bass run with the with the bait? And also what color baits to use. Thanks!

[DFWbassin]

If you feel a “thump” or a pull, or if your line starts moving. But if you are throwing a moving bait its a lot easier to tell. As far as color goes, keep it simple: green pumpkin or watermelon for clear water and black and blue for stained or muddy water. Good luck!

[Tanner.]

Thank you!

[Log Catcher]

Another color I would add for soft plastics is junebug. It is an excellent color especially in stained water. I have better luck with it than black and blue.

[Tanner.]

That’s what I’ve heard I just picked up some worms in June bug today I heard it make a world of a difference

[plawren53202]

1 hour ago, Tanner. said:

So I just started bass fishing. But I can never tell if I have a bite or not??? How do I tell? Will a bass run with the with the bait? And also what color baits to use. Thanks!

This is actually a really complicated question, and I think you can get lots of useful tips but it is difficult to give one comprehensive answer. The biggest reason being how bass bite can vary greatly depending on a lot of different factors, time of year, water temperature, point in spawning cycle, etc. etc.--in general all relating to how aggressively they are or aren't feeding. Will also vary depending on what kind of lure you are using. The two extreme ends of the spectrum for me are a topwater bite when the bass are aggressively feeding, when they just explode on the lure, versus a Ned rig bite when they are not aggressively feeding, like in wintertime, when a bite just feels like a wet blanket on the end of the line and is very hard to distinguish from hooking into a clump of dead weeds.

 

In general moving baits tend to be easier to detect, at the least there is all of sudden something that is obviously preventing you from continuing to reel in your lure, plus bass tend to hit moving baits a little more aggressively. T-rigged worms or other t-rigged baits fished on the bottom, my experience is it will either be a distinct tap tap tap, or more of the Ned rig wet blanket on the line. As you learn how each type of lure performs and acts as you retrieve or fish it, then anything different than that could potentially be a bite. Anything from the explosion to more subtle things like line moving sideways not caused by you, slack in the line not caused by your retrieve, lure suddenly feels heavier, and so on. A lot of this just comes from learning each bait and how they are "supposed" to act.

 

Do you have experience in other kinds of fishing? If so you can take experience with bites from other fish, use that as a starting point, and then gain some experience in how bass might be different. If you are starting from scratch, a lot of it just comes from time with your line in the water and learning different baits. Also, remember hooksets are free, so when in doubt, set the hook.?

[Bird]

One of the highest hook-up ratio baits to use is Jerkbaits......bass almost hook themselves on taut line.

 

I also recommend throwing some moving baits and top water until you get a feel.

[FishinBuck07]

I am a line watcher usually, what I mean by that is watch your line laying on the surface of the water.  If the end closest to you starts lifting slowly off the water, set the hook.  If it moves to one side or the other, set the hook.  On moving baits like cranks, spinners and baits of that nature, and you feel something funny during the retrieve set the hook, but more that likely using these types of baits the fish will set the hook itself when it hits.  Hope this helps you out!  This is just the way I notice bites for the most part, unless a bass absolutely destroys the bait, then it is easy to tell!

[Tanner.]

Gotcha thank you! And another question with fishing on a boat. Can you catch bass in the middle of lake? I know theyre mostly close to the bank and in cover. 

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, Tanner. said:

Gotcha thank you! And another question with fishing on a boat. Can you catch bass in the middle of lake? I know theyre mostly close to the bank and in cover. 

Depends on a variety of things. During summer you'll find bass not only in the shallows, but also deeper. Of course there could be a sunken island in the middle of the lake - as shown by this part of the lake I fish.

See the darker blue in the middle of the light blue? That's a sunken island. Also if you look to the right and a little above that - there's a 'hump' at the end of a point (dark blue oval surrounded by medium blue)...another spot out from shore that bass could congregate.

 

Get a contour map of your lake and study it. Read up on how to locate bass based on those maps.

[FishinBuck07]

Mn Fisher has your answer you are looking for!

[Armtx77]

The man who taught me about bite detection, would have me hold the rod and would gently tap the end of it, to simulate a bite.

 

He would also grab the line and gently pull it and that was to simulate a fish swimming off with a bait.

 

At the end of the day, just keeping your lure in the water and experiencing that it doesn't feel right or look right.

 

The best advice he gave me, when in doubt, knock em out (set the hook)

[Sam]

Always do two things when you line is in the water and you are not fishing a moving bait:

1.  Watch your line at all times to note if the bass picks up your plastic and is walking away with it.

2.  Keep a finger on the line at all times to feel for hits.

 

This applies best when throwing plastics.

 

When fishing a moving bait your bait may come to an abrupt stop. That is when you swing your rod, waist high, from one side to the other.

[Boomstick]

If you are fishing soft plastics slowly then as much as your line going tight could be a bite, it can be pretty hard to tell. And of course if you are fishing a moving bait and feel your bait stop or a few rapid tugs on your bait, then you have a bite. It's generally much easier to tell with a moving bait because most of the time fish that chase will hammer it and you will know when they do. The only thing more exhilarating is getting them to hit a topwater bait. 

[cyclops2]

In your boat at 1 hour before sundown. Anchor up in about 8 to 10 feet of water depth. In a  large cove area.   cast diving surface lures . Anything greenish colored and about 6" long.  Start casting and retrieving from left to right around the cove.  If there are fish in the area?  they will be there. Good until the bugs arrive or 1 hour after sundown. Or they stop biting. alone in the boat ?  Crush the pointy barbs flat . Treble in the face or hands alone ?  The hooks slide right out. tube of antibiotic cream.  Bandaid. Keep fishing.

 

You MUST wear glasses to protect your eyes  !! 

Enjoy nature.

[Captain America]

You'll want to make sure your line is being managed. I see a lot of beginners keep their line too slack to detect a bite. This is not to say you want a tight line all of the time. This doesn't apply to moving baits like a crankbait, but for worms and jigs and other slower baits, I like to keep the line tight enough that if a fish bites, you can either see (your line moving without it being you, the current , or the wind) or feel the bite ("Thump" "tap tap" or sometimes your rod will gradually get heavier). I know you didn't ask, but I usually put beginners on senko or senko like baits. They are pretty easy to fish, and they catch bass anywhere. Should give you some good bite training as well. As for color, what DFWbassin said.

[scaleface]

Most of the time bass can be caught shallow , especially this time of year . Spinnerbaits are hot right now . Precise casting sometime is needed . Ive been pitching them a lot into pockets and cuts along flooded brush . The hits are easy to detect . There is just something on it . Just pull back and the fish is hooked . 

 

Bottom bouncing baits like Texas rigas are more difficult .Put them in cover where the bass hangout . Lift up and let fall . If you feel the slightest tap as it falls , thats a bite . If you feel a tap when lifting , that is usually a limb or something . Half the time I feel nothing . I'm lifting the bait and its not moving . This is a difficult one to decide on whether to set the hook or not . If it feels weird at all set the hook . It might be a leaf , fishing line or a five lb bass . If you use a timid hook set and it is a fish , that one usually doesnt get hooked good . Everyone is guilty of that at some time . Make sure its a good solid hookset . Also watch the line as it enters the water . Look for movement . If it seems like the bait is taking too long to hit bottom a bass may have it and moving toward you . Practice .

[skekoam]

The best feeling bite to me is that thump thump.  I've also experienced no real bit at all while dragging senkos on the floor.  In these cases, I just see the line moving and proceed to set the hook.  I still have not caught a fish on any type of moving bait, but can't wait to see that that feels like. 

[ATA]

On 4/17/2020 at 10:03 AM, Tanner. said:

So I just started bass fishing. But I can never tell if I have a bite or not??? How do I tell? Will a bass run with the with the bait? And also what color baits to use. Thanks!

Hi,

 

Welcome to bass fishing, I myself am new bass fisherman(less than 2 years), I remember I had same question and I asked that a lot, I got so many good answers, But you know? YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE BITE at least in 90% of the time.

Just watch your line and watch your hook or lure if water is clear.