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Worm rig
One of the biggest problems with fishing a worm is the inability to sense strikes. Usually the inability to sense them is due to a sinker that is too heavy and a line that is too thick.
Use a variable buoyancy worm using lead strip sinkers. Here are some advantages:
- No moving lead on the line to dampen the feel of a gentle pickup
- You can apply the precise amount of lead to deliver the worm action needed
- It makes it easier for a bass to inhale the worm
- It aids in hook setting
- It’s easier to shake loose from snags
- You can cause the worm to hang virtually suspended over the bottom when fishing shallow water.
To tell how much lead strip is needed, wrap one strip around the hook and bury the barb in the worm. Ease it into the water and watch it sink, it should barely settle toward the bottom. If it sinks to fast, take some off, etc. A slow decent is the ticket here.
Make sure to use no heavier than 8-pound mono line - preferably 6 pound.
Weather Matters
In the early spring and fall bass will smash top water lures such as floating propeller types and poppers. They are also likely to take surface lures when found in shallow water, such as along shorelines near overhanging trees.
As the temperature rises and the bass are in the cooler, deeper holes, change your technique. You need something to dredge the bottom. The plastic worm is ideal for this, even the most sluggish bass will respond when you drag one slowly past its nose.
Crank baits
When fishing a tidal river for bass, cast crank baits near the mouths of tiny feeder streams on the falling tide. Bass hang out where the water depth drops off, waiting for crayfish, crabs and minnows to be washed out.
Bait
One of the best baits for small mouth bass in rivers is the hellgrammite, the larva of the Dobson fly. Gather these from beneath rocks in shallow riffles with a mesh net or seine. Fish them on No. 4 or 6 fine-wire hooks, drifting them naturally through pools and runs below rapids.
A Trick Most Bass Fishermen Don’t Know
First and foremost, most bass fishermen are not aware of The Evening Secret which is a special device that will bring feeding fish swarming to your location on the water. It works like a charm.
Cast a worm over a limber branch and reel it back so that its tail just touches the water. Then jiggle the rod tip, making the worm squirm and wriggle just above the surface. Bass will often leap right out of the water to snatch it.
Night Fishing
Many anglers have the idea that bass do not see well at night and won’t strike. Although it is true that bass cannot see well at night, but they have an amazing ability to pick up disturbances on the water and hone in on unsuspecting bait. Given this, lures that vibrate will cause the most underwater disturbance and are most effective. You can also drill a small hole in balsa or plastic lures to place small BB’s in them to make some noise.
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