The 6 Best Bass Fishing Techniques

One of the reasons bass are North America’s most popular gamefish is that they’re easier to catch than most other species, primarily because they are so abundant. But, just because these fish can be found virtually everywhere doesn’t always mean you’’ll be catching a whole bunch on your fishing trip. It’’s more than just throwing your line out there and hoping there’’s a hungry bass that takes it; catching a lot of lunkers comes down to proper technique. Below are critical techniques you should master to maximize your performance as a bass angler.

Pitching/Flipping

When bass are not all that active and are hiding in thick cover, it’’s as if you have to go into stealth mode to catch those shy lunkers. The best methods for getting to thick, shallow water without spooking fish too much are pitching and flipping. They are similar looking techniques, but some occasions require one over the other, especially as it pertains to distance. The key to successful pitching/flipping is practice, a long rod (6.5’-7.5’), and the right soft bait.

Pitching

Pitching is the easier of the two, but is not as precise as flipping. Let out enough line so it’s about even with the reel, and keep your reel open. Lower the rod tip towards the water and with your free hand, grab hold of the lure (worm and tube jigs work best) and pull on the line to add tension. In one smooth motion let go of the lure while swinging your rod tip up. This combination should slingshot the bait towards your target. Be sure to close the reel as soon as the bait lands because bass often strike quickly.

Flipping

Flipping takes more practice, but once you get a good feel for it, you can optimize your presentation and hit your target location more precisely than pitching. Begin by letting out somewhere between 8-15 feet of line and then close your reel. Grab the line between the reel and first rod guide, and then extend your arm to the side as you pull on the line. Raise the rod and the bait will now swing towards you. Using a pendulum motion swing the bait to your desired location while feeding the line through your hand. Tighten up the remaining slack and get ready for a strike. It looks a little awkward, but it’’s a great way to get a drop on some shy bass.

Topwater

For many anglers there’’s nothing more exciting than catching a bass with a surface lure. The sound of the lure, the sight of an approaching fish, and the exhilaration of seeing that big splash when a largemouth finally strikes can be enough to get anyone’s heart racing. Unlike pitching or flipping, topwater lures are meant for hungry, active fish. It’’s a true “lure,” designed to attract attention with noise and dramatic movements. There are several kinds of surface lures, like poppers, jitterbugs, and frogs. Some topwater lures are easy and work best with a slow, steady retrieve, like a jitterbug. Others take some more technique. The aptly named ‘popper’ requires an angler to literally pop the lure as it is retrieved, pausing every few seconds and allowing it to go steady, imitating a wounded fish. The sporadic stopping and moving can drive bass crazy. Another popular retrieving method is called ‘walk the dog,’ commonly used for soft surface frog baits. Walking the dog is where you quickly twitch the rod tip up and down for the duration of the slow retrieve.

Winning Techniques: Topwater tips with hardbaits here.

Crankbaits

A crankbait is all about reflex for a bass. They won’t want to chase it down the same way they would for a surface lure, but even so, noise and presentation is still key to using a crankbait right. Crankbaits are a favorite for many tournament anglers because they cover a lot of water, both horizontally and vertically at a variety of depths. They work best around solid objects, like rocks, logs, and stumps. It is possible to use a crankbait along the side of a weedbed, but generally drop-offs and rocky shoals with plenty of solid cover works best. The more you get to know the feel of the way your crankbait swims through the water and bumps into objects the better you will be at catching bass. Think of crankbaits as a teasing lure. Grab the fish’s attention by reeling quickly, then stopping and allowing the crankbait to slowly rise. Then reel up again and make another stop. This can drive bass crazy. When using a deep diver, you can try the ‘bumping the stump’ technique to tease fish into biting. As you reel in and feel your crankbait strike bottom or a rock, stop and let the lure float a little bit. All that noise and movement will bring bass in and wanting to feast on what they think is easy prey.

Must Watch: Check out Karl Kolonka fishing crankbaots on Extreme Angler TV here.

Spinner Bait

Spinner baits are a little trickier than crankbaits because it can be harder to successfully hook a fish given the design of the lure. However, spinner baits are a great year-round lure that can produce results on any given day on any given lake. Retrieval should range from slow to medium speed, and like the crankbait, works best around some solid structure. There are several different ways to use this versatile lure. One method is to allow the spinner bait to fall to the bottom near a drop off. As it hits bottom, reel up the slack, then allow it to fall to the bottom again. Repeat. For the most part; however, you’’ll be reeling in continuously at different paces. The slower you reel in, the deeper the bait tends to swim through the water. When you reel in at a faster rate, try to not to breach the surface. Hanging just below will create a wake that some fish will find irresistible.

Jerkbait

Possibly the simplest technique for bass fishing and certainly the easiest to pick up is jerkbait fishing. The hard part is knowing what jerkbait to use and when to use it. The lures come in many shapes and sizes that swim at varying depths, but no matter how different they may be, the goal remains constant; imitating a wounded fish. As the name implies, jerking the rod tip with a little twitch as you reel in gives the impression that your jerkbait isn’t swimming at full health. Bass love an easy meal, and that’s what you’’re tying to mimic. While you may find success near weeds or in murky water with crank and spinner baits, jerkbaits don’’t have the same versatility. They are best reserved for clear waters as sight is the most important factor for success with this technique.

Dropshotting

This finesse form of fishing takes a little more effort to rig up than the others, but it’’s a crucial technique nonetheless and should be a part of any serious bass angler’s repertoire. If you’’ve fished with a plastic worm, then you can adapt quite quickly to dropshotting. The major difference is that the weight is below the worm– as you reel up the worm and work its magic, the sinker bounces along bottom, leaving your worm several inches up, free for the taking. The length between the worm and sinker can range anywhere from a few inches up to a foot-and-a-half, it all depends on how muddy the lake floor is and how high you want the bait suspended from bottom. Unlike the other techniques mentioned here, you can drop shot without having to retrieve. You can even just let it go from the side of the boat. The key is moving your rod tip in a way to make your bait dance.

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