Bass

Rivers, which make up a significant bass-fishing resource in our country, function differently than reservoirs or natural lakes. River bass are subject to the regular rises and falls in flow, which plays a huge factor in where they locate within a river. When the flow is up, which it has been all summer on my home waters of western Pennsylvania, it pushes bass close to the bank.

It’s been a really good year so far on Kentucky Lake and a good time for some August bass fishing tips!

Maybe you've cruised past their huts on impoundments in your boat as you sped toward a distant fishing hot-spot. Or perhaps you've driven past the dams they created with their handiwork and the small ponds behind them on your way to a big lake destination. In either case, you'd do wise to step on the brakes of your boat or car and stop in to check out the tree-cutting work of your local beaver population a bit more thoroughly.  

The lowly rock bass won’t win many popularity contests among anglers. These fish are not sleek and powerful like a landlocked striper.

Find Out Why a Spoons Fluttering Action Drives Largemouth Bass Mad

With the advent of pliable floating frogs and toads, weedless metal spoons lost some lustre with the bass crowds. This is a shame, really, as the latter triggers fish with unique properties only a metal lure can produce.

No thrill in angling can match that of a hungry bass chomping down on a surface lure the size of a rat. But finding such aggressively-feeding fish is unfortunately the exception rather than the rule. When bass are in a finicky, skittish mood or not aggressively feeding, jumbo surface lures often fail miserably.

Slop mats hold ambush-oriented bass in great numbers. Concealed from the sun by the overhead canopy of vegetation, mats are easy to spot out on the water but can be a struggle to get through and to the fish. Here are four tips to help you punch your way in more easily.

By late June, most bass have moved to their summer hangouts. Dropoffs, weedlines and weedflats should be good, butthe edges of humps and reefs will usually hold the most fish. Anglers know it is around this time of the year when night fishing can improve the odds of success often between dusk and dawn.

Subtle changes in presentation can make a big difference in fishing success, something I was reminded of during last week's slate of guide trips.