Bass

 How to catch bass

North American native fish,and are found in lakes,streams,rivers,sloughs,ponds.

The southern large mouth is bigger than the northern fish.Fish weighing more than 5 lbs.are not uncommon in the south.A bass that big is exceptional in the northern states.

Bass thrive in weedy,rocky shallow lakes,canals,ponds and backwaters.They can tolerate water temperatures in the 90s and are usually in depths of 20 feet or less.

Spawning generally takes place when the water temperature reachs between 60 and 75 degrees.They spawn in water a few inches to three feet deep.

Bass are very wary fish.Popular fly styles vary from trout type dry flies to corks,spinners,plastic worms,poppers and bucktail flies.The color ranges are solid black,purple,white,yellow,green and orange.

Bass love dense cover provided by grasses,tree trunks,brush,undercuts in the banks and rocks.Bass are hard to manage on a fly rod as they usually head for the dense cover of grass,limbs and aquatic vegetation.Because of this tendency the tippits ranging from 8 to 20 lb.test are best.

Very slow retrieves are the most effective on bass.Allow your bait to remain motionless for a few seconds before starting your retrieve.Allow your streamers or bucktails to sink to the bottom,then recover with line strips or hand twists.

Except during the spawning season bass in lakes feed on crayfish beginning at sundown in the areas of rocky cliffs reefs and rock ledges.When the bass aren't hunting crayfish they are usually feeding on minnows or aquatic insects.If leaches are present they will eat them with relish.

Dry flies ,small haired body bass bugs,leech imitations are all deadly on bass.Bass exceeding 6 pounds are sometimes caught in the Snake river drainage of Idaho,Oregon and Washington.In fast water a bass can put on a fight like a steelhead trout.The small mouth is more accrobatic then the large mouth bass but rarily jumps out of the water when hooked.

I fished the Clark Fork river and had a successful day catching bass.I used a golden spinner that resembled a minnow.The river is running a little bit high now but I noticed bass were coming to the rise,after bugs,so I decided too try the spinner out and boom hit after hit on the little lure.Mostly catch and release as the bass were in the 6 to 8 in range.

Fishing today was great as the bass were hitting on my grasshopper lure as fast as it hit the water.Most in the 10 inch range,catch and release fishing.

Anyways any day fishing is better than any day working.

How to fry a bass filet;

I take 4 parts cornmeal and 1 part flour

2 eggs for dipping,this helps the fish stick to the flour

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

A dash of salt and pepper

Drop it into the hot grease and let it cook until it flakes

Do not over cook.