Bass Fishing Lures and Baits
Crafting the Best Baits for Bass
The term bass refers to two main bass families. Temperate bass, including striped bass and white bass, are native to the Atlantic Ocean. Damming of streams and creeks has forced a portion of this species into freshwater lakes and streams. Black bass, such as the largemouth bass and small mouth bass, are exclusively freshwater natives. The largemouth bass inhabits most bodies of water in the United States and is easily the most sought after species of bass.
Bass are highly opportunistic feeders and will eat pretty much any tasty, live critter they see. Bugs, shad, crawlers, smaller fish and crawfish are some of their favorite foods. The environment and time of year can affect a bass’s diet. In the summer, bass are fairly aggressive and will go after active prey. Largemouth bass eat a great deal of smaller fish, generally minnows near shorelines. In grassy areas and areas filled with lily pads, frogs are common prey for largemouth bass. Cold-blooded crawfish slow down in the late fall when water temperatures begin falling, making them easy prey for hungry smallmouth and largemouth bass.
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Bass have a vast array of prey, making the best bass fishing bait dependant on the time of year and local environment. In the summer, when fishing near shorelines and in shallow bodies of water, any bass fishing bait accurately mimicking baitfish will be highly effective. Crank baits, spinner baits, bass jigs and jerk baits are especially good baitfish lookalikes. Bass jigs from Bass Stalker like the Rock Stalker are great for imitating the wounded or dying fish largemouth bass love to eat. In deep vegetation and among lily pads, Uncle Josh’s pork frogs are highly effective bass fishing bait. When fishing for bass in the fall season, try out a Pork Crawdad from Uncle Josh to emulate the largemouth or smallmouth’s favorite fall feast. For effective nighttime fishing, try bouncing a black ½ oz jig with the black pork trailer.
