Finding Those Bass Hang-Outs - Ethan

With bass it seems that some days they jump into your boat but on others they just aren't in the water. With a bit of knowledge those horrible "no fish" days can be lessened -- nobody's perfect.

Bass, just like any other game fish, love cover. Cover is anything that provides shelter from enemies, keeps the water temperature cool - provides shade, blocks the current in a river or stream, and holds an ample supply of food. Any structure that provides these things is sure to hold fish for most of the season. I, however, have found a single stick or weed protruding out of the water that provides no shade or shelter but produces some bass action. This goes to show that when fishing for bass nothing should be passed up.

Food is a large factor in where bass stay. They use fast moving water to bring them food, they hang around the structure that the minnows like, and they stay near rocky bottoms to catch crayfish, however there are also less obvious things which come into play when trying to find out where the bass are searching for food. If a wind is blowing from the shore out over the water you should move your efforts to the shore which the wind is blowing from. Insects get blown out of the trees, fall into the water, and are eaten by minnows which are in turned scooped up by monster bass. Tent caterpillars are great minnow magnets when they make their nests too far out on a branch and over the water. Many caterpillars fall into the water and the food chain takes its course.

The Bigger the bass the better the territory it claims. This is a simple rule that means that the larger bass will always take the better territory from a lower ranking smaller bass. Fish the better territory for the better fish.

 

Lakes and Ponds

If you know the lake you can find the fish. To find bass with the most success you have to know very specific things about where you are fishing. A fish finder or a depth finder are essential for success when casting deep for bass. You aren't going to simply go into the middle of the lake and start casting. The best tactic for finding a hump or deep sandbar is to check a topographical map and then troll in zig-zags over the area where a hump or deep sandbar is until you find the exact location on your depth finder. Bass aren't known for staying deep so this fishing tactic is not too effective, although under some conditions it can be productive. In a lake my favorite place to fish is along the shorelines in bays. Their are often logs and branches sticking into the water, these and weedbeds such as lily pads and reeds are the best, in my mind, for getting big bass. The most common places bass like to hang out in are weedbeds, logs, rocks and boulders, docks, bridge pillars, feeder stream mouths, drop-offs, and anywhere that they can find food. I like to use a spinnerbait, stickbait or a spinner when fishing weedlines because they are easily maneuvered around weeds. It is also a good strategy to take a jig and pitch it into all of the weed pockets, or holes in the weeds. A frog or Pop- R are great for using around lily pads or reeds. For information on how to fish top water plugs be sure to check out Surface Fishing for Bass. The mouth of where a river or stream enters a lake or pond attracts bass because food is served for them as insects and minnows come down with the current. Points can be effective because they give shelter from the wind and give shade if they have trees on them.

 

Rivers and Streams

In a slow moving large river the same tactics that you would use in a lake can mostly be applied. There are a few places in a river where bass like to hang out other than those in lakes, such as the tale end of a rapid. They stay here for the same reason that they stay at the mouth of a river or stream entering the lake or river -- the food is brought to them. In faster moving rivers they would spend most of their time conserving energy in shelter from the current. An area which is largely calm is the best spots to find big bass. This is because the Bigger the bass the better the territory it claims. Dug under shore lines are great shelter for bass, however they are hard to fish. The best way to work them is to run your bait alongside and hope that it gets their attention. In the turns in rivers the outside of the turn is deep while the inside is shallow. This can hold fish because they can either wait in the slow shallow end for food to come by in the fast part, or hide in the deeper part and look for crayfish in the shallower end where rocks and pebbles are deposited.

Bass are the most widely distributed game fish species in North America, but that doesn't mean they're easy to find. Good luck.