The more you know about bass, the better you're able to determine what kind of tackle, strength of line, and lure types or specific lure models you need. There is a difference between tackle used for largemouth bass versus smallmouth bass, and in waters that have many obstructions versus those with few. The fact that bass do attack a wide array of lures, many of which are fairly large, and that there are so many tackle items to choose from, can make things seem complicated. Here's a general guide to help you sort through this maze.

Rods, Reels, & Line

Adaptability, versatility, and preparedness are keys to bass fishing success, so tackle must meet the respective tasks.

Spinning & Baitcasting
For the vast majority of bass fishing, anglers use baitcasting or spinning tackle. Spinning tackle is more functional on windy days than baitcasting, particularly if it is necessary to use small lures or to be casting into the wind. However, a good baitcaster can usually be more accurate than a good spinning tackle user, and baitcasting reel drags are generally of better quality, though seldom used on bass.

Most avid largemouth bass anglers prefer baitcasting tackle, particularly for crankbait and soft worm fishing and working in heavy cover. Baitcasting tackle offers slightly better casting control and is much more conducive to the use of big lures.

Many people prefer 6- to 7-foot baitcasting rods, which are advantageous for casting. The long rod helps achieve distance, if that is necessary, makes fish playing and control better, and helps get crankbaits deeper.

Spinning-tackle anglers looking for medium-duty equipment will find 5 1/2 to 6 1/2-foot rods very useful. Light-action rods equipped with 6 or 8-pound-test line are good for fishing floating-diving plugs, some surface lures, small jigs, and light spoons and spinners. Longer spinning rods in the 6 1/2 and 7-foot category are fine for open-water surface fishing. For ultralight lure fishing and smallmouth jig fishing, try a 5-to 5 1/2-footer.

Light weight is desirable in a reel for bass fishing, particularly if you expect to use it continuously for long hours. Some reels feature components that help decrease overall weight. This makes reels easier for anyone to use, and easier for all-day casting. Petite, low-profile baitcasting reels, which hold no more than 100 yards of 12-pound line, are popular. Line capacity, incidentally, isn't much of a factor in bass fishing; you rarely need more than 100 feet of line, and then only because you've made an extremely long cast.

Line
Bass anglers predominantly use medium-weight tackle, which includes line strengths that are fairly strong for most circumstances (10- to 14-pound-line is common). There are times when you'll be more productive if you exercise a little more finesse. One way to do that is to fish light tackle, especially fine-diameter lines. Not in heavy cover or in dinghy water, but for deep fishing, angling in clear water, and using small lures, light is right. Natural presentations, more strikes, and better depth attainment are among the benefits of light-line use.

The majority of avid bass anglers predominantly use baitcasting tackle and fairly heavy line (14 to 20 pounds or more), especially if there is a lot of cover and large fish are likely. In clear water situations, and when the fishing is especially tough, it's good to use lighter line (6 to 10 pounds), and spinning tackle, to make a more finesse-oriented approach.

Lures

There is a potpourri of lures used in bass fishing and a great many presentation styles. The following is a brief review of the most popular bass fishing lures.

Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits are relatively easy to fish and are remarkably weed and tangle-free to use, and especially good for fishing in and around cover. Lily pads, grass, stumps, brush, treetops, boat docks, rock piles, logs, and similar fish-holding places can all be effectively worked with a spinnerbait. Spinnerbaits come in single and tandem-blade versions. Tandem blades on the overhead arm of the spinnerbait usually feature a small spinner followed by a larger one. These are predominantly for shallow fishing and are best in the spring. Single-blade spinnerbaits are better for deeper retrieves.

Surface lures
Popping plugs work best near cover and in water that is not too deep, roughly to 12 feet. The best fishing times for these are early and late in the day (particularly in the summer), at night, and on cloudy days. Floating/diving minnow plugs are highly effective all season long in the right locations, and are most effectively worked in a deliberately erratic fashion.

Propellered surface plugs can be fished in the spring, summer, and fall, though summer is the most productive period, especially in the first few hours of daylight and occasionally in the evening. A buzzbait is good for thick cover, emergent vegetation that is not too thick to prevent free lure passage, and submerged vegetation that comes fairly close to the surface.

On average, stickbaits produce bigger fish than most other surface lures. They are especially effective around wood, particularly stumps, logs, and fallen trees, and for calling up bass from submerged timber.

Soft-Bodied Jigs
Fish-shaped soft baits, particularly those with a broad tail that shimmies widely, are often called shad baits and are fished on various jig leadheads, with the larger bodies being used with blunt-end versions. All kinds of soft-bait bodies are lumped under the category of grub, for use with leadhead jigs. The most common, used in various sizes for diverse species, is a curl-tail model. These and most other jigs are fished along the bottom, usually slowly, and usually with the angler moving the rod tip to impart the proper action.

Some types of soft baits, especially the many-tentacled versions that might represent crayfish and those models that closely imitate these crustaceans, are effectively fished with a leadhead jig that allows them to either stand up or have a higher profile on the bottom. The hook is usually exposed on such a bait, although it may have a weedguard.

Soft-bodied Bait
There's a host of soft wormlike lures used by bass anglers, particularly in warm weather and most often on, or close to, the bottom. The majority represent earthworms or small eels or leeches, but some represent lizards or salamanders and a few are meant to imitate baitfish. Two popular rigging methods that involve sinkers are the Texas rig and the Carolina rig.

Soft jerkbaits or jerk worms are usually rigged without a conventional sinker. They may be fished unweighted for shallow use or with a thin-diameter stick or nail segment inserted into the head for deeper use, longer casts, and less erratic action.

One of the things that makes the most successful bass anglers stand out is their ability to recognize when to switch to a different method of presentation, a different type of lure altogether, or make some subtle color change.

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