Fishing Q&A

Smallmouth and Largemouth bass fishing in lake. First timer tips? Hooksize, tackle, baits?

This is my first time fishing in a lake and i heard there are smallmouth and largemouth bass in the lake. Any tips? Also what size hook should i use and what type of bait? I have the "fake worms" with all sorts of colors and and some sort of bait that has the fuzzy part of a spinner bait but just a hook on the end no spinner. HELP!

Public Comments

1. It all depends on what color the water is. I highly suggest using a texas-rigged power worm through the weeds because it is darn near impossible to get it hung up if rigged properly. I always loved black worms with a chartreuse tail as it looked more like a baby bluegill. More things to consider would be whether or not you should add a bullet weight for faster sinking and further casts but it takes away from the action of the lure. Bass will usually pick the bait up as it is falling. Also if you to fish towards the end of the day pick up a hula-popper for some dynamite top-water action as it calms down. Bass fishing enthusiasts will all agree that it is breath-taking when a bass explodes on to your top-water lure. I added a link for some other top-water baits as well which you should easily be able to find them all at Wal-Mart or local bait shop.
2. generally speaking you want to use lures over bait,something like a spinning gig or crank bait should work. be advised that the color of a lure is distinctly different underwater than it is in the store. If you use bait look for live bait such as minnows. large mouth bass seem to be the more challenging fish Largemouth are known for their overall size and resistance when hooked, favoring short, powerful runs and escape to cover such as submerged logs or weedbeds.Smallmouth bass tend to jump more and fight aggressively on the surface when hooked, in order to throw the hook making bass one of the more interesting freshwater fish to catch. If you have no success with your lure try altering (1) the lure, (2) the lure's color (3) its running depth, (4) its retrieve speed, and (5) whether any special action is being imparted to the lure. you should also use jigging or hand jerk action to the lure. good luck!
3. If your using a plastic worm just cast it out with a 1/8 lb. hook and reel it in very slowly jerking it some times and every 3 feet you reel in you should pause and wait 10 seconds till reeling it in.Also a good bait for bass is to use nightcrawlers which can be found at any fish shop and attach a inch of it to a pretty good size hook.
4. Spinners! Flukes! Fireline! Most important is Patience. Your not gonna get it on the first time. It takes a lot of practice. And if you do get it on the first time then I hate you.