Depending on what bass you are searching for, may require a switch up on bait selection per fish and scenario. Bass are greedy eaters and will attack almost anything that swims or crawls past their nest. We all know bass will eat anything from themselves to insects and their larvae, but each species has a diet-controlled very much by their environment.
So how do we know which is the best lure to use and in what situation?
Choosing the Right Lure
With a mouth as big as the Black Bass, you’re bound to find something in your tackle box that they will strike but is the guessing game the best approach? We will have to break things down a bit more to find what is best for each fish species. Let’s investigate the basics a bit more.
There are so many driving forces when it comes to making that first cast. You don’t want to be ‘hoping’ your setup is good enough to catch a smallmouth or redeye bass. The best way to know is by understanding your choice of fish. Habitat, time of year, and habits of the fish species you are after will tell you the most. These three things are more important than anything when choosing your target fish.
Time of Year
Throughout the year, the water temps will continue to warm. The cold-blooded fish will naturally follow the warmer water. This means, that as the temps get more hospitable, you will find the fish constantly getting closer to shore.
Bass work throughout the year on a schedule. They start with pre-spawn and spawning to midseason and fall when the fish retract back to the depths of lakes and rivers.
Keeping your eye on the calendar will keep those disappointing days to a minimum.
Environment
Fish respond differently depending on their settings, such as fishing in a small lake compared to Lake Michigan. They simply aren’t going to answer the same to the lure choice of style and color as others.
Do some research on your body of water and find consistencies with that type of fish in that area.
Target Species
Choosing the type of bass you are after is number one and will cut your lure choices down by half. Once you have selected your bass species, you can begin to look more into the fish type and its habitat and patterns.
Now that we have gone through a few of the basics, is there a best lure choice, and what is it?
The short answer is, that there is no perfect lure choice. There are many good ones that you can find on our top ten best lures page.
All anglers will agree that mimicking the basses favorite or potential food is a sure shot way to land some bass, but what are they?
One of the best is Texas rigging a worm or soft rubber crayfish on a number three hook. Pulling the lure through a known bass area which is usually under rocks, downed trees, and river basins is ideal. If you find yourself out of luck with this setup, another great way to angle for bass is selecting a handful of different and fundamental Crankbaits.
The Rapalas swim to different depths to help you find how deep or shallow the fish are suspended in the water. Another type of lure that is popular for hauling in large bass are swimbaits. The live-action swimming baits that are broken into sections like the Googan Squad Contender are a great option.
No matter your environment or body of water choice, there are ways to fish for your favorite bass. Keep a crowded tackle box of different bait choices and a lot of color choices. There has yet to be an answer on what color of lure bass love the most.
Watch the size of your lure as well; we don’t need a five-inch bait to catch a Suwannee bass, nor do we want to use a hair jig for a Large Mouth Bass.
Remember, find where the fish are by the time of year and their environment, then begin by selecting the best lure you can find. From there, begin to rotate through with others until you have reached success.