Practice makes perfect!

Though perfect may not be the right word, practice, without a doubt, will make you better. No matter what you do, you have to practice. The same holds true in the world of bass fishing. The average person may ask, "how do you practice. . . . catching fish?" . But, to an avid bass fisherman, you know there are tons of things to practice. From learning a lake, your equipment, what lures to use, and learning Mr. Bass (or Mrs. Bass). Today, I'm gonna go over just a few things you can do to make you a better fisherman.

Learning Mr. Bass

The most important thing about an offensive approach, is know the defense. You got to know what you're up against. You can buy every lure Bass Pro Shops has in stock, all of your favorite fisherman's signature rods and reels, and a $40, 000 boat, but if there ain't no fish where you're throwing that oh so enticing Senko, you ain't gonna catch no fish. Most book stores will have book on the biology and habits of bass, the Internet is FULL of articles and videos, and your favorite magazine subscription has endless information on seasonal movements. Read those articles and watch those videos. You can never learn too much about Mr. Bass, and you're never gonna learn it all. So, take it upon yourself to sit down and study this fish scientifically and learn as much as you possibly can. Learning Mr. Bass will help you tremendously!

Study your waters

There are so many ways you can study for a tournament or just a day on the water. Be it; Topo maps, satellite pictures, fishing reports, talking to locals, or just cruisin' the water watching your depth finder. All of these things are good ways to learn the water, or more importantly, what's under the water. The number one thing I like to look at prior to hitting the water is a Topo map. It shows you where it's shallow, where it's deep, and everything in between. You can tell where there is a steep drop or a slow tapering change in depths. And, using what you know about Mr. Bass, you can kind of pin point where the bass should be holding. Once I learn the big picture, I like to spend a little time going to these areas I found and find the spot inside the spot using my depth finder. There's alot of little holes, humps, and other structure that's small, but can hold some good fish.

GO FISHING!!!

Wisdom comes from experience. Catching more bass comes from wisdom and knowledge about bass. I try my best to fish ATLEAST once a week. That don't mean I'm on the lake once a week. I understand, that's not always possible, but there are numerous small lakes, farm ponds, and little streams and rivers you can go rip a few lips. Though you may not be learning how to fish 30' ledges when bank fishing or wading in a creek, you are still learning alot about knowing what your lure is doing, what the bass are doing during whatever weather situation you're facing, and most of all, you're having fun fishing.




There is always more to learn in the world of fishing. By learning more about bass, you're planting seeds of knowledge about bass. Therefore, the more seeds of bass knowledge you plant, the more bass you can have dancin' on the end of your line. Keep that string a singin' and go rip some lips!