What does Bass Fishing offer you?

Bass Fishing offers many things. It offers you the chance to get outdoors. It offers you the chance to get away from your wife, or in some cases, to spend time with your wife. It offers you quality time with kids or family. It offers a challenge. It offers stress relief, or in some cases, stress. It offers a career, if you are good enough, and it offers you just plain old fun.

Why I Bass Fish:

I dont know why I bass fish but I love it. I love the feeling just before you set the hook when you feel a tap at the end of the line. I love the explosion behind a popper moving across a flat lake. I love the fight as they jump and try to shake the lure or dive down to the depths, stripping drag from the reel.

Tournament Fishing:

I compete in small tournaments and open tournaments. It gives me the chance to compete against other fishermen, not just the bass. It also gives me the chance to see how good I really am. I have a large photo album of some real nice trophies but with the way the sport is going and developing, I never know if I am outdated. New techniques arrive as fast as new lures. New rods and reels and other equipment such as depth finders, fish finders, and even underwater cameras are taking the sport to new levels.

Bass Fisherman are Crazy!

The one thing that has remained constant, however, is the fish. Bass fishermen have to be the craziest people, or so I have been told. We go out there for hours at a time, spend countless dollars on equipment, boats, lures and anything with the picture of a bass on it and we don't even keep the fish to eat, we kiss it on the lips and throw it back, WE’RE CRAZY.

We subscribe to Bass magazines and before the season starts we walk up and down the Wal-Mart fishing aisle about a hundred times until we know everything on the shelves by heart.

Catch and Release!:

The important thing is to practice good catch and release tactics. I don't mind if someone wants to eat what they catch from time to time but don't eat the big ones or everyone you catch. The big ones are big for a reason, they are smarter and have good genes. Let them reproduce so we can catch more smart and big fish.

Release Tips:

When you hold a bass hold it by the lip and try not to touch it on the scales. They have a natural slime cover that protects them against disease. If you have ever touched them on the side you probably got this slime on your hands. If you plan on releasing the fish do it as quickly as possible. Snap a quick photo and let him go. If you are having camera problems, hold him in the water until the camera is ready. Picture it as the same as if you were held underwater, do it quickly.

If you are keeping them in a livewell for a tournament, make sure the water temperature is near that of the lake they came out of. This can be done with non-chlorinated ice. I like to use a chemicle called Jungle Juice in the livewell. it helps them fight off disease and numbs them so they don't thrash around at the weigh in.

Conclusion:

Just remember, if you enjoyed hooking into a nice hawg, I am sure 1,000 other people would as well. If you catch one worthy of mounting take a lot of pictures, let him go and bring the pictures to the taxidermist. Most good taxidermist do an excellent job of duplicating the fish with pictures.
The reason we have this great sport is because millions of people practiced catch and release before we even took a cast. Keep the sport going, FREE THE FIGHTER.

Recommended: Yes

Recommended Lure/Bait/Fly: Artificial Lures
Region Where Found: United States
Recommend Guide, Outfitter or Boat: Aluminum to Fiberglass
Flavor: Strictly catch-and-release
Recommended Tackle: Bait Casting