Saturday, May 23, 2009

Bass Fishing

Bass are North American native fish,and are found in lakes,streams,rivers,sloughs,ponds.The southern large mouth is bigger than the northern fish.Fish weighing more than 5 lbs.are not uncommon in the south.A bass that big is exceptional in the northern states.

Bass thrive in weedy,rocky shallow lakes,canals,ponds and backwaters.They can tolerate water temperatures in the 90s and are usually in depths of 20 feet or less.

Spawning generally takes place when the water temperature reaches between 60 and 75 degrees.They spawn in water a few inches to three feet deep.

Bass are very wary fish.Popular fly styles vary from trout type dry flies to corks,spinners,plastic worms,poppers and bucktail flies.The color ranges are solid black,purple,white,yellow,green and orange.

Bass love dense cover provided by grasses,tree trunks,brush,undercuts in the banks and rocks.Bass are hard to manage on a fly rod as they usually head for the dense cover of grass,limbs and aquatic vegetation.Because of this tendency the tippits ranging from 8 to 20 lb.test are best.

Very slow retrieves are the most effective on bass.Allow your bait to remain motionless for a few seconds before starting your retrieve.Allow your streamers or bucktails to sink to the bottom,then recover with line strips or hand twists.

Except during the spawning season bass in lakes feed on crayfish beginning at sundown in the areas of rocky cliffs reefs and rock ledges.When the bass aren't hunting crayfish they are usually feeding on minnows or aquatic insects.If leaches are present they will eat them with relish.

Dry flies ,small haired body bass bugs,leech imitations are all deadly on bass.Bass exceeding 6 pounds are sometimes caught in the Snake river drainage of Idaho,Oregon and Washington.In fast water a bass can put on a fight like a Steelhead trout.The small mouth is more acrobatic then the large mouth bass but rarely jumps out of the water when hooked.
Want more Bass fishing click here...>Bass