Professional bass fisherman have the experience and arsenal to be able to hunt down and catch bass based on a myriad of factors. It is those factors that determine what type of lure you should be using. Don’t just try one and forget the rest, use this systematic approach to selecting the best bass lure for the day you are fishing.

Know the Depth of the Water You Are Fishing

Perhaps the single most important factor when selecting the right lure, you need to understand what the depths of the areas you are fishing really are. If possible, use a depth finder or fish finder to help you to know how deep you are fishing. For water less than 10 feet deep, you’ll probably be looking at topwater fishing plugs, spinnerbaits, shallow or floating worms, or shallow running crankbaits. For depths greater than 10 feet, use heavily weighted worms, deep running crankbaits, or heavy spinnerbaits.

Check the Water Temperature

As previously noted, bass  prefer water temperatures around 68 to 80 degrees Farenheit. This is when bass activity will be the highest, and you will be able to use larger baits with faster retrieves. A 7 or 8 inch worm will work better in this temperature range than a shorter worm. But in cooler temperatures, you’ll want to use a shorter worm (maybe 4 to 5 inches) with a slow retrieve, perhaps just dragging the bottom.

Work the Cover Areas

Largemouth bass love covered areas. Places where there is submerged tree branches, bulrushes, or man made objects like docks, etc. are great places to find bass. In deep cover areas, consider using a Texas rig with a worm, ensuring a weedless setup, and work your way through the weeds. Other weedless lures like weedless spoons and weedless spinnerbaits can pay good dividends in these heavy cover areas. In light cover areas, you can look to open spinnerbaits, buzz baits, and crankbaits for catching bass. Just be sure to work the edges of the cover, preferably on the shade side, as bass love the shade.

Be Mindful of the Water Clarity

When fishing bright areas of clear water, consider using natural colors over darker colors. There is an exception here, as purple and black colored worms seem to work well in most waters, regardless of clarity. For dirty or murky water, use fluorescents like yellow, chartreuse, pumpkin and orange to get better results. When light levels are low, darker colors will generally outperform lighter colors.

So to reiterate, there isn’t any one best bass lure, or “super” lure. Selecting the right lure for the job depends on the day, the water depth, temperature, color and amount of cover that you will be fishing. Be mindful of these, selecting the appropriate lure, and you chances will increase greatly.

The Step by Step Guide to Carolina Rigging

1. First, you’ll need to ensure that there aren’t any tangles, tears, nicks or binds in your line. You don’t want to hook the big one, only to lose him due to a line break that could have been avoided.

2. Get a bass casting or other type weight. This weight need not be cone shaped, but can be an inline weight. Use the following guide for weights and depths:

• < 6 ft — use 1/16 to 1/8 ounce weight
• 6 ft to 12 ft — use 1/8 to 1/4 ounce weight
• 12 ft to 18 ft — use 1/4 to 3/8 ounce weight
• > 18 ft — use 3/8 to 1/2 ounce weight

3. Place the weight on the line.

4. Put a bead on the line next, and place directly below the weight.

5. Tie a barrel swivel to the end of the line. This will serve to keep the weight and bead at a consistent distance away from the worm. I like to use a palomar knot for all my light fishing needs, instead of an improved clinch knot; I find that the knot is just much more sturdy.

6. Tie off a leader line of about 18 to 24 inches in length, depending on your preference. I like the leader to be a little shorter, just to make casting a little easier.

7. Attach the hook. My preference right now are VMC hooks with offset shanks.

8. Hook the top 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the worm and push it all the way through the worm. Then push the worm all the way up onto the top of the hook, so that the offset shank is buried right at the top of the hook.

9. Lay the hook along side of the worm, giving you a good idea how far down to hook the worm the second time. The goal is to hook the worm so that it will lie straight from the offset shank down to the barb. Push the hook all the way to other side of the worm, but keep the barb right at or below the outside edge of the worm. This will ensure that the worm is weedless, and you’ll have far less snags.

10. Check the worm to ensure it isn’t twisted or bound up in any way on the hook. It should be straight and true on the hook from head to tail.

So there you have it, your 10 step guide to the Carolina rig. I’ll point out again that the Carolina rig’s distinct advantage over the Texas rig is that it displays the bait to the fish without the fish picking up on the weight (as it is 18 to 24 inches higher than the worm). It will also produce a little bit better action on the worm. So if you are in a spot that isn’t in deep cover, or you are just good enough on the cast and retrieve not to get tangled to much, the Carolina rig is for you…

The Step by Step Texas Rig Guide

1. The first thing you need to do is to trim the end of your line. Do this to ensure that you don’t have any frays or other impairments in your fishing line.

2. Find a cone shaped weight. Now the size of the cone shaped weight will depend on the depth of the water you will be fishing. If you are fishing waters that are shallow (6 ft or less) use a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce weight. From 6 ft to 12 ft deep, use a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce, from 12 ft to 18 ft, use 1/4 to 3/8 ounce, and for deeper waters, use a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce weight. Once you have determined the cone shaped weight size you need, slip it point first over the end of the line, and let it fall.

3. Attach the hook (currently I am using VMC with offset shank style hooks). I like to use a palomar knot to attached my hooks, as they are super strong, and have served me better than improved clinched knots. I have found that the improved clinch knot may have the tendency to slip when a large fish grabs on and pulls you for the ride of your life.

4. Bury 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the hook into the top of the worm. Push the barb through the worm at this point. Then push the worm all the way up to the top of the hook, allow the offset shank to use the 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the worm at the top.

5. Drape the hook over the side of the worm, just to get an idea of where the hook should enter, and exit the worm. Then push the hook through the worm at that entry point. Push the hook right to the edge of the worm near the exit point you estimated. Be sure that the worm hasn’t been twisted in any way.

At this point, you should be ready for action. Your new Texas Rig should have a cone shaped weight at the top, with a worm that has been hooked at the top, the hook then comes out of the worm, and circles back to hook the worm once again at the appropriate lower spot, but the barb is buried inside or right at the outside edge of the worm. Make sure that the worm lies straight from the eye of the hook, all the way down to its tail. If there are any twists or bends in the worm, re-set the hook accordingly.

Your new Texas Rig is ready to go! Set get out there are go get those bass! If you have any thoughts, please leave them for me at the bottom of this page in the comment section…

March Bass Fishing In Cool Waters

Depending on what region of the country you are in, you are going to be experiencing different temperatures. Water temperatures of about 40 degrees or less is generally not the best for the spring spawn. So where I am in Texas, early March is still pretty cold on the lake. This is also frustrating as getting out to your spots can be rather chilling if there is any wind out.

So when you face these water temperatures, use lures that run deep. Check your fish finder for approximate depths of the fish, and try to match that up with your lure choice. Using plastic worms, bass assasins, grubs, tubes and jigs with a very slow retrieve or dead stick should yield better results. Cranks and jerks may work as well, however they need to be deep runners, suspending, and also with a slow retrieve. The fish are sluggish, and usually hang out in deeper water, where it is warmer.

March Bass Fishing In “The Zone”

On the other hand, when you get into 45 to 50 degree waters, that is when the action is going to be fast and furious. My favorite lure is the Bomber “Flat A” in the ghost white color. It runs about 4-6 feet deep (although you can get it in the 8-12 feet deep range) and really hits well with large mouth, small mouth, whites and hybrids. It is also a suspending model, so you can run a jerk and retrieve pattern on the fish, if they tend to be sluggish.

As with cooler temperatures, you can also pull out your worms and jigs to go after these fish. Many of the state record fish were caught with worms. I like a 6-7 inch worm using a Carolina or Texas style rig. Mostly use a slow retrieve on the bottom of the lake, and waiting for that tap. Give the fish some time though, as they don’t usually just suck down a worm, often they will tap it before they fully commit. When you feel the tap, give it a few seconds to let the fish take the bait, then hit ‘em!

So don’t wait, get out there on your favorite lake, and take advantage of one of the best months for bass fishing, March! If it is cold, bring your deep running lures and work them slow, if it is warmer, go for the more shallow running, fast action baits and knock ‘em dead!