Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
HOME
Other Species
Largemouth Bass Description
What can I say about the Largemouth Bass that has not already been said somewhere else? Probably not much. Largemouth Bass are the most popular gamefish in North America and are found in every state except Alaska (and it wouldn't surprise me if there are a couple hanging out somewhere there as well). They are the subject of countless fishing shows, magazine articles, books, etc. US and Japanese tackle companies probably pour more money into equipment for these fish than any other.
Largemouth Bass are an aggressive fish that can be targeted using a huge variety of techniques, so no matter what kind of fishing you like to do you can probably catch a bass with it. In fact, I cannot think of a single category of artificial lure that will not catch a bass. Poppers, Soft Plastics, Spoons, Spinners, Jerkbaits, Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits, Stickbaits, etc all will work under the right conditions. Bass are ambush feeders that pounce on prey that comes by them. Even when they are not feeding, they will often pounce on lures out of sheer aggressiveness. Every bass fisherman probably has a story about catching a tiny bass on a lure that was bigger than it. There is no way it was planning to eat it; the fish just wanted to smack it and show it who was boss.
Largemouth Bass are found in lakes and rivers throughout the US and also in a number of other countries including Japan where they are very popular. They are a hardy fish and easily transplanted. Largemouth relate very strongly to cover and structure, so if you find that you can usually find the fish. I release all fish I catch as I have never found them to be very tasty. They are easy to release by grabbing them firmly by their lower jaw, which immobilizes them (more or less).
Largemouth Bass can attain weights of over 20lbs but very, very few fish get anywhere near that size. The world record of 22lbs, 4oz stood for 77 years until it was tied in 2011 in Japan. Any bass over 6lbs is generally a female. The average bass caught is probably only around 2lbs. My biggest is the one pictured above.
Largemouth Bass Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5.5 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Largemouth Bass are about at the median in terms of fighting ability for a freshwater fish. The pull decently hard, and sometimes try to wrap you up in cover where they are often found. When hooked, they often jump and shake their heads to dislodge hooks. They do not possess a lot of stamina.
Largemouth Bass Tackle
Tackle for Largemouth Bass varies tremendously depending on the technique you use. You could be using a heavy baitcasting rod with 50lb braid with a 30lb leader to fish heavy trout imitation swimbaits or a light spinning rod with 4lb test to fish small drop shot plastics. I caught one just under 7lbs on 2lb test, but I got very lucky and don't recommend that. For most of the techniques I use in heavily-pressured bodies of water (other than large swimbaits) I fish with 6lb test. When I have fished in Mexico I have used 30lb braid with 20lb leader as the fish are not shy there and they seem to fight harder. Also there is a higher chance of a bigger fish down there. To me, the best setup would be a Daiwa Steez baitcasting rod paired with a Daiwa Steez baitcasting reel spooled with Daiwa Samurai braided line. For spinning gear, a Daiwa Certate reel with a Daiwa Steez spinning rod. As you can see from the tackle links below, I really like Daiwa gear for Largemouth Bass and a lot of other things. I don't get anything from Daiwa (although I wouldn't turn it down if offered - are you listening Daiwa?); I just recommend what I use.
Micropterus salmoides
HOME
Other Species
Largemouth Bass Description
What can I say about the Largemouth Bass that has not already been said somewhere else? Probably not much. Largemouth Bass are the most popular gamefish in North America and are found in every state except Alaska (and it wouldn't surprise me if there are a couple hanging out somewhere there as well). They are the subject of countless fishing shows, magazine articles, books, etc. US and Japanese tackle companies probably pour more money into equipment for these fish than any other.
Largemouth Bass are an aggressive fish that can be targeted using a huge variety of techniques, so no matter what kind of fishing you like to do you can probably catch a bass with it. In fact, I cannot think of a single category of artificial lure that will not catch a bass. Poppers, Soft Plastics, Spoons, Spinners, Jerkbaits, Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits, Stickbaits, etc all will work under the right conditions. Bass are ambush feeders that pounce on prey that comes by them. Even when they are not feeding, they will often pounce on lures out of sheer aggressiveness. Every bass fisherman probably has a story about catching a tiny bass on a lure that was bigger than it. There is no way it was planning to eat it; the fish just wanted to smack it and show it who was boss.
Largemouth Bass are found in lakes and rivers throughout the US and also in a number of other countries including Japan where they are very popular. They are a hardy fish and easily transplanted. Largemouth relate very strongly to cover and structure, so if you find that you can usually find the fish. I release all fish I catch as I have never found them to be very tasty. They are easy to release by grabbing them firmly by their lower jaw, which immobilizes them (more or less).
Largemouth Bass can attain weights of over 20lbs but very, very few fish get anywhere near that size. The world record of 22lbs, 4oz stood for 77 years until it was tied in 2011 in Japan. Any bass over 6lbs is generally a female. The average bass caught is probably only around 2lbs. My biggest is the one pictured above.
Largemouth Bass Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5.5 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Largemouth Bass are about at the median in terms of fighting ability for a freshwater fish. The pull decently hard, and sometimes try to wrap you up in cover where they are often found. When hooked, they often jump and shake their heads to dislodge hooks. They do not possess a lot of stamina.
Largemouth Bass Tackle
Tackle for Largemouth Bass varies tremendously depending on the technique you use. You could be using a heavy baitcasting rod with 50lb braid with a 30lb leader to fish heavy trout imitation swimbaits or a light spinning rod with 4lb test to fish small drop shot plastics. I caught one just under 7lbs on 2lb test, but I got very lucky and don't recommend that. For most of the techniques I use in heavily-pressured bodies of water (other than large swimbaits) I fish with 6lb test. When I have fished in Mexico I have used 30lb braid with 20lb leader as the fish are not shy there and they seem to fight harder. Also there is a higher chance of a bigger fish down there. To me, the best setup would be a Daiwa Steez baitcasting rod paired with a Daiwa Steez baitcasting reel spooled with Daiwa Samurai braided line. For spinning gear, a Daiwa Certate reel with a Daiwa Steez spinning rod. As you can see from the tackle links below, I really like Daiwa gear for Largemouth Bass and a lot of other things. I don't get anything from Daiwa (although I wouldn't turn it down if offered - are you listening Daiwa?); I just recommend what I use.
This site has tons of info on bass rods and reels, including some great reviews: www.tackletour.com . They set the standard for bass tackle reviews.
Largemouth BassTechniques
There is no way I can cover all techniques for Largemouth Bass. I will touch on the ones I use the most which are: plastic worms/lizards, drop shotting, senkos, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters. At least one of those will work pretty much everywhere I have fished for them, from Wisconsin to Mexico.
Largemouth Bass Lures
Plastic Worms and Lizards - The plastic worm is one of the oldest bass lures and it still works very well. I have grouped plastic lizards in here as well because I tend to fish them the same way. Personally I like Berkeley 7" Original Power Worms or Power Lizards as my basic worm lure. I like the ribbontail design. Black/Blue Flake, Purple, Watermelon, Green Pumpkin and Black with Chartreuse tail (for muddy water) are the colors I use most often. I like Black in the summer when the fish are feeding on shad, and Watermelon and Green Pumpkin in spring and fall. That's usually what I start with, but you often have to experiment to see what the fish want that day, in that light, with that water clarity, etc.
I usually fish worms either Texas rigged or Carolina rigged sometimes if they are deeper (see videos). I use the lightest weight possible to get them to the bottom because a lot of times you get a bite while it is sinking so it shouldn't sink too fast. Once they hit the bottom you let them sit there for a bit, then slither them forward on the bottom a foot or two and let them sit again. If there is a rock or something there, inch it over the edge and have the worm fall vertically down the side, as this will often generate strikes. When the lure is sitting on the bottom you can often feel a "tick-tick-tick" as the bass inhales the lure and chomps on it. Big ones will often just thump it hard, but sometimes they just suck it in and sit there. When you feel weight or anything unnatural, reel in the slack and set the hook. You also have to watch your line and if it starts to move then a fish has grabbed the lure and is swimming away. Reel tight and set the hook. The good thing about plastic worms is that they feel natural and bass will often hold on to them for quite a while compared to hard lures that they spit out instantly. The bad part of that is that bass often swallow these if you wait too long to strike, so use a barbless hook to give the bass a better chance of surviving after release.
Sometimes fish like a worm fished on a straight retrieve so I will mix it up with that as well. Sometimes when you are reeling the worm in fast after crawling it along the bottom you will see a fish chase it. That can be an indication that the fish are more aggressive and may respond to a faster retrieve. Normally I like to fish worms very slowly though. This is especially true in cold water when bass are unlikely to chase, but might slurp something up that crawls right in front of them.
Largemouth BassTechniques
There is no way I can cover all techniques for Largemouth Bass. I will touch on the ones I use the most which are: plastic worms/lizards, drop shotting, senkos, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters. At least one of those will work pretty much everywhere I have fished for them, from Wisconsin to Mexico.
Largemouth Bass Lures
Plastic Worms and Lizards - The plastic worm is one of the oldest bass lures and it still works very well. I have grouped plastic lizards in here as well because I tend to fish them the same way. Personally I like Berkeley 7" Original Power Worms or Power Lizards as my basic worm lure. I like the ribbontail design. Black/Blue Flake, Purple, Watermelon, Green Pumpkin and Black with Chartreuse tail (for muddy water) are the colors I use most often. I like Black in the summer when the fish are feeding on shad, and Watermelon and Green Pumpkin in spring and fall. That's usually what I start with, but you often have to experiment to see what the fish want that day, in that light, with that water clarity, etc.
I usually fish worms either Texas rigged or Carolina rigged sometimes if they are deeper (see videos). I use the lightest weight possible to get them to the bottom because a lot of times you get a bite while it is sinking so it shouldn't sink too fast. Once they hit the bottom you let them sit there for a bit, then slither them forward on the bottom a foot or two and let them sit again. If there is a rock or something there, inch it over the edge and have the worm fall vertically down the side, as this will often generate strikes. When the lure is sitting on the bottom you can often feel a "tick-tick-tick" as the bass inhales the lure and chomps on it. Big ones will often just thump it hard, but sometimes they just suck it in and sit there. When you feel weight or anything unnatural, reel in the slack and set the hook. You also have to watch your line and if it starts to move then a fish has grabbed the lure and is swimming away. Reel tight and set the hook. The good thing about plastic worms is that they feel natural and bass will often hold on to them for quite a while compared to hard lures that they spit out instantly. The bad part of that is that bass often swallow these if you wait too long to strike, so use a barbless hook to give the bass a better chance of surviving after release.
Sometimes fish like a worm fished on a straight retrieve so I will mix it up with that as well. Sometimes when you are reeling the worm in fast after crawling it along the bottom you will see a fish chase it. That can be an indication that the fish are more aggressive and may respond to a faster retrieve. Normally I like to fish worms very slowly though. This is especially true in cold water when bass are unlikely to chase, but might slurp something up that crawls right in front of them.
Bass are ambush predators that have often have dramatic strikes, even small ones:
Drop Shotting - Drop shotting involves suspending a small plastic lure above a weight using the drop-shot knot (See Knots). This is then either cast out or dropped down and then jiggled up and down and then allowed to rest. You should keep the line somewhat taut throughout so that you can feel the bite, which can be very subtle. There is a good explanation of the drop-shotting technique in the How To Videos section.
Personally I have always liked using the Roboworm 4" in a purple or shad color for drop shotting. These work so well that I have never felt the need to seriously give anything else a try. It is soft and just undulates better than other plastic lures. These always seem to generate strikes for me if there is not some other hot color that I know of that is working on the particular lake I'm fishing. If the bass are feeding on shad I like the Natural Shad color. Most of my drop-shot fish have come on one of those two colors and I usually only switch when I run out of them. I use the Baby Bass color too if there are a lot of Bass fry swimming around. When the bite is on you can go through a lot of these lures as they are pretty soft and you usually don't catch more than a bass or two on each. You don't usually get huge bass while drop shotting (although you never know) but it is a good technique for numbers. If I can't buy a bite on a well presented drop shotted plastic then I assume it is shaping up to be a tough day. The second you feel a bite you should set the hook.
Here is what you need for drop shotting:
Personally I have always liked using the Roboworm 4" in a purple or shad color for drop shotting. These work so well that I have never felt the need to seriously give anything else a try. It is soft and just undulates better than other plastic lures. These always seem to generate strikes for me if there is not some other hot color that I know of that is working on the particular lake I'm fishing. If the bass are feeding on shad I like the Natural Shad color. Most of my drop-shot fish have come on one of those two colors and I usually only switch when I run out of them. I use the Baby Bass color too if there are a lot of Bass fry swimming around. When the bite is on you can go through a lot of these lures as they are pretty soft and you usually don't catch more than a bass or two on each. You don't usually get huge bass while drop shotting (although you never know) but it is a good technique for numbers. If I can't buy a bite on a well presented drop shotted plastic then I assume it is shaping up to be a tough day. The second you feel a bite you should set the hook.
Here is what you need for drop shotting:
Senkos - In the world of lures these have to be one of the easiest things to fish. You can rig them either Texas or wacky, cast them out (unweighted if fishing shallower, and with a small weight if fishing deeper) and just let them sink. Sometimes you will see the line move off in which case a fish has taken it and you should reel up the slack and set the hook. Personally I don't fish with Senkos if it is too windy to see the line move, because that is the main indicator of a strike. It takes a little practice to be able to tell when a fish has taken it as opposed to the line just moving steadily out as the lure sinks, but with a little time you will see what it looks like when it is just sinking and know that if it does anything else it's a fish. If you don't see the line move in an unusual way, just let it sink to the bottom and wait a bit. Lift the rod slowly and if you feel weight, set the hook. If not, lift it up a few feet, reel in a bit, and let it sink again. I usually do this 2-3 times before reeling in. The main temptation with Senkos is to try to do too much with them. For whatever reason bass just love eating them if they just sink and sit. Personally I mostly fish these when the fish are relatively shallow.
If you fish them wacky style (hooked through the middle) it's a good idea to use o-rings and hook those instead of the Senko itself. This makes them last much longer. Otherwise, you only get about one fish per Senko which can add up during a hot bite. See below for wacky rigging tools and o-rings.
I had a small bass in a little pond in my backyard a while back. Once in a while I would throw a lure in there to see if he would hit it. He was wise to everything but the Senko. Bit that thing every time.
When fishing with Senkos, I like to use barbless hooks because they often swallow them. I try to set the hook quickly to avoid that; if you let them eat them for a while they generally swallow the hook.
If you fish them wacky style (hooked through the middle) it's a good idea to use o-rings and hook those instead of the Senko itself. This makes them last much longer. Otherwise, you only get about one fish per Senko which can add up during a hot bite. See below for wacky rigging tools and o-rings.
I had a small bass in a little pond in my backyard a while back. Once in a while I would throw a lure in there to see if he would hit it. He was wise to everything but the Senko. Bit that thing every time.
When fishing with Senkos, I like to use barbless hooks because they often swallow them. I try to set the hook quickly to avoid that; if you let them eat them for a while they generally swallow the hook.
Spinnerbaits - These are one of the easiest lures to fish. For the most part you just cast them near cover, let them sink for a bit, then reel them straight back in. They don't really look exactly like anything natural, but bass sure nail them. I like them because they don't get hung up on things that much since the wire deflects most snags. You can cast them into surprisingly heavy cover. When the lure bounces off of the snags, that often triggers the fish to strike. I like to give them a quick twitch when I start reeling them in to make sure the blades are spinning. I also like to tip the hook with a plastic grub tail (usually clear with sparkle) for even more action. You can cover a lot of ground with these quickly. I prefer various plastics once I have located concentrations of fish, but these can help you find them.
Swimbaits - There are an incredible variety of swimbaits that are designed to be fished in a multitude of ways. I'll focus on the types I am most familiar with, which are small plastic swimbaits used to imitate shad and very large swimbaits used to imitate trout.
For the small shad swimbaits, I primarily use Keitech Fat Swing Impact and Easy Shiner plastics in the 3-4" sizes. The Fat Swing Impact has a bigger profile and puts out more vibration, while the Easy Shiner is more subtle and I use it in clearer water. My favorite color is Electric Shad. I use these in lakes with a large shad population, and generally fish them on a straight retrieve in areas with threadfin shad. Shad often give themselves away by dimpling on calm morning and evenings, and bass often give themselves away by busting these shad on the surface with big splashes. I like to fish these lures on an underspin jighead to add some additional flash. The Keitech baits are soft and tear easily, but they work better than anything else I've tried. Scroll below to purchase.
The other type of swimbait I sometimes use is the large trout imitation. I am far, far from an expert on these but having spent a lot of time in Southern California I felt they were worth a mention. This technique is used primarily in California to target big bass in lakes that are stocked with trout. The swimbaits are generally between 6"-12" and designed to resemble stocked trout. There are a wide variety of them, some of which float, others of which suspend, and others of which sink fast. Retrieves used vary widely as well from reeling quickly to barely moving the lure. You will have to do some research on what swimbaits work in your local lake and then focus on how to fish those particular ones. You generally will not get a lot of fish with these, but most of the biggest fish caught in California come on these (and sadly quite a few come from illegally using live trout for bait as well). You have to really commit to throwing these baits for a long period of time, because after a couple hours of chucking these heavy baits with no results it can be very tempting to go back to the drop shot or some other high percentage technique.
There are also some great hard body swimbaits that mimic other fish, such as the Jackall Gantarel which has several very realistic bluegill colors. It swims in an "S" motion when retrieved steadily and with the right twitch can be made to do a 180 and stare down any following bass which can trigger a bite. They are not cheap, but when you hold one you can see they are worth it. Scroll down for a link to purchase.
Crankbaits - Crankbaits are pretty easy to fish; generally you just cast them out and retrieve them at a steady rate. They generally dive to different depths so it makes sense to use one that dives to the depth where the fish are (usually it says on the box how deep they go). Crank fast to make it dive and then retrieve steadily to keep it at the depth you want. Many times strikes will come right after the lure bounces against an underwater log or rock. Some of them have rattles, which are good in murky water. My personal favorite is the Bomber Fat Free Shad. I have had 100 bass days on those things. My favorite color is Citrus Shad, although obviously the best color depends on conditions and local forage.
When bass are in open water busting on shad, I like to switch to lipless rattling crankbaits like the Rattlin Rapala shown below. Just cast them through the busting schools and hang on.
Topwaters - Topwaters work well in certain situations, such as early or late in the day in hotter months. They are also a good bet in areas that are very weedy and other lures get fouled up. I like the popper type lures like the Rebel Pop-R and the Rico Popper. I cast them out, let them sit for a bit, pop them once or twice, then let them sit some more. The strike usually comes while it is sitting. I'll experiment with how fast to work it; sometimes when the bass are more active I'll work it quicker. However, I always pause it because that is when nearly all the strikes come in my experience. I like to cast them either right against cover or out in the open if there is a lot of surface activity going on in the area.
Swimbaits - There are an incredible variety of swimbaits that are designed to be fished in a multitude of ways. I'll focus on the types I am most familiar with, which are small plastic swimbaits used to imitate shad and very large swimbaits used to imitate trout.
For the small shad swimbaits, I primarily use Keitech Fat Swing Impact and Easy Shiner plastics in the 3-4" sizes. The Fat Swing Impact has a bigger profile and puts out more vibration, while the Easy Shiner is more subtle and I use it in clearer water. My favorite color is Electric Shad. I use these in lakes with a large shad population, and generally fish them on a straight retrieve in areas with threadfin shad. Shad often give themselves away by dimpling on calm morning and evenings, and bass often give themselves away by busting these shad on the surface with big splashes. I like to fish these lures on an underspin jighead to add some additional flash. The Keitech baits are soft and tear easily, but they work better than anything else I've tried. Scroll below to purchase.
The other type of swimbait I sometimes use is the large trout imitation. I am far, far from an expert on these but having spent a lot of time in Southern California I felt they were worth a mention. This technique is used primarily in California to target big bass in lakes that are stocked with trout. The swimbaits are generally between 6"-12" and designed to resemble stocked trout. There are a wide variety of them, some of which float, others of which suspend, and others of which sink fast. Retrieves used vary widely as well from reeling quickly to barely moving the lure. You will have to do some research on what swimbaits work in your local lake and then focus on how to fish those particular ones. You generally will not get a lot of fish with these, but most of the biggest fish caught in California come on these (and sadly quite a few come from illegally using live trout for bait as well). You have to really commit to throwing these baits for a long period of time, because after a couple hours of chucking these heavy baits with no results it can be very tempting to go back to the drop shot or some other high percentage technique.
There are also some great hard body swimbaits that mimic other fish, such as the Jackall Gantarel which has several very realistic bluegill colors. It swims in an "S" motion when retrieved steadily and with the right twitch can be made to do a 180 and stare down any following bass which can trigger a bite. They are not cheap, but when you hold one you can see they are worth it. Scroll down for a link to purchase.
Crankbaits - Crankbaits are pretty easy to fish; generally you just cast them out and retrieve them at a steady rate. They generally dive to different depths so it makes sense to use one that dives to the depth where the fish are (usually it says on the box how deep they go). Crank fast to make it dive and then retrieve steadily to keep it at the depth you want. Many times strikes will come right after the lure bounces against an underwater log or rock. Some of them have rattles, which are good in murky water. My personal favorite is the Bomber Fat Free Shad. I have had 100 bass days on those things. My favorite color is Citrus Shad, although obviously the best color depends on conditions and local forage.
When bass are in open water busting on shad, I like to switch to lipless rattling crankbaits like the Rattlin Rapala shown below. Just cast them through the busting schools and hang on.
Topwaters - Topwaters work well in certain situations, such as early or late in the day in hotter months. They are also a good bet in areas that are very weedy and other lures get fouled up. I like the popper type lures like the Rebel Pop-R and the Rico Popper. I cast them out, let them sit for a bit, pop them once or twice, then let them sit some more. The strike usually comes while it is sitting. I'll experiment with how fast to work it; sometimes when the bass are more active I'll work it quicker. However, I always pause it because that is when nearly all the strikes come in my experience. I like to cast them either right against cover or out in the open if there is a lot of surface activity going on in the area.
Largemouth Bass Baits
Largemouth Bass readily eat a variety of baits, although many fishermen choose to pursue them primarily or exclusively with artificial lures. Some good baits include crayfish, shad, and bluegill (where legal). Generally, any small fish that is legal to use should get attacked by a bass. Whatever type of bait you use, it needs to be lively. Bass very rarely hit dead bait. When fishing with bait you run a higher risk of hooking the bass in the gut, so if you plan to release fish you should pinch down the barbs on hooks. That way, if the fish gets hooked in the stomach you can still easily get the hook out with less (although some) damage to the fish. However, it is fairly easy to avoid gut hooking them if you keep close tabs on the bait and set the hook at soon as the bass takes it. I have found that I don't gut hook any more fish with bait than I do with soft plastics, which are also often swallowed.
Crayfish - Crayfish, also known as crawfish or crawdads, are considered good to eat by both people and bass. I like to fish them weightless (or perhaps with a small split shot if fishing very deep), with a relatively small baitholder hook. I hook them right where their nose would be in front of their eyes. This allows them to move fairly freely. Be careful not to hook them in the brain or you will kill them. I also like to remove one of their claws by grasping it hard with pliers. If you trap their claw and start squeezing, they will release it and close off the wound. If you pull it off, they can die. I cast the crayfish into a likely spot, let it sit for a little bit, and then walk it back extremely slowly. I don't even reel; I slowly pull it along by hand, then reel in the slack, then slowly pull it along some more. If I feel a thump and the line starts to move off, I release the line from my hand and set the hook. If the crayfish starts to tug excitedly, it's probably afraid of a nearby bass so I let it stay in that spot a while. They don't jump around for no reason.
Shad - Bass are very fond of both Threadfin and Gizzard Shad. They are often a pain to catch and keep alive, but if you have a means to do so they are a great bait. They need a lot of oxygen in the bait tank and die quickly if they lose slime and scales from being jostled or handled too much. Hook them through the lips and fish them under a bobber or weightless, or with a split shot if the fish are deeper.
Bluegill - Where legal, small Bluegill are a great bait. They are generally easy to catch with a small hook and a piece of worm. Tiny bits of Gulp worms work well and stay on the hook better than the real thing. They key is to use a very small piece; Bluegill are nibblers and will peck away at larger pieces of bait without biting the hook. Use a piece that a small Bluegill can easily engulf in its mouth. Once you have a small Bluegill (I like ones in the 3-5" range), hook it through the mouth and nostril either under a bobber or weighted with a three way swivel if the fish are deeper. When you feel small vibrations, that means the Bluegill is swimming around nervously. When you feel a heavy thump, that means a bass has taken it. Wait a second and then set the hook.
Largemouth Bass Spawn
If you have never caught a Largemouth Bass you should go in the Spring when they are spawning. Depending on what part of the country you are in this could be sometime between March and May. During this time small male bass flood the shallows and can often be easy to spot. The big females come in for a much shorter time but are more vulnerable to being caught than they usually are. The small male bass can often be caught one after another on drop shotting and other similar techniques. Anyone can feel like a pro bass fisherman during the spawn, even if they don't have a boat. If you can catch them like that every other time of year then you really are a pro.
Where to get the big Largemouth Bass
The biggest bass in the US are consistently caught in California, Texas, and Florida. However, the big ones are tough to catch as almost all trophy waters in this country receive heavy pressure. The best places to target the trophies and have a good chance of landing one (even if you aren't a pro) are all in Mexico. Lake Baccarac and El Salto kick out a lot of trophies each year. Agua Milpa is awesome for numbers of smaller fish with the occasional bigger one thrown in and Huites has a lot of mid-size bass with an occasional double digit fish. I have fished Agua Milpa and Huites but not the other two. Security concerns unfortunately cloud these fisheries at the moment, but hopefully that will not continue. People still fish them frequently in spite of that.
Other Largemouth Bass Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Largemouth Bass. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
Largemouth Bass readily eat a variety of baits, although many fishermen choose to pursue them primarily or exclusively with artificial lures. Some good baits include crayfish, shad, and bluegill (where legal). Generally, any small fish that is legal to use should get attacked by a bass. Whatever type of bait you use, it needs to be lively. Bass very rarely hit dead bait. When fishing with bait you run a higher risk of hooking the bass in the gut, so if you plan to release fish you should pinch down the barbs on hooks. That way, if the fish gets hooked in the stomach you can still easily get the hook out with less (although some) damage to the fish. However, it is fairly easy to avoid gut hooking them if you keep close tabs on the bait and set the hook at soon as the bass takes it. I have found that I don't gut hook any more fish with bait than I do with soft plastics, which are also often swallowed.
Crayfish - Crayfish, also known as crawfish or crawdads, are considered good to eat by both people and bass. I like to fish them weightless (or perhaps with a small split shot if fishing very deep), with a relatively small baitholder hook. I hook them right where their nose would be in front of their eyes. This allows them to move fairly freely. Be careful not to hook them in the brain or you will kill them. I also like to remove one of their claws by grasping it hard with pliers. If you trap their claw and start squeezing, they will release it and close off the wound. If you pull it off, they can die. I cast the crayfish into a likely spot, let it sit for a little bit, and then walk it back extremely slowly. I don't even reel; I slowly pull it along by hand, then reel in the slack, then slowly pull it along some more. If I feel a thump and the line starts to move off, I release the line from my hand and set the hook. If the crayfish starts to tug excitedly, it's probably afraid of a nearby bass so I let it stay in that spot a while. They don't jump around for no reason.
Shad - Bass are very fond of both Threadfin and Gizzard Shad. They are often a pain to catch and keep alive, but if you have a means to do so they are a great bait. They need a lot of oxygen in the bait tank and die quickly if they lose slime and scales from being jostled or handled too much. Hook them through the lips and fish them under a bobber or weightless, or with a split shot if the fish are deeper.
Bluegill - Where legal, small Bluegill are a great bait. They are generally easy to catch with a small hook and a piece of worm. Tiny bits of Gulp worms work well and stay on the hook better than the real thing. They key is to use a very small piece; Bluegill are nibblers and will peck away at larger pieces of bait without biting the hook. Use a piece that a small Bluegill can easily engulf in its mouth. Once you have a small Bluegill (I like ones in the 3-5" range), hook it through the mouth and nostril either under a bobber or weighted with a three way swivel if the fish are deeper. When you feel small vibrations, that means the Bluegill is swimming around nervously. When you feel a heavy thump, that means a bass has taken it. Wait a second and then set the hook.
Largemouth Bass Spawn
If you have never caught a Largemouth Bass you should go in the Spring when they are spawning. Depending on what part of the country you are in this could be sometime between March and May. During this time small male bass flood the shallows and can often be easy to spot. The big females come in for a much shorter time but are more vulnerable to being caught than they usually are. The small male bass can often be caught one after another on drop shotting and other similar techniques. Anyone can feel like a pro bass fisherman during the spawn, even if they don't have a boat. If you can catch them like that every other time of year then you really are a pro.
Where to get the big Largemouth Bass
The biggest bass in the US are consistently caught in California, Texas, and Florida. However, the big ones are tough to catch as almost all trophy waters in this country receive heavy pressure. The best places to target the trophies and have a good chance of landing one (even if you aren't a pro) are all in Mexico. Lake Baccarac and El Salto kick out a lot of trophies each year. Agua Milpa is awesome for numbers of smaller fish with the occasional bigger one thrown in and Huites has a lot of mid-size bass with an occasional double digit fish. I have fished Agua Milpa and Huites but not the other two. Security concerns unfortunately cloud these fisheries at the moment, but hopefully that will not continue. People still fish them frequently in spite of that.
Other Largemouth Bass Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Largemouth Bass. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
A short video on how to fish the drop shot technique for bass:
A short video on how to Texas rig a plastic worm for bass:
A short video on how to fish a Texas rigged plastic worm for bass:
A short video on how to fish Senkos for bass:
A short video on how to fish Carolina rigged plastics for bass:
This site contains excerpts from many sources (mostly related to Florida bass fishing but still applicable other places): http://inshore.com/tips-largemouth.html
Bill Murphy's In Pursuit of Giant Bass is excellent although it was written before swimbaits.
These guys have awesome bass tackle: http://www.performancetackle.com. I especially like their custom rods; very light.
If you want to catch the biggest ones in the Midwest this is your guy: www.wibigfish.com
This is a great operation that fishes Agua Milpa and part of the proceeds go towards a local orphanage. You should catch a lot of bass here: http://www.fishinmissionadventures.com/index.html
Bill Murphy's In Pursuit of Giant Bass is excellent although it was written before swimbaits.
These guys have awesome bass tackle: http://www.performancetackle.com. I especially like their custom rods; very light.
If you want to catch the biggest ones in the Midwest this is your guy: www.wibigfish.com
This is a great operation that fishes Agua Milpa and part of the proceeds go towards a local orphanage. You should catch a lot of bass here: http://www.fishinmissionadventures.com/index.html