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10 largemouth bass fishing techniques

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I have almost 40 years of experience when it comes to largemouth bass fishing. The last 15 of them have been spent as a professional fishing guide. By far, my favorite fish to target is the largemouth bass. The thing about fishing for largemouth bass is that there are many different fishing techniques that bass fishermen use to target them.

Most of my more productive techniques involve the use of soft plastic baits. Remember that in the Northland and the extreme south, most bass are caught in 3 feet of water or less. There are some exceptions such as the mountainous areas of Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee where they fish for bass in deep water, but what I do in Northern Illinois, Ws, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio is all in shallow water.

Here is a rundown of my 10 favorite techniques for largemouth bass:

Wacky Rigs with 4 inch long Yum Dingers: Wacky rigging is a method of hooking the soft plastic bait. To wacky rig you hook the bait in its middle rather than hooking it through the end and then burying the hook in it bait. Leave the hook just a little exposed. The technique is to cast the bait out and allow it to sink to the bottom of the lake, following it down with your rod in case if you get a bite. This is a shallow water technique that works well when you are targeting structure such as flooded timber, rocks or weeds.
Texas Rigged Ribbon Tail Worms: I like to use long worms. When I say long worms, I mean long ones, at least 10 inches long. I also like to use natural colors such as watermelonseed or Junebug. I like to use these big worms in the pre-spawn season in spawning areas. Just barely crawl these worms around and watch out, because the biggest bass in the lake will be up on the spawning flats looking for the best place to spawn, and they are going to be hungry.
Drop shotting small worms: This is the one deep water presentation that I have in my arsenal. Drop shotting involves tying a hook on a Palomar knot about 18 inches up the line and then attaching a sinker at the bottom. A small, do-nothing straight worm is then attached to the hook and just hangs out and wiggles about a foot off of the bottom of the lake. This is irresistible to any bass that happens to be in the area.
Carolina Rigging Lizards: I like to use a Carolina rigged lizard when I am sight fishing for spawning bass. Carolina rigging is like Texas rigging except you use a swivel and an 18 inch long leader. You weight sits in back of the swivel and away from the bait. Cast the rig past the bed and then work it through it. It might take several passes before you entice a bite, but don't give up.
Tubing: Tubes are just one of those baits that you must have in your box. I like to use tubes in the Great Lakes, especially Green Bay and Lake Erie. Natural colors such as green pumpkin and watermelon seed work well in the clear water.
Jig and Pig: The jig and pig combination brings big fish. One thing that most fishermen say is that you don't get as many bites as with some other presentations, but the bites you get are going to be big fish. This is my favorite presentation to use when I want big fish. i like to use a Booyah Pigskin jig and a Yum F2 Craw Papi.
Lipless Crankbaits: this category of lures includes the good old Rattle Trap or the Xcaliber one knocker. Cast these baits along the edges of weed lines, or along rip rap shorelines. They will catch fish for you. I have caught fish using these baits during the entire open water season.
Crankbaits: These diving lures dive down and then bang into structure. This attracts attention. I like to cast these lures and run them parallel to rip rap shorelines or along the edges of weed lines. There is nothing more exciting than a big largemouth grabbing a crankbait that you were burning past a stump or along the rocks. Cranks are a great search lures.
Spinnerbaits: No arsenal would be complete without a good selection of spinner baits. Spinner baits are the best search lure there is because they can be worked deep, shallow, right up against structure or out in the open. They are a great and versatile lure.
Top Water: Finally, top water is a great way to catch bass. Whether you are casting the slop with a frog, or casting the lily pads with a buzz bait, it is very exciting to see a bass come up and explode on your lure!

As you can see, there are countless varieties of bass lures that cater to different kinds of largemouth bass fishing techniques. This is part of what makes bass fishing so interesting. You can mix and match presentations, colors, sizes. The only problem is to decide which one I want to try next.