Learn How to Catch Largemouth Bass

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A Brief History of Bass Fishing in America
It’s damp & cold down here in the basement. You’ve come by to visit a million times. To the casual observer it might appear cluttered, but Grandpa knows where each and every piece of fishing gear lives…

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The Origins of Fishing Sonar
It’s a blast from the past. Take a look at the original depth finder(s) and see just how far fishing electronics have come in a relatively short period of time.

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Jason Lucas of Sports Afield
Learn a bit more about one of the first fisherman to publicly say they favored the blackguard largemouth bass over the beloved brook trout!

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Buck Perry and the Spoonplug
Take a look at one of the most iconic lures (and anglers) of all time – a pair that helped anglers learn more about the depths below while actively hunting largemouth bass.

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Bill Binkelman and Fishing Facts
Unlike Jason Lucas and Buck Perry, Binkelman has a much more collaborative spirit and he formed a lasting friendship with Al & Ron Lindner, helping to bring more quality fishing information to the masses.

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Explosive Bass Fishing in the 60s & 70s
Largemouth bass fishing absolutely exploded in America throughout the 60s and 70s. Let’s take a look at some of the major changes and innovations that came to be. The sheer volume is almost head-spinning!

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How We Benefit from Pro Tournaments
Professional bass fishing tournaments. You either love ’em or hate ’em – but no matter what your personal opinion is, there are things that all of us can learn from these events to become better anglers.

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A Brief History of The In-Fisherman
When you’re a fisherman from up north guiding around Sam Rayburn in Texas, sharing with your brother an abundance of knowledge – but not an abundance of cash… how do you pay the bills? I wonder…

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The Location of Largemouth Bass by Region
Lakes & reservoirs. Streams & ponds. Huge water. Small water. Pits & rivers. The overall range of the largemouth bass is absolutely incredible. A testament to the versatility and hearty nature of this green beast.

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The F4 Rig
Flexible Finesse Fluke Fishing. AJ’s F4 Rig grew out of necessity. Local lakes are covered in muck top to bottom. In winter suspended debris make jerkbaits and other traditional baits unusable. Something different is required to catch bass…

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How to Identify Florida Strain Largemouth
“WE need to stock some Floridas!” This is a battle cry of many a bass fisherman in the northern states seeking trophy bass. There are a few problems with stocking Florida strain bass up north, though… who said stocking was easy?

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The Largemouth: Mr. & Mrs. Generalist
Many fish have “specialist abilities” that allow them to survive and thrive in certain ecosystems. The largemouth bass? He and she are generalists, and as a result these fish can adapt and survive in many different environments.

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How Largemouth Bass Feed
For years the brook trout was the most popular fish in America. These days, it’s the largemouth bass. How does one fish feed differently than the other – and how does that translate into more fish in the boat?

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The Physical Makeup of Largemouth Bass
The broad body of the largemouth bass is vastly different than that of a northern pike. Pike are swimming missiles, but does their incredible speed make them a more effective predator than the highly maneuverable bass?

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The Ideal Body Shape of a Fish
Lean & slender, or thick and bulky? What are some of the advantages (and disadvantages) that come with the different body types exhibited by the 20,000+ species of fish on this planet? Trout, bass, pike – oh my.

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How Do Largemouth Bass Grow?
How do location, weather and forage all factor into the “growing season” of the largemouth bass? Where could the next world record largemouth bass be “grown”? Probably not where you’d expect…

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Largemouth Bass Food Preferences Over Time
What do tiny largemouth bass eat compared to big ‘ol donkeys? From egg sac to gizzard shad, crayfish, frogs & beyond – let’s talk about what these fish eat so we can imitate their prey and catch ’em.

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What is Counter Shading?
Is this an art class? No. This is an explanation of what countershading is, and why it is so advantageous for largemouth bass for both protection and camouflage while stalking prey.

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Catch More Fish by Doing What Everyone ISN’T
“Hey man, can you please tell me where you caught that fish?!” No. No that never works. Let’s talk about a few ways that you can approach other anglers and gather information both on and off the water effectively.

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Prey Size for Largemouth Bass
What are the lower limits of what a bass will eat? How about the upper limits? Can we figure out what size lure we should use when targeting a certain size largemouth, based on their body length? Yes. As a starting point…

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Prey Size for Largemouth Bass – Part 2
Let’s go ahead and dig even further into the meals on the big bass buffet, and also discuss the ideal range of forage size when compared to energy gained versus energy spent.

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Largemouth Bass Senses: Sight
Largemouth bass share the 5 primary senses with us: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. But there is a sixth as well: lateral line sensitivity. Let’s dig deeper into these senses to learn how a bass explores it’s world.

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Can Largemouth Bass See Us From Underwater?
Have you ever been walking along a shoreline and noticed a large dark mass shoot out and away from the shallows? There is a good chance you just scared a trophy… so did they see you, or hear you… or both?

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What Colors Can Largemouth Bass See?
The color spectrum is different for many different animals and species. Cones and rods, yellow to purple and fluorescents… what colors can largemouth bass actually see?

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How Do Fish Eyes Work?
Walleye have eyes that work differently than those in the black bass family. This article is a combination of both science and speculation to help us make more educated decisions on the water and in the field.

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How Do Bass Hear vs. Feel?
“Man, did you see that bass swoop out and hammer my bait?!” Oh absolutely, but the question is: did she feel it, or hear it… or maybe even both?

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How Do Largemouth Bass Smell?
There are so many inappropriate jokes I could make right now… but let’s stay on task… want to see what largemouth bass can smell? Pull my finger. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

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How Do Largemouth Bass Taste?
If you’re looking for a tasty recipe for bass, we’ll have to discuss that at a later date. Today we’re going to review how – and when – largemouth bass taste things in the water.

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How Do Largemouth Bass Feel?
How do they feel about what? Sorry. Dad joke. Largemouth bass feel with their face, which sounds odd, but read this article and then apply it to your bass fishing!

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How Do Largemouth Bass Feed?
There are a few different ways that largemouth bass will approach an object to either engulf it, eject it, or pass it over completely. Certainly they don’t have free will… right?

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4 Feeding Strategies of Largemouth Bass
I’ve used this picture a lot – but it’s such a clear example of what a bass might try to eat. Or attack. But… aren’t bass typically ambush predators? It’s not that simple…

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Popular Bass Baits for Every Feeding Strategy
See that piece of structure over there? It’s lookin’ all BASSY… time to make a ruckus! Let’s break down a plan of attack based on the 4 feeding strategies of largemouth bass. Get some.

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Do Largemouth Bass School
If largemouth bass “school up”, then that means once we find them, we can catch more of them – faster… right? Well sort of… but it depends how you define the word “school”.

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Top 4 Stickbaits for Largemouth Bass
If you fish bass… try stickbaits. They’re easy to fish, they resemble food, and they get bit. These 4 will catch largemouth anywhere in the country – trust me – you need them in your tacklebox!

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3 Tips for Locating More Largemouth Bass
Lately I’ve struggled to find bass up shallow. As a bank fisherman (75% of the time) this is a problem. We need to get offshore, and ‘Ol Jonnie Boy might be able to help…

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Largemouth Bass Activity Levels
Go hard! All out! Get after it! Good idea – but nobody, man or beast, can operate at 100% intensity all day every day. When and how to largemouth ratchet it up… or dial it back?

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How to Fish Ultra-Clear Pits & Quarry Lakes
Clear water and spooky fish make for a challenging day on the water. These lakes & pits force you to change up your approach – and that’s exactly why you need to fish ’em!

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Bass Vision: Horizontal vs Vertical
Is there a difference in what largemouth bass can see vertically vs horizontally? New research suggests the answer is yes… but what does that mean for us fishermen? Let’s discuss…

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Do Bass Prefer Vertical or Horizontal Baits?
Do largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and spots prefer baits that move across the horizontal plane? Yes. So what does that mean for fishermen and hard bait manufacturers?

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Largemouth Bass Seasonal Movement
Do bass care what time it is? What year it is? What month, day or season it is? Nope. So… what do they care about, and what triggers their movement? Let’s discuss.

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Largemouth Bass Strike Windows
What works and when it works can change on a weekly, daily… yes… even an hourly basis. Understanding the difference between bass strike windows can help you catch ’em more good!

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What Affects the Strike Window of Bass?
Strike zone. Strike window. Interchangeable terms, but there is no doubt that certain outside factors can increase – or decrease – this important, invisible area around the snoot of a bass.