Finding the Best Bass Fishing Areas
Sunday, 07.01.2007, 02:10pm (GMT)
What is it in bass fishing that everybody is driven on to engage in
such a sport? People get fond of bass fishing. That is why every trend
that they hear about in bass fishing really catches their interests. As
much as possible they get into it and become passionate about the
subject.
Where are the bass? Where are the bass? How many of the anglers
(tournament and recreational) go to a body of water you've never fished
before, drop the boat in the water, then, ask this question to
themselves? This is probably one of the biggest topics in bass fishing
that an angler should learn more about.
Here you will be getting information on how to locate areas best for bass fishing.
Locating bass and understanding the water would be the number one
question among bass anglers today. The next most asked question would
be which baits they should use to catch a "big" bass.
Now when you think about it, there are really only two (2) main topics
that go hand-in-hand when it comes to bass fishing. If you understood
more about these two, you would definitely become a much better angler,
and they are:
1. Knowing how to locate bass.
2. Knowing how to catch bass using all the different techniques, presentations, and baits.
Learning how to locate bass can be somewhat of a challenge to most
anglers because there are so many different factors that need to be
determined such as:
1. Knowing how to read a map - this is the fundamental skill that you
should try to learn because through a map it is easier for you to take
on the appropriate location good for bass fishing.
2. Knowing the most practical places to look for Active Bass just after
cold fronts and during early spring and late fall periods. Weather
conditions must be especially considered as well.
3. Understanding water depth- this is an important element because the
depth or the hollowness of the water will serve as a factor for you to
know if it is a good location.
4. Water clarity- it could be easier for you to do your bass fishing if
you are well-oriented about the water clarity of your location.
5. Water temperatures
6. Seasonal patterns- this is in relation with the trend whether bass fishing is seasonal or not.
7. Locating structure areas
8. Finding vegetation areas
But there is more! Being a consistent bass angler is so much more than
just getting in your boat, hitting the water, and casting your baits.
That's why bass tournaments are so competitive and exciting, because
the more you learn about locating bass the quicker you can start
catching them right? And hey, isn't that half the battle?
Let's start by looking at a lake map. There are two general types of
lake maps that most anglers will use which are referred to as the; Hot
Spot and Topographical maps. The differences between the two is that a
Topo map shows more detail, and the Hot Spots map shows more fishing
spots (well, at least they are supposed to).
The secret (or key) in learning how to use a lake map would be to
sector the map. What I mean by this is that I will take the map and
study it for a moment (looking for areas where the fish would most
likely be.) Next, I will (using a highlighter) divide the map in
sections based on how much time I have to pre-fish for a tournament or
how many days I have to just fish the body of water for fun.
The size of the sections will vary depending on contours, structure,
and how many places I may want to check out during the course of the
day based on what the map shows me. I am certainly not one to just cast
bait into the water and work it for five minutes and leave; I will try
an assortment of baits if I see signs of fish in any given area to try
to establish a working pattern.
Here are some key elements that you can usually look for when it comes to locating bass on any given body of water:
1. Vegetation areas
2. Irregular contours
3. Shallow water close to deep water areas
4. Points and point drops
5. Various types of structure
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