Bass Fishing For Beginners
The sport of bass fishing has come a long way from being a simple pastime with a worm on one end and a fool on the other. It is now becoming a serious sport with numerous competitions held mostly in the U.S. but slowly spreading worldwide. The unique challenges created by bass fishing have definitely been a factor in promoting its popularity as a sport and that popularity has spawned a whole host of speciality tackle, clothing and boats. The sport is growing at an incredible rate with millions of new anglers joining the sport each year.
The various species of bass that can be caught include small mouth, striped, spotted and large mouth bass. Out of these, the large mouth bass is by far the most popular and a big one can weigh over 10 pounds. They put up a great fight, often leaping clear of the water.
Rules and regulations concerning bass fishing change from state to state. Many states enforce a catch and release rule whereby the angler is required to return the fish to the water once it has been landed (and photographs have been taken in the case of a whopper). This ensures that there is an abundant supply of bass in the area for other anglers and for future generations. For the beginner, a careful perusal of the rules and regulations for your area makes a good deal of sense since you wouldn't want to take the chance of having your license revoked because of a fishing misdemeanor on your part would you ?
As a beginner to bass fishing, it would be a good plan to start your bass fishing adventure by fishing on smaller ponds or shorelines of lakes, rather than venturing out onto the vast lakes that are more like an inland sea. These smaller waters have an abundant supply of small bass and catching them should not pose too big a challenge.
There are three distinct styles of fishing for bass. The first involves the use of a live bait, either a small live fish or a worm. This is probably the "easiest" method of catching them, they are suckers for something wriggling on a hook. Another form of fishing which is commonly used is spinner fishing. This method seems to work best at dawn or late at night when the day isn't too bright. It's not the easiest of methods to master because it involves you choosing the right spinner and fishing it at the right depth for the fish and then controlling that depth by the speed at which you reel in. It takes a bit of practice before you can become proficient at spinner fishing.
The other popular fishing style is with the use of plugs. These are fish shaped lures, available in a huge range of colors and sizes. There are specific types of plug, such as floating. shallow diving and deep diving. It's best to get a small selection and see how you get on. Don't worry, that small selection will soon grow because you won't be able to avoid buying one or two whenever you see a new range advertised. Because bass are predators and eat their prey alive, using plugs can result in good catches since many of the latest plugs emit sounds as well as swimming with a very lifelike action. One final advantage of using artificial baits is that you're not restricted to only fishing when you have live bait available, a small travel rod, reel and selection of artificial baits can live in the car, ready for any bass fishing opportunity.
The growth in the popularity of bass fishing has been colossal and fast. There are many competitions aimed at the competitive bass fisherman. The two major bass fishing competitions in the United States are the Bassmaster Tournament Trail and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour which offer prize money to the tune of half a million and a million dollars respectively. With such massive rewards for a fun filled hobby, expect more and more people to join in with this wonderful recreational activity in the not too distant future.
