Tips for a new bass fisherman

[mudcatwilly]

I am new to the bass fishing game, but have been an avid fisherman for the last 10 years.  I have spent most of my time on the water going after striper and sturgeon and other bay or ocean fish in the San Francisco Bay area.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind hooking a 15 pound striper or a 50 pound sturgeon, but I was getting a little tired of sitting in the boat with my bait on the bottom waiting hours for a bite.  Recently, I decided to try bass fishing in one of the local lakes.  I read up on the subject and bought some lures and jigs and gave it a shot.  My first day out, I fished from the bank and caught a 1 pound spotted bass in about 3 feet of water.  From then on, I was mystifyed by bass fishing.  I like the action of it.  I like the idea of changing lures and trying different spots.  The "fishing" part of bass fishing is what attracted me.  To me, bass fishing is the most difficult fishing that I have tried because you basically have to convice the fish that your lure is real food for it.  I have been struggling though, catching a few small bass.  Sometimes I get one, often, I get none.  I am going to stick with it though.  What tips could you give an experienced fisherman who is new to bass fishing.  Mainly, I want to start catching fish to get the hang of it and then refine my techniques as I go along.  So far, and I have been fishing lakes from late fall till now, I have only gotten fish on texas rigged worms and nothing else.  I have tried spinners, jigs, jigs and pigs, spoons, drop shots, carolina rigs and pretty much everything else except topwater and crankbaits.  I could use some pointers to get me going in the right direction.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Welcome to the forum .... and bass fishing for that matter.  Your points you made above are exactly what attracts all of us to the species.  To me it's just as much about the hunt as it is the catch.  

Have you checked out the library on this site.  It is extremely extensive and you can find info on just about anything.  I would start there and then ask questions on the board about specifics that you may not completely understand.  Here's the beginners section with many different informative articles

http://bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

Other than that it just takes time on the water and taking what you learn here and applying it.  Don't be a fraid to ask questions either even if you think they might be dumb.  There are a bunch of great guys on this site from all experience levels that are more than willing to help you out.

[Bass Hammer]

KU layed it out for you. This site is an encyclopedia of bass fishing.

Here's one more thing to add.

Find a buddy to fish with.

Chances are somebody you know used to bass fish or fishes now and you just don't know it. You'll have fun fishing with a freind and will be learning at the same time.

Also if money is availible you could pick a local lake and charter a guide. You can watch what he does and ask questions as you go.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

[Kana]

KU has it, search for tactics that may interest you, then ask specfics if you need em.  but on a side note,in addittion to having a fishing buddy, do some reasearch on bass habits.  it helped me more than anythng else, understaning thy enemy!  seasons, foliage, and a multitude of other factors dictate where and on what a bass will feed, knowing these basics will put you closer to consistantly catching fish, as you will know where to look, what structure or cover they may be near, and weather that will change everything!  its an exciting mystery that is always changing and making you think in order to succeed, what a blast.  and welcome to the best site, if you need to know it, its here!

[basser89]

Hey mudcatwilly,

Welcome to the board! I think you made the first step already! You found this site! Awesome bunch of anglers here! KU made it easy for ya with the link! Kana and Bass Hammer hit it too, finding a buddy to fish with is a great way to learn and bounce ideas off each other! Being new to bass fishing, I'll add try not getting too wrapped up with too many different techniques all at once. Try 2, MAYBE 3 techniques and try to master them as much as possible before adding more! This will teach you where and when to fish them and not doubt yourself if the bite gets slow (and it does from time to time, or is that just for me?)       Hope this helps and keep us posted on your outtings!

[mjbfsh07]

Read Read Read.  THis site is a valuable resource for you and can teach you all you need to know from rod and reel selection to bait choices.  This is a great way to get questions answered from around the country from experienced anglers.  Bass fishing is where the fun is but beware it can turn into an addiction and get expensive, but stay with it.  You have joined a community here of young and old and it will make you a better fisherman.  Glad to have you here.

[BassinSoldier]

 Well welcome to the best sport in the world and the forum!  I'll tell you from my experience as a bank fosherman, things will heat up with the weather.  Being winter the fish seem to be deeper for the most part.  That doesn't mean all of them but in my experience, most will be this time of year.  When spring rolls around you won't be able to get your line out in the water quick enough.

[stratoscaster]

Study seasonal patterns.  Do a search on this site there tons of great info.  Welcome aboard and good luck.

[Preston]

I agree with all the guys that this site has everything you need but try not to do what i did and buy a ton of baits. Just get a few baits and learn how to use them and gain confidence in them, THEN get a FEW other baits and do the same and eventually you will have 3 or 4 full tacklebox's of baits like me. But you will know how to use all of them, unlike me  . Good luck and you found a great site with one of the best forums youll ever see.

[PeterF]

Buy good equiptment. I recently got back into bass fishing myself and I upgraded to better equiptment a few months back and feel that the money I spent on my first couple of rods and reels was waisted. Good luck and have fun.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

One way to tell if you are doing somthing right or not is to step back and check if you are smiling.

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

KU beat me to it.

[stratoscaster]

Great reply LBH.  I'm going to check that out myself tomorrow.

[Marty]

As was already mentioned, read, read, read. Magazines, books, Internet articles and forums. Watch TV shows, rent DVDs, talk to other anglers you run into and spend as much time on the water (or on the bank) as you can.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

The replys you have already received cover it all. There's a lot to learn and it's all here at BassResource.com.

[Chris]

And if you have any specific questions that are not covered feel free to ask.