Best Tackle For Largemouth Bass

According to Commonwealth's Department of Fish and Game's best tackle for Largemouth Bass Tactics is:

* A 5'6" baitcast rod and reel w/10-12 pound test line - Lures: a 1/2 ounce white/chartreuse spinnerbait - topwater baits (Zara Spook, Jitterbug, Pop-R, buzzbaits) worked near structure late April to late September - Texas-rigged plastic worm - soft-bodied stick bait (Sluggo, Bass-Assasin) - crayfish or shad colored crankbaits cast along drop-offs Fishing Tip: Spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse are easy to fish since all you have to do is cast it out and reel it in. However, altering the retrieve (fast or slow, constant or jerky) and paying constant attention to the lure will always bring more fish to the boat or shore. When teamed up with a plastic or pork trailer, spinnerbaits are one of the more effective offerings available.

* A 6' 6" or 7' medium-heavy baitcast rod & reel w/15-20 pound test line - Lures: 3/4 ounce black & blue flippin'jig with a blue pork frog trailer - Texas-rigged plastic worm or lizard in black or purple - weedles crawdad colored jig and plastic trailer Fishing Tip: Flip or cast the lure into the thickest cover you can find. Lightly raise and lower the rod tip, letting the lure bounce off the structure and settle to the bottom intermittently as you reel in. Cast to deeper structures when the temperatures are cold, shallower cover during the warmer months. Keep a finger in contact with the line to feel the strike. The strike can be subtle but you will quickly learn the difference between a bite and a bump from a tree limb or rock.

* A 6' medium action spinning rod and reel w/8-10 pound test line - Lures: Rapala Husky Jerk - topwater baits listed in Tip number one - finess plastic worms (4-6") - 1/8 to 1/2 ounce lead jigs with auger-tail plastic grubs Fishing Tip: Use a jerk-and-pause retrieve past rocks, lilly pads and trees. Fish have a tendency to hit this lure on the pause so be ready and pay attention to the line at all times. Many of the lures used with this type of spinning gear are not weedless so be careful just how close you get to the structure. Although this type of gear does not have the "power" of the baitcast rigs listed above, it still has enough gusto to set big hooks rigged weedless (Texas-rigged or Carolina-rigged plastic worms, etc).

* A 5'6" spinning rod and reel w/4-8 pound test line - Lures: Rebel Wee Craw - 1/16 to 1/4 ounce bucktail jigs or plastic grubs - light stick-baits (Rapalas, Rebels) - small crankbaits - ultra-light topwater lures Fishing Tip: Cast to rock humps or near downed trees (be careful because the velcro-like hooks will readily snag anything in their path). Use a consistent, medium-speed retrieve to get the lure down as deep as it will go. The strikes can be surprisingly vicious as the rate of retrieve teamed up with the yank from the fish results in a very abrupt stop. Don't expect to use this gear to horse lunkers from snag-laden structure. Instead, anticipate sporting fights from even modest 2-pound largemouths. Ripping a small fish out of the water with 20-pound test doesn't exactly get the adrenalin pumping. Let that same fish start ripping line off the spool of a 6-lb or even 4-lb test rig, however, and you'll remember the catch quite vividly.

Include any of these and yuo will have optimal Largemouth Bass Tactics .