The Truth about Fresh Water Game Fish
Whether you're a beginner or an old-timer, a worm-dunker, plug-tosser or a dry-fly puritan, you'll want to know many things to get the most out of your fishing. Here in plain fish-talk is the low-down about Largemouth Black Bass so you can't miss.
Largemouth Black Bass is a favorite of anglers because of his
savagery when he attacks a lure, and because of his
head-shaking, leaping battle when hooked. Due to transplanting,
he now can be found in ponds, lakes and rivers throughout the
United States, and even in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Spain,
France and Africa.
His general color
is greenish-bronze on the back, a lighter green on the sides,
and yellow-white on the belly. The easiest time to catch him is
at daybreak and dusk; the best place is close to shore,
especially near lily pads, underwater rocky lairs and large
surface snags such as fallen trees. He enters this shallow water
during the night to hunt for minnows and fry (young fish),
night-crawlers that may have slipped off the bank, frogs,
lizards, field mice and, in fact, any living thing that can fit
into his cavernous mouth, which is large enough to hold another
fish two-thirds his own size.
Bass have been
known to gobble baby ducks, and even to try to swallow one of
the parents! Under these conditions, any of the above natural
foods can be used to catch him. But none of them is necessary.
When Bass are feeding at sunup and sundown, they'll grab almost
anything. So, use artificial lures. The lures that "swim" on the
surface or just below it are the best since they aren't likely
to get "hung up," or snagged, on bottom grass or rocks.
Besides,
the strike of a Bass at a surface lure is spectacular, a thrill
you'll long remember. You don't need a leader to connect your
line to the lure. Tie the line to it directly or attach it with
a small snap-swivel. Use bait-casting or medium-weight spinning
tackle and nylon line of at least 8-pound-test (breaking
strength).
Shortly after
daybreak, as the sun begins to warm the shallows, the Largemouth
Bass stops feeding and moves to deeper water, not returning
until late evening when he works his way shoreward again for his
nightly hunt for food. Bass fishing during the day, when the sun
is high and the Bass are deep, usually mystifies anglers. They
don't know how to find Bass in deep water! And even when they
find them, they can't get them to strike! "The Bass aren't
feeding," is the old excuse. Maybe so, but if the only Bass
caught were those that were feeding, there would be many more
empty stringers.
Catching a
feeding Bass at dawn or dusk is comparatively easy; catching a
non-feeding Bass at midday can be almost as easy - if you
remember (1) he's the biggest bully in the lake, and (2) it's
easy to get him to prove it! until it snags fresh weeds. Then back off to within casting
distance, anchor your boat, and cast to the weed bed with a
deep-lure.
Maybe the first
few times he'll let the "cripple" swim by. Keep casting to the
same spot, retrieving the plug in sharp jerks to simulate injury
even more authentically. Every time he sees this teaser stagger
past his nose, he'll fin a little faster. Eventually, the bully
in him takes over. He comes in a rush - and you've a fight on
your hands.
Remember, when there doesn't seem to be a sign of a
Bass anywhere, go to deep water over a weed bed with a
red-and-white plug or a red-and-silver spoon. Add a sinker to
the line ahead of it to sink it deeper, if necessary. Give it
lots of "wounded" action, and cast at least a dozen times to the
same spot before shifting to a new one a few yards to the right
or left. If you don't get a Largemouth then, it will be because
there aren't any left in the lake!
To find Bass in
deep water, first find a submerged weed bed. The Bass will be
hiding in it. To find the weed bed, drag a treble-hook on a
line-and-sinker from the rear of your boat swimming
By Jimmy Cox
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