My little tricks to catch more bass. What are yours?

[Catt]

My little tricks to catch more bass.

 

Learned there are plenty of "worms' that can be Wacky & Neko Rigged besides Senkos. 

[Mobasser]

Mine is not really a trick or secret. But, if a big worm won't work, downsizing to a smaller 4" worm will often catch bass, especially in clear water.

[NanerTheFisher]

fish slow, sure its boring, but those slow lures tend to catch the biggest fish. the bass jig and ned rig are my favorite lures ever.

[Kirtley Howe]

My "secret" is: Don't fish like others are and try to fish where others won't/can't.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Be religious about your hooks, which means regularly changing or sharpening them.  

 

This also means changing OEM hooks right out of the package to much better hooks like Owner STX 36 and 38s.   

 

Modern day hooks are absolutely amazing, you'll no doubt boat more fish if you pay attention and take advantage of high end hooks.  

[Crow Horse]

On 3/29/2025 at 8:06 PM, Swamp Girl said:

When I'm paddling, I troll one rod and sometimes two. I catch hundreds of bass every year trolling. A canoe isn't like a motor, which keeps the speed steady. My trolled lures are forever speeding up and slowing down and going this way and that. In short, they look unpredictable, alive, and tasty.

 

And when I'm retrieving a lure, I'm not watching the lure unless it's a wacky worm. Otherwise, I can feel what's happening. Instead, I'm looking for feeding bass while I retrieve. 

I do the same. Whenever I move from one spot to another I'll drag a lure behind me. That lure might not be best suited for trolling but it's a bait in the water and it has paid off. When I'm retrieving a lure I try to be aware of everything. My radar is always sweeping the bait, the waters around it, the surrounding land and even the air. I'll vary my vision from "wide angle vision" to a more focused vision. I try to keep my head on a swivel (but probably look more like a bobblehead).

 

I try to be as stealthy as possible, keeping movements to a minimum and paddling quietly. I want to blend in with everything and not broadcast my presence.

[Swamp Girl]

38 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

fish where others won't/can't

 

You're singing my song!

 

You too, @Crow Horse.

 

Yep, Alex, I try to change my trebles hooks three times each season. I don't bother with my underspin and spinnerbaits because they don't last all season, although my Dobyns Beast underspin probably could, so I should sharpen those.

[greentrout]

When bank fishing, keep the rod tip low close to the water when reeling in close to the bank with a Trick Worm, Yum Zinger and Zoom Lizard zipping through the water. Good to have a fast IPT reel. You can't outrun the Bass. 

Good Fishing

 

[bowhunter63]

Split the claws on your Zoom craws with scissors. Way more action when your dead sticking 

[DogBone_384]

Tricks to catch MORE bass? I haven’t discovered any yet!

[Harold H]

3 hours ago, greentrout said:

When bank fishing, keep the rod tip low close to the water when reeling in close to the bank with a Trick Worm, Yum Zinger and Zoom Lizard zipping through the water. Good to have a fast IPT reel. You can't outrun the Bass. 

Good Fishing

 

True, it is impossible to reel fast enough to outrun a bass if it really wants it

[Swamp Girl]

4 hours ago, greentrout said:

When bank fishing, keep the rod tip low close to the water when reeling in close to the bank with a Trick Worm, Yum Zinger and Zoom Lizard zipping through the water. Good to have a fast IPT reel. You can't outrun the Bass. 

Good Fishing

 

 

How do they hit a worm that's roaring down the bank?

[TnRiver46]

11 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

How do they hit a worm that's roaring down the bank?

They swim really fast and attack it. They are lightning fast, I’ve seen some fish see a lure way before it lands and swim to attack it like a bolt of lightning upon splashdown. A video of someone feeding bass in an aquarium will demonstrate how quickly it happens. I’ve seen them eat a dozen goldfish in a few seconds 

[the reel ess]

When you see a laydown or overhanging brush and think it's just too gnarly to fish, fish it! The big ones live in there and they think they're safe. Get a heavy stick, spool with 30# braid, use superline hooks and go get 'em. Pay attention because often the bait never hits the bottom.

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

When you see a laydown or overhanging brush and think it's just too gnarly to fish, fish it! The big ones live in there and they think they're safe. Get a heavy stick, spool with 30# braid, use superline hooks and go get 'em. Pay attention because often the bait never hits the bottom.

 

Mr. Ess, your avatar bass makes me laugh. She's soooooooo FAT!

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Mr. Ess, your avatar bass makes me laugh. She's soooooooo FAT!

That bass looked like it swallowed a softball. It's a pound smaller than my PB, but by far my favorite bass pic. It bit a spinnerbait before I even started retrieving. I've never seen a bass that fat and it wasn't near spawn. I think it was October. I believe I caught that fish twice about a month and 40 yards apart, and only about 2 ounces difference in weight.

[Swamp Girl]

2 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

That bass looked like it swallowed a softball. It's a pound smaller than my PB, but by far my favorite bass pic. It bit a spinnerbait before I even started retrieving. I've never seen a bass that fat and it wasn't near spawn. I think it was October. I believe I caught that fish twice about a month apart and 40 yards away, and only about 2 ounces difference in weight.

 

I love the shape of the bass in my avatar, but your bass makes my bass look slender.

[Tackleholic]

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Live bait 

Thumbs down to live bait, too many gut hooked fish.  Live bait fishermen, as a rule, are fishing for the frying pan and they are also guilty of cruelty to animals;  the bait monkey starves to death.  Ha!

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Live bait 

Thumbs down to live bait, too many gut hooked fish.  Live bait fishermen, as a rule, are fishing for the frying pan and they are also guilty of cruelty to animals;  the bait monkey starves to death.  Ha!

[papajoe222]

As I fish a lot of hard baits, many of them with multiple treble hooks, I don't pre-rig those rods. Instead, I have a snap tied on to those rods and rig them once on the water. Not only does it save time, it's much easier than taking off my sunglasses, putting on my reading glasses before tying on a lure and reverse repeating. The only downside is that sometimes I'll forget to retie the snap and my line will do just that, snap!

[Columbia Craw]

I wish I had some tricks but I don’t.  I do like to pitch lures that aren’t viewed as flippin/pitchin lures.  I like to run an area with a jig or creature bait like most everyone does. But I have no problem running it again with 5 inch grub and a light sinker or even an unweighted Senko.  It’s amazing how a lure doesn’t have to get to the bottom in cover. Bass will come up and eat it. If that’s a trick, it’s my trick.

[the reel ess]

14 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

As I fish a lot of hard baits, many of them with multiple treble hooks, I don't pre-rig those rods. Instead, I have a snap tied on to those rods and rig them once on the water. Not only does it save time, it's much easier than taking off my sunglasses, putting on my reading glasses before tying on a lure and reverse repeating. The only downside is that sometimes I'll forget to retie the snap and my line will do just that, snap!

I'm a fan of this too. I like the power clips style. Also, I bought some Orvis polarized glasses with readers. 😉 I need readers just to use the snap.

[geo g]

I have a very simple low cost solution to any problems.  Unless fish are visually out chasing baits, or it is low light conditions, early morning or late afternoon, SLOW down, then SLOW down even more.  During tough times, bright skies, high sun, not much moving.  Find high impact target.  Drop offs, green grass close bye, shade, docks, overhanging trees, lay downs.  Let the bait settle then Make two or three small jerks and then let it sit, then a slow drag and then let it sit, then snap off the bottom and let it sit.  When fish are hard to catch, most bites come on the long pause after the movement.  Works great with flukes, trickworms, Senko, creaturebaits, centipedes, wackyrigged worms, and tubes.  The key on tough days is slow down, let them see the bait, get curious, and move into strike range.  A dying bait is an easy meal!  Has worked for me thousands of times. 
 

A lot of people fish way too fast especially during tough times.  It’s tough to pass on a burger if it’s sitting in front on your nose.

[Swamp Girl]

@geo g: Thanks for your post. What you wrote makes soooo much sense. I hope I can remember to apply it.

[928JLH]

Always check your drag setting prior to fishing on every setup you are using for the day. I always loosen my drag completely when reels aren't in use. Nothing worse than a slipping drag on a good hook set. 

 

Religiously check line for nicks and abrasions throughout the day. Retie often. 

 

Largemouth are lazy so work your angles of your presentation. You might get a bite running your bait by cover a little differently.

 

Be mindful if you are using say a 7:3.1 or 8:1 ratio in the winter or colder water to slow it way down.

[Basshead091221]

Don’t be afraid to throw topwater in cold water especially in shallow water