Black bass are of the genus Micropterus. Black bass are the most popular sport fish in north America and their value to Florida is immense. Largemouth bass are adapted to warm waters of 80-82 degree F, and are seldom found deeper than 20 feet.

Bass is the name given to several members of the sunfish family and to several members of the sea bass family. Bass can survive in water from thirty-five to eighty degrees but the ideal temperature is sixty- eight to seventy degrees. Bass feed on a wide range of organisms. Bass also choose their food based on their size. Bass spawn when the water temperature reaches 62-65 degrees Fahrenheit.

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a species of fish in the sunfish family. It is also known as the bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, and southern largemouth. Largemouth bass are sometimes lovingly called “hawgs” (hogs), by fishermen because of their voracious appetite. They have been found by fishermen dead on the banks of the river with a turtle lodged in its mouth having literally bitten off more than it could chew. They have been caught by others after having just eaten a sunfish with an inch or two ot the sunfish sticking out of the fished throat, because the sunfish couldn’t be swallowed, yet it still hit the fisherman’s lure, in an attempt to eat more! Largemouth bass prefer to nest in quieter, more vegetated water than other black bass, but will use any substrate besides soft mud, including submerged logs. The largemouth bass are generally a light shade of green to brownish with a large black band of “spots” that run down the fishes side from around the gills to the tail. Largemouth bass do not go to the middle of the lake and sulk when spawning is complete, more so they swim the shallows, close to deeper water foraging for food. Largemouth bass survive both in summer and winter because they are cold-blooded. Largemouth bass eat minnows, crawfish, sunfish (called Bream in the south) and practically any other available fish species including their own. Largemouth bass are predatory and eat a variety of foods.

The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus. One of the black basses, it is a popular gamefish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stock to many cool-water rivers and lakes in the United States and Canada. The smallmouth bass is native to the upper and middle Mississippi River basin, the Saint Lawrence River–Great Lakes system, and up into the Hudson Bay basin. Its common names include Smallmouth, Bronzeback, Brown Bass, Brownie, Smallie, and Bronze Bass.

Smallmouth bass were often introduced to northern rivers now too warm for native trout, and slowly became a popular game fish with many anglers because they are scrappy fighters and seem to never give up or get tired, as well as surviving in about any cool water situation. The smallmouth bass is generally green with dark vertical bands rather than a horizontal band along the side. The upper jaw of smallmouth bass does not extend beyond the back of the eye. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the largemouth bass, and may be found in both still and moving water. Because it is relatively intolerant of pollution, the smallmouth bass is a good natural indicator of a healthy environment, though it can better adjust to changes in water condition than most trout species. In recent years, a renewed emphasis on preserving water quality and riparian habitat in the nation's rivers and lakes, together with stricter management practices, eventually benefited smallmouth populations and has caused resurgence in their popularity with anglers. The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. Today, smallmouth bass are very popular game fish, frequently sought by anglers using conventional spinning and bait casting gear, as well as fly fishing tackle.

Because of its importance as a game fish, the species (mainly the largemouth) has been introduced into many other areas worldwide, including nearly all of Mexico and south into Central and South America. As with nearly all aquatic species, pollution and drought are the biggest threats to the black bass population.

Bass prefer to build nests in hard-bottom areas along shallow shorelines or in protected areas such as canals and coves. Fish will stop at locations called "staging areas" on their way to spawning grounds. These staging areas are usually regions of deeper water in close proximity to shallow water. When the spawn is completed bass will remain in close proximity to the spawning areas for a number of weeks.

Females lay their eggs in the nests made by the male, and the male then guard the eggs until they hatch. The male fertilizes the eggs, which usually hatch within 4 days. The female can lay up to 21,000 eggs, and depending on her size, the female can lay up to 100,000 eggs, which are fertilized as they settle into the nest. After spawning is completed, usually five to 10 days, the male guards the nest and eggs and later the young (sometimes called fry) attacking anything that approaches the nest.

Bass are sunlight and temperature sensitive creatures. Bass are usually filleted when taken for the table, however, more and more Florida bass anglers are adopting "catch and release" angling, where the bass are returned to the water after being hooked and retrieved. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are parasitized by the bass tapeworm, black spot and yellow grub. Largemouth bass are well adapted to ponds and reproduce successfully, usually spawning only once a year.

If you ever get the chance to go “bass fishing”, black bass are great fun to catch. They sometimes are extremely finicky and you made need to ask a local “bait and tackle” store for advice on where to locate the fish and what they are “biting” on. That should make your trip more pleasurable and productive.

So now that you know what a "bass" is, wouldn't it be nice if You could catch one? Well, you can, and I can tell you how (to show you you'd have to make an appointment with me etc...). I will discuss some of the "typical" methods used by nearly everyone that fishes for these great game fish. We will start with what types of lures are used, then I will cover some of the "how to's" or ways that I use each lure we'll talk about. Not everyone fishes a particular lure or "bait" exactly the same. The way I use an artificial worm may be completely different than the way you use it. I may use a crank bait in one location while you might see me fishing it and wonder what in the world I am doing. So, to start, lets delve into some of the lures being used by most people. Most every lure I use are available at either a local store, say a Wal-mart, or you may even have a local "bait" shop or tackle store. It is said by a lot of folks that most bass lures are meant to catch fisherman because of the myriad of lures/baits and assotment of colors and such available to them. Most either look like, or resemble some sort of bait or forage food a bass might eat or you might find in your local pond, stream, river, or lake. Some are really great looking, some you will wonder yourself, what is this suppose to represent or look like. So, lets get into it.

OK, so your at your favorite fishin hole, its early in the morning, the sun is just beginning to poke its head through the trees and shed light on everything, a mist is creeping across the lake and the water itself looks like a giant mirror, not a ripple in sight. If you've never experienced this, you've just got to try it. What should you use, which lure? Well, lets just assume (and yes I know what assuming does) it is a mid-spring morning. This time of year I personally would either use a Top-water Minnow, my favorite being a Rapala floating minnow, or a "buzz" bait. Both offer some of the most explosive fishing known to fishermen. Now not everyone will agree with which is best, so just follow along. Lets start with the "buzz"bait. Looking at the picture of this bait almost immediately you have to ask, "what the h-e- double hockey sticks" it that thing suppose to look like? Well a buzz-bait may not look like anything in particular yet it produces very aggressive "hits" as they are called (when a bass strikes at the bait) from a bass. Like most top-water baits, the bass can strike or hit the bait (buzz-bait or floating minnow) with such speed and force that it will sometimes knock the bait out of the water and into the air, and never actually get the bait. Sometimes the strike is very subtle with only a very small ripple in the water. Both these baits are great morning baits. It may be because if you are out in the early morning the wind may have not started to blowing leaving the surface of the water very calm/still, and these baits can be easily picked up/seen by the fish, then followed. Either way, the hits on this type bait can be "heart stopping", meaning it can be a startling experience. They are quite fun to fish with and relatively easy to use.

So, the day is progressing and the top-water "bite" has slowed down, (they aren't hitting any top-waters any longer) now what? Well a really good bait that works mostly year round, can catch both large bass and small, is the "rubber" worm, or a "jig". The worm is called rubber because it is made of a very soft plastic/rubber. The worm is one of the most versatile baits in a bass fisherman's tackle box. It can be thrown into VERY heavy cover, fallen tree tops, brush under the water, in rocks, or even in heavy matted grass. Most of the time it is rigged, or used in what is called the "Texas" rig, pictured above. This "rigging" as you can see in the photo above makes the lure "weed"proof. Meaning you can throw it, or toss it into very thick cover which is a great place to find bass, without getting hung up, or hooked to the cover. Bass like to ambush their prey, or food. Also, like with a fallen tree or brush, it provides cover from the sun during the heat of the day (in summer), plus bait fish, minnows, hang around this cover also. Worms come in a plethora of colors and sizes. There are 4", 6" and 10 or 12" worms in "June-bug", blueberry, pumpkin-seed, red shad, moccasin, black shad, colors. They are also scent added, salt added, garlic impregnated, and the list goes on and on. Some have shinny metal flakes inside, some are nearly clear.

Then there are "jigs". Jigs are a lead headed hook, with a skirt wrapped just below the lead portion for weight. Again, the colors are as many as you can think of, and they come in assorted weights. Many times most fisherman will attach what is called a "trailer" to this lure. It is then called a "pig and jig". The pig part comes from the trailer portion being made from pork hide and fat. This lure most usually represents a crawdad. Some even come with small sound chambers that rattle ever so subtly and the bass can actually "hear" or feel the slight vibration of the noise. The jig is probably the most "need of practice" lures made. It takes a little getting used to the feel of this bait and more importantly, the feel of the strike or bite so as to know when to set the hook, which means pulling up on the lure relatively hard and fast, so as to sink the hook into the fishes mouth to pull it in.

Being surrounded by nature’s beauty can be fun. One can do it at the beach, in a luxury resort or just traveling out into the country for an hour or weekend. Fishing is another good activity one can choose to do to bond more with either family or friends.

There will always be challenges whether you decide to fish either on the river or in the open sea. The important thing to remember is to have patience waiting for the fish and doing the best to catch it when the opportunity appears.

To be able to fish, a person needs to get a fishing license since this is required by law and the regulations regarding fishing varies from state to state. Also, most of the places you will go to buy your license have regulation pamphlets on what size limits are on each species, how many you can keep, etc. Pay attention to these as you could end up buying a license and then paying some additional fees to the state in the form of a ticket from the local fish and game division!

Once that has been acquired, it is time now to get the proper equipment to start reeling in the fish.

The fishing reel was invented centuries ago. It dates back to the 17th century though some historians have discovered that the Chinese started using it as early as the 12th century. Until the 1800’s, the purpose of the reel was just a storage space for the excess line. This was later improved and various models were invented using different materials such as brass and nickel which are still in use today.

There are 2 things one should consider before buying the right reel,

1. Where will you fish?

There are many kinds of fishing reels available. The model used for bass fishing in a river, stream, lake, or farm pond, is quite different from those that might be used out in the open water of the ocean.

It is advisable for beginners to just get the basic package and have fun before moving on to more advanced equipment. A great “beginner” fishing reel I recommend, and have for years, is the Zebco 33. My father used one when I was growing up and was very skilled with it. He had very few if any problems with that reel. The “33” as it is loving referred to is easy to cast, will hold fairly strong line, and is quite rugged. I beat the crap out of dad’s and it still worked.

2. Will buying a fishing reel fit within ones budget?

With the many models available and after figuring out what kind of fishing reel one needs, it all depends on how much it costs and if that person is willing to spend it. Fishing takes a lot of practice before being able to excel at it. One can purchase a new reel either online or at the local store. Another way to get started could be buying a second hand reel first before deciding to buy a brand new one.

Being an expert at fishing won’t happen in one day. It takes practice and patience just waiting for that fish to “bite” and finally play it out when it does bite. One should always remember that it is all about having fun. Don’t plan on catching a “wall hanger” on your first visit, yet, we’ve all heard about the beginners luck! Get a good reel, a good rod, take your time and have fun. I heard it said one time, and I agree, that, “time spent fishing should not count against a mans time here on earth”.

I think that is great philosophy. Anyway, bass fishing is one of THE most relaxing things I have ever done. I have taken friends from work that have never gone and once on the water, and I give a few pointers, most everyone has said something like, “man, I never knew this was so relaxing, peaceful, and just down right great. Now, I love to bass fish, yet, if you are in a 9-5 (J.O.B.) you are limited to the weekend, when there is, usually, a bunch of folks out doing the same thing.

If you want to see how to do more fishing, yet not lose money, check this out. You could be fishing, having fun, relaxing, and making money at the same time. Just imagine fishing during the week when everyone else is at work! See how you could actually do this by clicking here.