by Bob Johansen, August 13, 2005

THE BEGINNING BASS ANGLER CAN FIND QUALITY BASS FISHING ON SCORES OF SMALLER NORTHWEST LAKES FISHING FROM AN INEXPENSIVE BOAT AND USING A MODEST ASSORTMENT OF LURES.
Fishing for the black bass is probably the fastest growing piscatorial pleasure in the Pacific Northwest. Long considered a game fish for southern and mid-western anglers, the smallmouth and largemouth black bass are gaining more and more support from the salmon,trout and steelhead crowd. With no long drift nets, tribal nets or seals and sea lions to contend with, both the largemouth and smallmouth bass are now flourishing in the great northwest.

In spite of bass fishing’s growing popularity, many beginning anglers avoid taking up the sport for a variety of reasons. Even some experienced anglers seem to think that there is some mystic involved in catching bass. Actually, the black bass can be one of the easiest game fish to catch -- at times. When they are in the mood, they will strike a wide variety of lures with reckless abandon, not only from hunger, but sometimes, just for the heck of it. Of course, at other times, you can bounce the lure off their noses and they won’t have anything to do with it.

As a typical example, one time when I was fishing with son Donald, he caught a five pound bass with a fairly large bullhead catfish in it’s stomach and the
tail still hanging out of his mouth. That big guy was gently measured, weighed, admired and released to finish digesting his meal.

Even the little bass like to play with artificial lures. I’ve caught many small fish on surface lures that were hardly as big as the lure. The little fish couldn’t possibly eat something that big but can’t resist hitting a lure that looks like crippled prey. I once measured a little bass at 4 1/4 inches that was caught on a Rapala 11 S that is 4 3/8 inches long.

Some anglers avoid the sport of bass fishing because they feel they cannot afford to buy an expensive, $20,000 to $25,000 high performance bass boat rigged with all the fancy stuff they see on TV bass fishing shows. They also don’t want to invest a lot of money into a
dozen expensive rods and reels, and several big tackle boxes stuffed with all the latest bass catching enticements. Most of this cost is not necessary for the angler that wants to try his skill at bass fishing.

The beginning angler can find very good bass fishing opportunities on scores of smaller lakes scattered around the northwest while fishing from an inexpensive boat. Depending on the size of the body of water and the weather conditions, inflatables,cartoppers, canoes, and small trailered boats can be put on some excellent bass water.

On a personal note, I have caught some very nice bass while fishing from a canoe on more than 150 different lakes in Washington. On many of these small lakes, you couldn’t launch a big bass boat if you had one. My one suggestion is, select a watercraft that you can handle by yourself. I would think it would be most frustrating to have to depend on someone else to be able to go fishing.

You don’t really need a dozen expensive graphite or boron rods to catch bass. A couple of inexpensive fiberglass rods will get the beginner started just fine. Good quality graphite/glass rods can be purchased for about 15 bucks. As an example, Bass Pro Shops sells it’s "Power Plus" rods made from a combination of fiberglass and graphite for $14.99. These rods will do the job and are available in both spinning and casting models. You may want to pick up a spinning rod for light lures and maybe a casting rod for heavier lures like spinner baits and jigs. Later on, as your enthusiasm for the sport of bass fishing grows,you may want to add a couple more expensive rods.

Your reel, whether spinning or casting, should be spooled with a quality line. Inexpensive line can cause some super disappointment when that huge bass breaks off and swims off with your prize lure stuck in his mouth. That sometimes happens even with quality line. I have been there and done that. Even quality line needs to be checked for nicks and flaws regularly and needs to be replaced occasionally depending on how much fishing you do.

I like to use eight to ten pound test line on my spinning reels and 12 to 15 pound test on my casting reels. Some extreme conditions call for lighter line or heavier line. Some bass anglers who fish for heavy bass among thick lily pads will use up to 20 pound test line. In gin clear lakes with little aquatic vegetation and few snags to get hung up on, six-pound clear line should work fine. The thinner line should be less visible to
suspicious bass.

I personally like Berkley’s Trilene XL on my spinning rods and Berkley’s XT on my casting lines. And, although I usually avoid using "colored lines," some bass anglers seem to have excellent results using the fluorescent blue and green colors. Perhaps, because the
underwater realm of bass is predominantly a world of blues and greens, such colors simply do not arouse an alarm in the fish.

The lure assortment for the beginner bass angler can start out very simple. Although most dedicated bass anglers have several tackle boxes full of all the latest lures to come on the market, many will use only a few favorites to fish with. The novice bass fisherman can catch a lot of bass with only a few dollars invested in lures. As an example, I have caught thousands of bass on 4 basic lures, a floating minnow, a jig, a spinnerbait and plastic worms.

A "starter set" of bass enticements should probably include a couple of top water lures.Select floating minnow lures about 3 to 5 inches long. The silver with black back, the gold with black back and the perch pattern have all been very effective for me. Floating minnows by Rapala, Smithwick, Storm, Bomber or Rebel are all good choices.

These lures are most effective on smooth, calm water during windless conditions. On gin clear water, make long casts so the fish will see the lure but not the angler. Another clear water, summer time tactic is maintain a low profile while fishing. Avoid standing and casting and fish in a manner or direction so you do not cast shadows onto the "target area."

To fish top water floating minnows, cast them near shoreline cover, a dock, old log, pad field or overhanging brush. Let the lure set until the splash down rings have dissipated. Pick up the slack line and twitch the lure with the rod tip -- and hang on. Bass of all sizes will smash this lure with reckless abandon.Big bass will sometimes just come up with a swirl, slurp the lure in and take it under. Set the hook!! I know of nothing much more exciting than seeing, hearing and feeling the strike all at the same time.

Spinnerbaits are easy to use and they catch a lot of bass. The beginner should select about three 1/4 ounce, single spin lures. Pick those with silicone skirts in black, white and chartreuse. Use the white for clear water, the black for stained water and the chartreuse for either. Spinnerbaits can be fished by simply casting beyond the target area and retrieving them
back. They are excellent lures for fishing parallel
along docks or logs. It is a good idea to vary the speed of the retrieve.

Plastic worms are excellent lures but it takes a little practice to become proficient with them. Many good colors are available but maybe black and purple are good choices to start with.Most bass anglers rig the worms "Texas style," or weedless. Special hooks should be used. One of the most popular is the southern sproat design used with a sliding bullet shaped weight. To fish the plastic worm, cast it to cover and allow it to sink to the bottom. Retrieve with a lift and drop method. Be alert for strikes and watch your line. Some times you
will feel the tap-tap but other times you may just see the line twitch or start to move. When you detect a
strike, drop the rod tip, pick up the slack line and set the hook - hard! Big bass have tough mouths.

A beginner bass angler may learn bass fishing tactics quicker by joining a local bass club.
Most club members will share bass catching techniques and maybe even share some of their "secret" places where you can catch them. Some will even offer to take you out on their boat.

To find out where a lot of bass fishing lakes are located in Washington State, I highly recommend Terry Rudnick’s book, "Washington Fishing."

So, keep your hooks sharp, your line tight and enjoy some exciting bass fishing. Do your share to maintain quality bass fishing by releasing most of your catch.