bass fishing
How To Land The
Next Large or
Smallmouth Bass!
fly fishing & boating
Mistakes and secrets to Bass fishing.
As we have discovered throughout these pages, there is a lot more the bass fishing than meets the eye. Once you are familiar with the species, different bodies of water, different and sophisticated fishing and angling equipment and accessories, as well as familiarizing yourself with habits, patterns and nature, behavior, natural diet and preferred foods, mastering some basic skills like preparation, presentation, tackle, bait and lures, casting accuracy, knots, hooks and the intricacies and complexities in retrieval and landing, the journey has but started. There is so much more to explore and learn about an through the activity, sport, art and competitive science that is bass fishing, that we can almost say no more than the water await and let's go!
Although, there are some last thoughts we can offer on some of the more common casting mistakes. These 'errors' are well-documented in existing literature and easily overcome, to optimize your bass fishing experience and haul. Here are but a few issues most beginners struggle with:
(i)overshot lure with too much power in the initial cast and the line release not slowed, or (ii) the lure falling short or being too light, with the line being release too early during the cast and or the rod held too high after the line was released. (iii) lure landing too hard, due to the release at too low of an angle and not arching enough in the air , and (iv) inaccurate casting (the most common) - missing the mark, where the lure goes off-course with too much side-to-side action/motioning of the rod while casting. Practicing reel and line control, as well as the overhead cast might help.
Lots of texts (like the Dorling Encyclopedia mentioned earlier, pg. 212-213), suggests thinking of 'casting', compared to the movement of the arms on a clock-face, beginning in the two o'clock position, pushing back to around the noon-position and back to the 2 again, with the rod slightly lowered as the lure drops deeper into the water. For most beginners this 'visualization' often helps refine technique.
On the next page we'll be discussing alittle about "Styles and specialty Bass fishing techniques".
For more in depth information about Bass Fishing, consider purchasing our book "Bass Fishing 101" that has everything you need to know to be the pro!