Part 1: How to Become a Better Bass Angler

Mike Brown of Clarks Hill, SC, is a member of the PartsVu community and a bass tourney winner. He was generous with invaluable advice to help those interested in becoming a better bass angler.

Volumes of books, videos, and articles have been published on this subject. When I first got serious about bass fishing some 50 years ago, there was very little information available to learn the sport's many nuances. Now you can find books at the library (yes, libraries still exist!), articles in outdoor magazines, and of course, the internet--YouTube, tackle manufacturers' websites, pro anglers' websites, national bass organizations' websites, TV shows, etc. If you have ever Googled bass fishing tips, instruction, lures, or tackle, you know what I mean. All of the above are useful resources; however, those resources will only take you so far if you do not have hands-on experience.

So, in order of importance, I laid out what I believe are the best ways to help you to become a better bass angler.

Time on the Water

Nothing can replace time spent on the water fishing as the number one way to learn and improve. Trial and error of the techniques, tackle selection, "reading the water," learning fish habits and locations through the seasons, casting skills, and a host of other skills and knowledge will result in escalating success.

It's been amazing to me how pros in their early twenties can consistently finish in the money in professional tournaments. As a Marshal (rules official and observer) in BASS and FLW tournaments, I have been lucky to be matched with a few of the young studs in the professional ranks. Being a Marshal allowed me to pick their brains as to how they have acquired their mastery of the sport, and every one of them begins by saying that they have been bass fishing since a very early age.

They were fortunate to have a dad or granddad, mother, etc. who took them fishing when they were old enough to walk and taught them the sport's basics or intermediate skills. They entered tournaments, joined high school teams and bass clubs, then the same in college, and now they're on the professional circuits full-time. They also have sponsors who teach them the specifics of using sonar/GPS and tackle so they can promote the products. However, without exception, every one of them stated that time on the water is the biggest secret to their success. Keep in mind that successful pros spend on average 300 days a year fishing, so one would expect their skill level to be very high.

Learn From Other Bass Anglers

For every pro, there are hundreds of thousands of excellent bass anglers that don’t fish for a living. While not pros, they spent countless days, weeks, months, and years attempting to perfect their skills. A novice bass angler has many different opportunities to learn from this type of individual. You can learn from these folks in different ways, but the number one way is to fish with them.

You can do this by competing in bass tournaments as a co-angler and observing their skills and techniques, or having a buddy who is a successful angler that you can fish with. But, the number one way to learn and improve is to join a bass club. Not every boater in a club is willing or able to teach you things, but just by observing and asking good questions, you can learn a lot. Most clubs have the mission of introducing others to the sport and helping them learn and improve. As opposed to fishing as a co-angler in bigger tournaments, fishing in a club allows you to fish with just about every boater in the club and learn something different from each one.

If you pay attention to when those boaters are successful, and apply those techniques to your time on the water, I promise you that you will improve.

Choose Quality Bass Fishing Tackle

You do not have to buy top-of-the-line, state-of-the art-tackle—specifically, your rods, reels, line, and lures. But you do need to purchase quality tackle and learn how to use it. Once again, seeing what other successful anglers are using in clubs and tournament is the best way to know what works and what doesn’t. Experienced and successful anglers have tried tackle from many manufacturers and, over the years, have learned what works best for them. It’s nice to be able to buy $500 rods and reels, spend $100 for a spool of line, and invest in Japanese made hand-painted lures, but it is certainly not necessary.

You can spend $1,000 on a rod and reel if you like, but you can cast a lure, work the lure and land a fish just as well with a combo that costs under $200. $200 may sound like a lot of money for a rod and reel, and it is, however, the $200 outfit will last many years of hard fishing if appropriately maintained. A $50-$100 combo may work OK, but will only last a couple of years at best. The less expensive combos will likely not have the best rod action or the smoothest casting or a great drag system.

In other words, you get what you pay for in ease of use, efficiency, and longevity. I have rods and reels I bought 30 years ago that are still in my arsenal and get regular use because I received great guidance on what to buy. Why? Because I observed and asked questions about tackle selection from boaters I rode with in mid-level and club tournaments.

I talked to trusted dealers I had spoken with numerous times—I believed they were not just trying to make a sale, but had my best interest in mind when directing me to mid-priced gear. Forming a solid relationship with a tackle shop owner goes a long way toward ensuring trust that they are selling you what you need and not what they want to move off of their shelves. You can buy quality hooks, line, and lures without getting hung up on the latest and greatest.

Keep this in mind, lure manufacturers need to sell new lures every year, and most of the new stuff is made to catch the fisherman and not fish. Every successful pro I have ridden with as a Marshal relies on oldies but goodies when the fishing is tough. I can’t tell you how many have a 20-year-old crankbait with the paint worn off, patches over holes in them from hitting rocks, and frequently put on new hooks. All because they catch fish due to how they run and not how fancy the paint job is. You can now spend $50 on a 200-yard spool of braid or $30 on a 50-yard spool of fluorocarbon.

But you can catch the same amount of bass using a 1000-yard bulk spool of monofilament costing $30. I am also often asked what rods and reels should I buy. I always recommend two spinning and four baitcasting combos. The spinning reels should include one light/medium and one medium action rod. The spinning reels can be the same, and a 3000 or 4000 series will work for any technique. Spooled with 15# braid and a fluorocarbon leader in 8# test will allow you to use drop shot, shakey head, Ned, and Neko presentations. Of the four baitcasters:

• #1 should be 7' to 7 ½' medium/heavy and have braid for frogs in heavy cover and flipping heavy cover with jigs or plastics.
• # 2 should be 6'6"- 7" medium/heavy with 12#-15# flouro carbon for general flipping, pitching, and casting a variety of plastics and spinnerbaits.
• #3 should be a 6'6"-7' with a low retrieve ratio reel with 10#-12# fluorocarbon for crankbaits.
• #4 should be a 7' medium/heavy with 12# to 20# monofilament (because it floats as opposed to fluorocarbon) line for topwater baits. With these basic rigs, you can fish just about any bait in any conditions. Adding a 7'6" heavy action bait caster with 20# fluorocarbon instead of city reel will enable you to throw heavy baits like Alabama rigs, Carolina rigs, and big swimbaits should you want to throw those type of baits.

Want more advice as to how to become a better bass angler? - Read Read Part 2: How to Become a Better Bass Angler