Bass Fishing Facts You Need to Know

by | Apr 29, 2016 | AZ Fishing, Barlett Lake, Bass Fishing, Bass Fishing Facts You Need to Know, Bass Fishing in Arizona, Bass Fishing Techniques, Bass Fishing Tips

Bass Fishing Facts You Need to Know

Some people may not be aware of what bass fishing is. Bass fishing has an interesting story. It begun in the late 18th century and it still continues to develop today. More and more people have been hooked on bass fishing.
It is in fact one of the most popular hobbies of many people and in most countries. More and more people have been adopting bass fishing.

It had probably in the beginning been practiced in search for food among the people in the south of the United States. Since then it has started getting numerous audiences of all ages and nations. Today, several countries such as Australia, Cuba, South Africa, United States and Europe participate in this kind of event.

The late 18th century was the birth of bass fishing sports. Onesimus Ustonson was the one who introduced his first multiplying reels to the fishing gurus and lovers of bass fishing. From then on, it was developed into bait caster.

William Shakespeare Jr. had materialized the construction of a level wind device and secured its patent on 1897.
Then after, the William J. Jamison Co introduced the excessively ornamented Shannon Twin Spinner in 1915 and was enhanced to create today’s spinner baits.

In the year 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt has instituted the formation of Tennessee Valley Authority and has encouraged the construction and building of several dams. These dams were later used for culturing different varieties of bass fish. If these dams were not built, the people would not have such a location to fish for bass.

Five years later, the famous DuPont Company filed copyright for nylon fishing net, which was later urbanized into nylon monofilament fishing line.

The year 1992 is one of the most glorious events in the history of bass fishing. Larry Nixon, the famous fisherman in the history of bass fishing won $1 M total earnings for this sport on this year.

A lot of fish species that are being caught in the bass fishing events include the following:
Micropterus punctatus – Kentucky Bass
Micropterus dolomieui – Smallmouth bass
Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede) – Largemouth Bass

The other known classes of Micropterus are also included but in those times, the one that remains the most accepted is the Largemouth bass. On the other hand, it should be emphasized that some of the Australian Bass are different from the above North American Bass variants even though most share comparable features.

Possibly, the most vigorous success of Bass Fishing was in the 1950s. The popularity of the game during this age is the springboard to the development of modern fishing equipments from bass boats, rods, lines, lures and various fishing gears.

The contribution of the bass fishing industry to the US economy is recorded to be around $50-$70 Billion and the number continues to grow. Statistics show that the audience base of this sport is increasing and that more and more people are getting interested in it.

Electronic gears during that time were also integrated and incorporated among the host of equipments bass fishers utilized. Reels of different types, which function in carrying and hoisting, were also created.

Now that you have a little understanding about the history of bass fishing, you can already start your own bass fishing in your place. It is important to remember the interesting history of bass fishing.

Fishing Lures for Bass

by | Dec 5, 2015 | AZ Fishing, Barlett Lake, Bass Fishing, Bass Fishing Techniques, Bass Fishing Tips, Fishing Arizona, Fishing Lures, Fishing Lures for Bass, Fishing Techniques, Fishing Tips, Lake Pleasant

Fishing Lures for Bass

When it comes to finding or selecting fishing lures for bass you have thousands of choices, but there really are only two that work. Not two lures for bass, two concepts of lures for bass. You either go “la natural” or you get “crazy”, there is very little room for “naturally crazy” when it comes to fishing lures (or baits) for bass.

Bass are either in a bad mood or they want a quick snack or two; often times they are in both a bad mood and want a snack. This just increases your chance of picking the right lure or bait. People that are very experienced with fishing for bass know this, they probably have not looked at it this way before, but I have an odd gift for seeing things in an odd way.

I have personally witnessed a bass eat a wild duckling about the size of a tennis ball and had either a bass or the most aggressive perch in the western hemisphere bite the fingers on my right hand as I was trailing them in the water off the boat.

Ducks and fingers are not common fishing lures for bass, but they obviously work.

The key to selecting the right fishing lures for bass specifically relies more on your delivery and presentation than the actual lure itself. Your mission is to figure out where the bass are located and then get your bass fishing lure of choice to them because they will rarely travel farther than the range of sight or sound to eat something. Just because they are always ready for a fight does not mean they go looking for one.

You go to them, they don’t come to you.

You often hear the term “Water Column” used when people are talking about fishing for bass or lures for bass. This term is very simple when you understand what it means, and it means exactly what it says. If you take a lake or waterway and look at it by “depth” that is a column. Fish at the surface are at the top of the column and fish at the lake-bed are at the bottom of the column.

Bass, more than other apex predator species will move along this water column during different times of the year. In one part of the year they prefer the upper levels while other parts of the year they may like the depth of 12 or 18 feet. Other times they may like it at 40 feet deep. Depending on the climate, they may like less than 5 feet in the morning and 25 feet at noon. You just need to know your fish.

This is where your choice of fishing lures for bass come into play or to use bass fishing techniques with lure that are not specifically designed for bass. The lures you want to use are the ones that will get to where the fish are, either through their engineering or through the way you rig them.

A plastic worm is one of the classic bass fishing lures because within a few minutes you can modify it from something you are using in 12 inches of water to something that in dancing down bass alley at 30 feet deep.

The correct bass fishing lures or baits are not so much the lures themselves, you just need to understand the “water column”, the character of the fish that time of year in relation to the water column and how to rig the gear that you are using to get to that depth.

Bass Fishing Tips – Top 3 Plus a Little Extra

by | Dec 5, 2015 | AZ Fishing, Barlett Lake, Bass Fishing, Bass Fishing Techniques, Bass Fishing Tips, Fishing Arizona, Fishing Techniques, Fishing Tips, Lake Pleasant

Bass Fishing Tips – Top 3 Plus a Little Extra

There are probably a million bass fishing tips out there, but I want to launch this series with a universal tip which is the “little extra” part. This not exclusively a bass fishing tip, it is a boating tip.

We all have the legally required personal safety equipment on our boats or else we would not be on the water. The people that have the safety equipment are rarely the people that need it, it is the ones that don’t. Even if you carry a few of those stupid Styrofoam swimming pool float noodles in your storage compartment you can make a serious difference when the time comes.

Ok, here we go with our top 3 Bass fishing tips:

Lets start with the Boat.

This is going to sound so simple and stupid (and it is) I am surprised to see how many people do this.

Do not go on your boat with a key ring that would make a Janitor jealous. Most people do have a key ring with every key from the house to the safe deposit box and everything in between (including the boat) but it is unnecessary and not a good move.

Tip: Have another set of keys that is ONLY the boat ignition and your vehicle door key if it is different than the ignition. Lock your big keys in the glove box or throw them under the seat.

Tip: Most boats have a lock box built in to the frame or structure. Put an extra boat ignition key and vehicle door key in the lock box and keep it locked with a combination lock, not a key lock.

I am definitely not speaking from experience so don’t even think like that. You do not want to be way out on the other side of Bartlett Lake and somehow lose your ignition key and need someone to tow you back to the launch. Then try to find a coat hanger in the middle of the desert while waiting for the State Patrol to maybe come by. It can happen.

Location and conditions.

Now lets get to the bass fishing part of bass fishing tips. You really need to know the underwater conditions of the waterway you are fishing, but that is not what we are talking about here. This bass fishing tip is to know the “conditions” of the location you are fishing in.

Here is the clearest example I can give, but this specific condition exists almost everywhere in America.

Phoenix Arizona has 9 absolutely incredible bass fishing lakes within literally a 1 hour drive from almost anywhere in the city. Eight of these trophy producing bass fishing lakes are to the N.E. of the city and one lake stands alone to the extreme N.W.

This lake, Lake Pleasant has a mind of its own. One minute it will be smooth as glass and within 15 minutes, the flap of a humming bird wing will cause 30 MPH winds to rip across the lake. A relaxing day of bass fishing can turn into very serious safety situation and a race to get to back to the launch. Boats have swamped and sank on this lake.

Tip: Know how a quick change in the weather will affect your bass fishing experience and be prepared for it.

Expect to lose anything you take on the water.

This is one of my favorite bass fishing tips because it happens to everyone without even thinking about it. You will think about it when you catch your next fish, but that is because I brought it up here.

Most people call this thing “Buck Fever” but it is really Bass Fever. This is the small window of time between when that big bass hits and you land that monster. I didn’t realize this myself until we were shooting a video one day, but time stands still for that period and nothing else matters to anyone on board.

Everyone is focused on getting their line in or grabbing the net or both.

This is when the tackle box gets kicked over or even over board, you could “lose” the keys to the boat or your fishing partner can’t seem to find his rod and reel after the excitement ends.

All humor aside, this is also the prime time when people get seriously hurt. If you are out bass fishing with your child, make sure they always wear a life vest period and you should set the example. You do not want to lose something really important.

Tip: When out bass fishing be aware of bass fever and think safety.