Bass fishing can be simple with just a worm on the end of the line. You can take about any pole, a bobber and different baits out on the lake and have a pretty good chance of catching small mouth bass. If you want more of a game, you can go after large mouth and try different methods for catching sneaky bass.

Like other fish, bass will look for shelter to hide in and then they’ll sneak out to feed. Fish along any changes in the bottom. In a manmade lake, even try fishing by small changes such as the end of the cement dock where it drops, where the ground was ridged by bulldozers, or where a group of logs was left. Large mouth bass like roots, logs and messy areas, so be careful not to snag. One especially good place to fish is at the mouth of any tributary that brings fresh food into the lake.

Good bass baits include worms, plastic frogs, plastic worms and minnow lures.

Plastic worms are very popular all over the US. Check with your local fly shop or online discussion boards to see what’s working for a particular body of water and time of year.

Spingerbaits work great for bass when casting and retrieving. You can cover more water than bobber fishing and many anglers say these catch bigger bass. Just note, these don’t work so well on other species.

Another one is using crawfish as bait. Hook one on your line and jig it on the bottom.

Spoons come in handy, and you should have them in your tackle box for most kinds of fishing. Pull out a weedless spoon when you’re fishing around weeds.

George has been fishing for over 30 years. Check out his blog http://lake-fishing-reports.com for info on lake fishing and ice fishing reports.