Largemouth Bass Fishing Guide

Largemouth Bass Fishing Guide

Largemouth Bass are a favorite among anglers because they’re exciting to catch and can grow to impressive sizes. These Largemouth Bass fish are usually found in warm, freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs with plenty of cover like weeds, logs, or rocks. Largemouth Bass are known for hiding and waiting to ambush smaller fish, making them a bit of a challenge.

To catch Largemouth Bass, anglers often use soft plastic worms, crankbaits, or topwater lures that imitate baitfish. Early morning and late evening are great times to fish for bass, as they’re more active when it’s cooler. When you hook a Largemouth Bass, get ready for a fight—they’re strong, fast, and will often jump out of the water to try and shake the hook. Bass fishing is great for beginners and experienced anglers alike, offering both a thrill and a chance to practice technique. Plus, it’s a fun way to spend time outdoors!

Largemouth Bass Fishing Facts

Location

  • Lakes
  • Ponds
  • Rivers
  • Streams

Habitats

  • Largemouth Bass prefer warm, quiet waters with submerged vegetation and flooded timber and brush. In streams, they prefer slow-moving current.
  • Often found near structure (like flooded timber and brushpiles) and vegetation or at the edge of underwater ledges and drop-offs into deeper water.
  • Largemouth bass are sight feeders and are most successful at finding prey in clear water.

Diet

  • Primarily feeds on other fish
  • Begins to consume fish when only 2 inches long.
  • Also feeds on crayfish, large insects, frogs.
  • Will eat anything that swims, falls in the water and fits into its mouth.

Activity

  • Generally fished in 5-15 ft of water, bass hold to shady areas.
  • Most active at dawn and dusk
  • Spends the day
    in deeper water or hanging about logs, drift piles and other cover
  • Moves into the shallows in morning and evening
    to feed.
  • Feeds during the day in deeper water.

Largemouth Bass Fishing Techniques

Cast & Retrieve
Fishing

Cast & Retrieve Tips

  • Generally fished in 5-15 ft of water, bass hold to shady areas.
  • Target overhanging cover like docks, branches and lily pads or submerged cover like weed beds, brush piles, and boulders.
  • Bass are most active from May to August, feeding heavily at dawn and dusk, but can be caught throughout the day.
  • Largemouth Bass prefer more vegetative shallow areas or weedy drop offs. 
  • Start small and then get bigger
  • If the bass are in the middle part of the water column a spinner bait is probably the way to go
  • Start with slower bait presentation during early spring fishing
  • The fall bite can be the most enjoyable and easiest to find success.
  • Summer is the most difficult and challenging time to fish for bass.

Still “Bobber” Fishing

Still Fishing Tips

  • Generally fished in 5-15 ft of water, bass hold to shady areas.
  • Target overhanging cover like docks, branches and lily pads or submerged cover like weed beds, brush piles, and boulders.
  • Bass are most active from Spring to Fall, feeding heavily at dawn and dusk, but can be caught throughout the day.
  • Largemouth Bass prefer more vegetative shallow areas or weedy drop offs. 
  • Look for natural features that might attract fish, such as overhanging trees, submerged vegetation, or areas where smaller streams feed into larger bodies of water.
  • If your bobber is too large there will be too much resistance when a bass takes the bait and it will likely release the bait in response and you’ll love the fish

Ice
Fishing

Ice FIshing Tips

  • Set up a tip-up rig with a small shiner or minnow to cover a wider area while you’re jigging. Tip-ups can be set near weed beds or drop-offs to attract bass looking for an easy meal. Be sure to set the tip-up to a depth just above the bottom or weed tops.
  • In clear ice water, natural or subtle colors like silver, gold, and white can work well. If the water is stained, try brighter colors like chartreuse, orange, or fire-tiger patterns, which can be more visible and attract bass from further away.
  • Cold water slows down a largemouth’s stamina, so in light weeds, a 30-inch rod with 3- to 4-pound fluorocarbon will handle even the big ones.
  • Tip your artificial lures with live or dead bait

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