If you don't fish tournaments, why do you fish for bass?

[JHoss]

Not trying to offend anyone, just trying to understand how the other half thinks.

 

If you don't fish bass tournaments and don't ever plan to, why do you target bass?

 

It's always seemed odd to me that people would target a species that is not often kept for table fare and is not the biggest/strongest fish in the body of water. I grew up fishing saltwater where most trips were focused on putting some food on the table. When we weren't targeting an edible species, we were targeting the biggest, strongest fish around. I can personally say that if it weren't for the abundance of locally available tournaments, bass would be a rare target species for me.

 

I love the puzzle they present, but there are much better eating fish and much better fighting fish out there, so why does the black bass obsess so many?

[jbmaine]

I fish for bass because I love fishing, and they are a convenient fish to catch. Honestly I would rather be standing in a northern wilderness trout river fly fishing, but at our age and stage sitting in a comfortable boat in a near by bass lake is the way to go.

[TnRiver46]

Cuz it’s fun 

[LrgmouthShad]

Woo! It’s Monday, top of the week! Let’s get provocative!
 

I like this post because the author brings up some good points but the community will bring up some excellent reasons they prefer to fish for bass. After all, it’s a hobby. We should do what makes us happy! 

[bowhunter63]

Love chasing them. It’s a lifestyle Been Rockin River Smallies since 73. Can’t really picture life with out them. I watch and follow tournaments, Never fished any. Just me against them .Just ate up with bass fishing 

[WRB]

Bass fishing for sport goes way back before tournaments.

Read Dr Henshall book on black Bass it’s written in the late 1800’s.

Bass can be caught by a kid using worms with a cane pole or a pro with $100,000 worth of tackle, plus they located nearly everywhere.

Tom

 

[Spankey]

Why do guys bowl and golf and not be in the PBA/PGA?

[ike8120]

For enjoyment

[Jigfishn10]

12 minutes ago, ike8120 said:

For enjoyment

Two words and it's the solution to this topic for me anyway

[JHoss]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Cuz it’s fun 

 

27 minutes ago, ike8120 said:

For enjoyment

14 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Two words and it's the solution to this topic for me anyway

 

33 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Why do guys bowl and golf and not be in the PBA/PGA?

 

But what is it about bass that makes them the fish for you? Have you tried fishing for other species and settled on bass being the best fit for you? Is it the thump of them hitting a jig, the way they blowup on topwater, the jumps and acrobatics when hooked, all of the above?

 

 

 

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Woo! It’s Monday, top of the week! Let’s get provocative!

Clearly a slow day at the office! There's a reason all my posts on this site are Monday-Friday between 9-5. 

 

36 minutes ago, WRB said:

Bass fishing for sport goes way back before tournaments.

Read Dr Henshall book on black Bass it’s written in the late 1800’s.

Bass can be caught by a kid using worms with a cane pole or a pro with $100,000 worth of tackle, plus they located nearly everywhere.

Tom

 

I've heard Ken Duke speak about Henshall and intend to check out some of his works based on Ken's advice. Thank you for taking the time to answer the spirit of my question. 

[Steveo-1969]

28 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Why do guys bowl and golf and not be in the PBA/PGA?

This was my thought too. Why can’t bass fishing be a fun activity instead of ONLY about food or winning money?

[DaubsNU1]

Why fish for bass?

 

They are plentiful in Eastern Nebraska. They bite on a variety of lures, shallow, mid-depth, and deep water. They are aggressive and strike everything from fast moving top water to slow moving t-rigged plastics.

 

I don't care to fish tournaments. I manage a team of eleven, who serve thousands of customers. My days are spent answering phone, e-mail, staff questions, etc.

 

On weekends or the occasional vacation, I enjoy my time alone on the water...peace and quiet (or with my Dad and/or Brother).

 

If I lived in Canada, I would target Pike and Musky all day long. If I lived in South Dakota, it would be SMB's. I like casting and retrieving, and moving from spot to spot.

[JHoss]

5 minutes ago, Steveo-1969 said:

This was my thought too. Why can’t bass fishing be a fun activity instead of ONLY about food or winning money?

I never said it couldn't. For people who feel that way, the question is why bass instead of another species? Same reason I would ask someone why the choose to play golf instead of rec league softball or cornhole. Something about the sport must make it better to them than the others- something about bass must make them better than others.

 

4 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Why fish for bass?

 

They are plentiful in Eastern Nebraska. They bite on a variety of lures, shallow, mid-depth, and deep water. They are aggressive and strike everything from fast moving top water to slow moving t-rigged plastics.

 

I don't care to fish tournaments. I manage a team of eleven, who serve thousands of customers. My days are spent answering phone, e-mail, staff questions, etc.

 

On weekends or the occasional vacation, I enjoy my time alone on the water...peace and quiet (or with my Dad and/or Brother).

 

If I lived in Canada, I would target Pike and Musky all day long. If I lived in South Dakota, it would be SMB's. I like casting and retrieving, and moving from spot to spot.

All of this makes perfect sense. I suspect if I didn't grow up on the salt, I would've gotten into bass fishing sooner and maybe never dabbled with everything else. I suspected location would play a big role for many folks. Thanks for taking the time to give a well thought out and articulated response.

[Jigfishn10]

16 minutes ago, JHoss said:

But what is it about bass that makes them the fish for you? Have you tried fishing for other species and settled on bass being the best fit for you?

Nah...truth be told I fish way more saltwater than I do freshwater. My free time is limited so whatever enjoyment I get, it's out fishing for something....anything for that matter...Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, just telling it like it is.

[LonnieP]

I’ve loved bass fishing since I was a kid. It’s fun and it’s my therapy.I’ve fished for other species and it just doesn’t do much for me. I have always had less than zero interest in tournament fishing.

[MIbassyaker]

Bass are the Goldilocks Fish -- "just right". Among other things:

-Size: They're not too big to handle, but large enough to provide some excitement.

-Challenge level: They're easy to catch occasionally, but difficult to catch consistently.

-Diversity: They inhabit a huge variety of environments, which require different approaches and  yield different angling experiences.  

-Convenient access:  They're everywhere; I'm always close to a body of water with bass in it

-Resilience: They tolerate being caught and handled well, and survive release at a high rate; the perfect catch-and-release quarry.

 

[MediumMouthBass]

I started fishing when i was a few years old, didnt take it seriously until i was a teenager.

Got big into trout and panfish for a few years, i would catch a few bass every now and then as a bycatch. I found myself heading to the creek less and less, and would end up at the lake instead.

My rods started going from 1 out of 4 for bass to 3 out of 4.

I then went all in on bass and only fished for trout or panfish a few times a year.

I bought a ton of gear just for bass, several kayaks, a boat etc....

 

Theres just nothing like bass for freshwater, panfish and trout taste good, but theres no excitement in their fight, walleye taste great, but its like reeling in a bag of bread i once heard on here. Catfishing is as fun as watching paint dry. Pike and Musky are fun, but not as populated as bass.

So whats left? Bass, smallmouth and largemouth.

Its an adrenaline rush when youve got a big one on the line, compares to nothing else in freshwater.

And its never the same, you always have to come prepared and adapt quickly on the water, sometimes it might just be a few 1-2lbers, but deep down each one of us is always on the hunt for a big bass.

 

And if you only do something for money, or competition whats the point? If you dont have enough love for a hobby just to do it unless getting something out of it why bother?

Most of us just want to enjoy nature, catch a few bass, talk to some nice people, and forget about whats going on with the world....

We want to be involved in fishing, not stare at a screen the whole day and throw bait right onto a fish (talking about FFS).... We like to actually improve on ourselves as bass fishermen, not cheat the system for money. Good day.

Edited November 11, 2024 by MediumMouthBass

[TnRiver46]

I also enjoy fishing for gar, catfish, panfish, pretty much anything but stocked trout and carp 

[J._Bricker]

One word @JHoss sums up my answer to your question- “solitude”. 

 

[Catt]

Why?

Cause I wanna 😉

[padlin]

I like canoeing because it’s peaceful, fishing gives me something to do while in my canoe. I choose bass over pickerel, bluegills, and yellow perch.

[A-Jay]

4 hours ago, JHoss said:

Not trying to offend anyone, just trying to understand how the other half thinks.

If you don't fish bass tournaments and don't ever plan to, why do you target bass?

It's always seemed odd to me that people would target a species that is not often kept for table fare and is not the biggest/strongest fish in the body of water. I grew up fishing saltwater where most trips were focused on putting some food on the table. When we weren't targeting an edible species, we were targeting the biggest, strongest fish around. I can personally say that if it weren't for the abundance of locally available tournaments, bass would be a rare target species for me.

I love the puzzle they present, but there are much better eating fish and much better fighting fish out there, so why does the black bass obsess so many?

@JHoss when I first read this post, 

I actually thought you were writing it in jest.

I mean C'mon man, really, 

You find it odd ?

How the other half thinks ?

Like you came out of the womb and fished a tournament the very next day right ?

Good Luck with your quest for the answer to this this most

"complicated" question.

Looks like winter's setting in early - again.

A-Jay

 

 

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, JHoss said:

If you don't fish bass tournaments and don't ever plan to, why do you target bass?

 

It's always seemed odd to me that people would target a species that is not often kept for table fare

I don't fish tournaments cause of the crazy rules - like polygraph test, which has been debunked more times than I can count and the Justice Dept states that they can NOT be used as evidence in court trials...need we say more.

 

Also, I do eat bass...I'm a follower of Al Lindner's "Selective Harvest" mantra, so I will occasionally keep bass in what I consider the eating range.

 

Now I do fish for other species...walleye and panfish to be precise...but bass put up a good fight, especially if you're using lighter rigs.

[Rockhopper]

For pure fun it's hard to beat catching steelhead in the rivers of the great PNW. Watching a 10 to 20 lb fish strip line and dance on top of the water is just magical. 

 

I like to challenge myself. Bass fishing and fly fishing trout in streams are the two most challenging ways of fishing I've found, and I dedicate equal amounts of time to both.

[Spankey]

I got hooked on Smallmouth Bass back in the spring of ‘75 as a young guy while trout fishing with some buds. We were all spread along the creek but I stayed close to where I had the truck parked because I didn’t want to be parked illegally, didn’t think I was. I would have moved it if I would have to. Trout fished that lower section as many times before. Creek in that area has very little or any slack water. Full of rock steps and riffles. Was within short walking distance from the bigger river. Had all but my limit of trout, 7/8 in a short time using Velvita cheese and flathead minnows. I switched over to some Panther Martins and CP Swings figuring that the trout bite would slow down and I’d catch and release until the other guys came back to the truck. It wasn’t but a couple of cast with the inline spinners and I started picking off the smallies. Was a pretty steady bite of them. Until that time catching the occasional never got any interest. Within days I had bought some small Rapalas floater divers and Rebels and fished that creek section down to the river. Needless to say was hooked on bass fishing from there on out. Bought an aluminum boat w/ 10 hp motor a couple of year later after graduation HS and made the bigger river home. Still hooked to this day. I fish a lot differently for them these days and have been working at catching lake smallies also over the years.