| Bass fishing is a really popular sport that can be | | | | tackle store, and ask for the most popular types for |
| enjoyed by anyone with the knowledge of a few | | | | your local area. Start off simple with just a handful, |
| Bass fishing basics. All species of Bass are some of | | | | which should include a couple of (top water baits) a |
| the most sought after fish, as they are great fun to | | | | couple of (spinner baits) and a couple of (plastic or |
| catch, and offer some of the best sport, both from | | | | rubber lures). As with the live baits these should all be |
| the shore and from a boat. One of the first Bass | | | | retrieved slowly when fishing for Bass. The next of |
| fishing basics to learn will obviously be the bait. This | | | | the Bass fishing basics is the cast. If fishing from the |
| can be live bait such as peeler or soft back crabs, | | | | shore you should try to cover as big an area as |
| these are really fine baits for Bass. A crab is a peeler | | | | possible. To do this you should cast in a fan shape, |
| when it is in the process of losing its old shell, (to | | | | start with a cast to the left of where you are |
| test if a crab is a peeler, try lifting the rear end of its | | | | standing and retrieve your bait, slowly pausing every |
| shell; it should come away easily). A crab is a soft | | | | ten to fifteen feet. On your next cast aim slightly to |
| back when it has already discarded its old shell but | | | | the right of the last cast and repeat this process until |
| before its new shell has hardened. Other good Bass | | | | you have covered a fan shaped area. Try this a |
| fishing baits include sand-eels, lugworm, and rag | | | | couple of times and if you have no luck simply walk |
| worm. Sand-eels can be collected from wet sand | | | | twenty or thirty yards down the shore and start |
| where they lie buried on a receding tide. They can be | | | | again. Night fishing for Bass can be very productive, |
| used as a dead bait but are more effective as live | | | | some of my best Bass fishing has been at night. For |
| bait. Both lugworm and rag worm can be dug at low | | | | this you will need a lure that makes a lot of noise in |
| tide and will keep for a couple of days wrapped in | | | | the water when being retrieved. There are some |
| damp newspaper. You could also try what is called a | | | | excellent lures available for this (again ask at your |
| bait cocktail, which consists of both crab and worm | | | | local tackle store) and the Bass will find them |
| on the same hook. Other popular baits are artificial | | | | irresistible. These are just a few of the Bass fishing |
| lures, and these should be part of any Bass fishing | | | | basics, you will pick up more as you go along, but the |
| basics kit. There are so many of these artificial baits | | | | best advice I can give is to get out there and have a |
| available that you could spend a fortune on them. My | | | | go, I guarantee you will soon be hooked. |
| best advice would be to take a trip to your local | | | | |