Bass eat different bait depending on the time of year. The general rule is early in the year they like crawfish, so use peach-colored patterns. In the summer and fall they like shad, so use chrome or silver baits. The best time to fish bass is before a front comes through, and the worst time to fish them is after.
Australian Nation angler Dan McCoy caught this 9.82-pound Australian bass that was 1.54 pounds heavier than the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record fish. Pending verification by the IGFA, McCoy's catch will hold three world records.
Best Times to FishThe prime time to catch bass is during their pre-spawn in spring when water temperatures are around 55 to 65 degrees. The best time of day for bass fishing is either early morning or later in the evening, at times when the sun isn't too bright.
For many years, the maximum age recorded in wild Australian bass was 22 years. However, a wild bass from the Genoa River system has now been aged at 47 years of age. The same study recorded numerous wild bass aged 19 years of age and 29 years of age (corresponding to two separate years of strong recruitment).
It's relatively small size is made up for by their aggressive fight as a sport fish species and out of those species suitable for dams, they are arguably the best eating fish. So, Aussie Bass should be a species of choice for most fishing dams.
Use crankbaits, spinnerbaits or jigs. Try slow-rolling the spinnerbait along the bottom as close to the weeds as possible. During the day, bass will move toward deeper water or deeper inside the weeds. When the sun is high, always fish the shady side of cover no matter how deep or shallow.
Australia doesn't have largemouth bass; it has Australian bass. But the tackle used to catch them is very similar.
Offer something unique or different
- Adjust an existing lure: Change something! A blade. The hooks.
- Choose a different lure: Search for something the bass are not yet accustomed to. Try a new type of lure. Pick a lure you haven't used for years.
- Vary your retrieve: Try slower. Try faster.
- Change the depth: Fish on top.
What is the best bait for largemouth bass? In terms of live bait, fish (like shiners, minnows, or shad) and crawfish work very well since these are what bass usually eat. Because largemouth bass are carnivorous, the best artificial baits tend to be those that mimic their prey in some way.
We've found through our studies that fish do have a memory. "For example, if a bass is caught on a spinnerbait one day, it's almost impossible to catch that fish on the same lure the next day. But once the fish have been exposed to lures day after day, they remember and become warier."
Well worms catch fish there isn't a more popular bait choice for fishing on the planet that the traditional worm. Bass fishing with night crawlers, red wigglers and earth worms will catch pretty much everything from small sunfish, catfish, perch, walleye, bluegill, bass and more.
Yes, you can absolutely eat largemouth bass, but they're generally not regarded as one of the more tasty freshwater fish. Salmon, trout, walleye, and others are much more popular in terms of taste. Overall, most anglers tend to agree that bass are a lot more fun to catch than they are to eat.
The 50 Greatest Lures of All Time
- Curly Tail Grub. Curly Tail is often used as a generic term for a whole class of soft-plastic grubs with curled tails.
- Dardevle Spinnie. The familiar red-and-white striped Dardevle is probably the world's most recognized fishing lure.
- Rapala.
- Mepps Aglia.
- Johnson Silver Minnow.
- Slug-Go.
- Zara Spook.
- Berkley Power Worm.
Although bluegill are the prevalent sunfish in most bass water throughout the United States, other species play a roll in the mix of sunfish predation by bass. Largemouth will eat green sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, longear and even crappie.
The Five Bass Fishing Lures You Need in Your Tackle Box
- SPINNERBAITS. A classic option that has proven its worth, the spinnerbait is a versatile lure for bass fishermen.
- BASIC JIGS. Another versatile bass fishing lure that every fisherman should consider is the basic jig.
- CRANKBAITS.
- TOPWATERS.
- SOFT PLASTICS.
Live bait works especially well for bluegill. The most common baits are worms and night crawlers because they are readily available and bluegill love them. The key is to use only a piece of a worm—just enough to cover the hook. Other productive baits include crickets, grasshoppers, red wrigglers and meal worms.
Attractants: salt, fish slime, fish guts, fish extracts, human saliva. Possible attractants: milk products like cheese, coffee, garlic. Repellents: human skin oils, nicotine, bug sprays, sun screens, scented and perfumed soaps, any petroleum distillates like gasoline, marine grease, oil, diesel..
WD-40 addresses the myth on its website, saying: “While WD-40 can be used to help protect fishing equipment from rust and corrosion, WD-40 Company does not recommend using it to attract fish.”
Bass in cooler areas tend to live longer. The maximum would be 16 to 20 years. The average bass would usually live 5 to 10 years.
In response to a positive smell, bass generally will hold onto a worm emanating a positive scent for a longer time. This gives you an advantage of being able to get a good hook set and catching the fish. Three scents that appear to be positive scents are salt, anise, and garlic.
When snakes are swimming in canals, bass usually don't hesitate to feed on them, but they don't do it all day long. That's one of the drawbacks of fishing with big snakes: bites can be infrequent until the fish turn on, but it's usually worth the wait.
Managing Bullheads in PondsSmaller bullheads are vulnerable to largemouth bass predation, which decreases bullhead abundance and increases their average size. If a pond owner is a bullhead aficionado, largemouth bass abundance can be managed to produce trophy bullheads.
Bass eat mice. They also eat frogs, snakes, bumblebees—anything that makes a commotion on the surface. They make baits that look like mice, baby ducks, and full-sized snakes.
Studies have shown that fish can spit out a lure in the blink of an eye. If the bait they are trying to ingest feels unnatural, or has a negative taste or odor, the chances of you driving the hooks home is a very low-percentage game. This is where fish attractant really shines.
In low light or at night, colors matter less, because fish then rely more on the rod cells in their eyes, which detect contrast and movement but not color. White, offering the greatest contrast, might well be the color of choice in such situations.
Favorite Bass: Largemouth
- Clear water: White or Clear/White Pearls.
- Stained water: Green Pumpkins, Watermelons, or any of the colors not on the extreme light or extreme dark ends of the color choices.
- Muddy/Dark water: Black, Black/Blue, or any of the darkest colors.
Like those of humans, fish retinas possess both cones for color vision as well as rods for black and white vision. During daylight, fish use primarily cones for vision.
Olive, dark green, brown… largemouth bass can change color a bit like a chameleon if you pay close enough attention.
With no sun, bass are more likely to roam when it's raining than when it's sunny. If you are fishing in the rain and throwing a worm – don't soak it as long. The fish are more aggressive during the rain, so you shouldn't need to work as hard to make them bite.
Color doesn't matter as much. “With crank baits, depth is the first consideration, size is the next consideration, and action is next and last but not least is color and sound.
Standard JigThe 3/8oz and 1/2oz sizes work well in nearly all situations, but sometimes heavier or lighter jigs are better. The lighter style works better in shallower water or when anglers want a slower fall from their jig, and the heavier models are better for deeper water.
Although the olfactory (odor-detecting) portion of the bass' brain isn't quite as large or well defined as a typical scent feeder like a catfish, they can smell, and scent does play a role in their feeding. Like with sound, fish are able to detect smells underwater far greater then the average human can in air.
