Bass Fishing Tips

Recently a friend asked me for some tips to help him catch a large bass so I thought I would share some that I have used over the years just in case it may help anyone else who is starting out.

Please note, there are people far more qualified than me to give advice, so if you are looking for help just Google away - there's loads of great info out there.

• Fish close. How close? Experiment you may just be surprised

• Fish big. Think of the size of bass you are targeting and match with the bait you use

• Big hooks. Don't be put off, the bass won't

• No lights. When you have to, face away from the water and use a red filter (if your light has it)

• No noise

• Fish one rod. As I was once told, 'fish one rod and fish it well'

• Touch leger when conditions allow. It will let you know what is happening more than a rod tip will

• Experiment with trace lengths. Depending on the conditions long is not always the best

• Not all tides will produce, even when everything seems to be right, which makes the next point frustrating

• Be prepared to do a lot of groundwork by fishing venues and tides to discover the best times

• The bite window can be as short as 20 minutes on a tide

• If you go for big or bust, then go expecting more busts

• Use a running ledger or freeline if conditions allow

• Don't use a light weight when ledgering it will only get 'lifted' during a take (not sure about this now)

• Check your hook point every time you bait up

• Keep a diary or log, as bass can be very predictive and looking back can start to reveal patterns

• Appreciate this is subjective, but be secretive when you have found them, not all anglers will respect catch and release and in this age of social media it doesn't take long for the word to spread

• Please put the big girls back, it takes on average 2 years to grow 1 pound

Hope this helps.