Trying to make sense out of the many different types of fishing lines can be a bit overwhelming when you are just getting started bass fishing.  There’s monofilament, fluorocarbon, copolymer, fused superlines, braided lines, hollow core braided line, etc.  It’s enough to make you want to take up golf instead!

 

 

Do you know the basics of worm fishing?  Well you should... Arguably one of the most productive baits on the planet is the plastic worm. Whether you fish it on a Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, Drop Shot, Florida Rig or on a Split Shot Rig you can almost always catch bass on a plastic worm. The plastic worm is a very simple bait to learn to master and hopefully after reading this article you will feel more comfortable and confident in your ability to produce a limit while using it. Since this is designed to be a basic instructional guide for the plastic worm I am only going to get into basic rigs and techniques.

If you have never thrown an LV Series lure from Lucky Craft then chances are you have missed tons of bass. The LV Series is one of the most productive bait lines on the market.

With its baitfish looking design and extremely loud rattles the LV Series lures can call bass from the depths of any lake. LV which stands for “Lipless Vibrator” is an understatement.

When I first started fishing about six years ago, I would walk into a tackle shop and be overwhelmed by the incredible variety of hooks that were on display. At the time   I was fishing mostly with plastic worms and had little knowledge of the basic hooks and how they were used with different lures and presentations.

Early Spring Jig Fishing For Bass

 

When early Spring arrives a lot of attention turns to a jig-n-pig combination for bass fish. This has long been a favorite, and rightfully so, as it is a great producer for lunker bass. However, during the last two seasons I’ve found a smaller and slimmer jig combination. The combination, which I found to be very productive, is the black/purple, Gripper Hair Rubber Bass Jig with a 4-inch, black Mann’s Jelly Worm. For added attraction, Kodiak Crawfish Paste is applied to the blackberry scented worm trailer.

 

When I saw my first spinnerbait, I found myself asking, "what kind of fish would be stupid enough to strike at a lure like this?" It did not take too long for me to find out! The next day I caught a largemouth bass around 2 pounds and was hooked on the concept. Spinnerbaits come in many forms.

 

With so many lures available on the market today, it is often a daunting task to decide what is good for a particular situation, time of day, water clarity and temperature. The jerkbait is a lure that can produce quality bass fish for almost all situations, in both still and moving water. What is more, the adaptability of this bait makes it a "go to" when crankbaits or spinnerbaits are not producing.

 If you never tried or have had little success using crankbait to catch bass, walleye or any of the pike family; read on, I may convince you to give it a try...

To begin, let’s focus on bass, the largest member of the sunfish family. During certain times of day, bass like to move into deeper water. There are many reasons why this “transition” from shallow to deep water occurs.  One reason is to get away from fishermen who pound the shoreline with a variety of lures that bass see week in and week out!

Gitzits or tubebaits, as they are more commonly known, are without doubt the strangest looking lure ever invented.

My bass club on Long Island introduced me to gitzits. Founding members of the club, Joe Modashel and his wife Alicia, have over the years mastered the technique of fishing these baits. Joe would even admit that Alicia out-fishes him with this type of lure. Joe, if it's any consolation, my Linda does exactly the same thing to me!

My first introduction to lipless crankbaits, was when I won twenty of them in a raffle on Lake Cayuga in upstate New York.

The following week, I tried in vain to catch fish with this noisy, skinny looking object. What I did catch was wood, weeds and rocks. So the lures remained in the bottom of the tackle bag collecting dust like so many baits that I believed were for catching fishermen, not fish!