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Into the Outdoors: Bass Fishing

It’s summer! Not technically, but Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff. The weather isn’t acting like it, but it is. It’s the time of golf, cooking out and a lot of other summer fun. For those of us of the angling persuasion, however, one certain thing really stands out. That would be bass fishing.

As far as I’m concerned, ounce for ounce, there is no better fighting fish than the smallmouth bass, often nicknamed “bronzeback.” Even very small ones, when hooked put up a fight, including leaps from the water. In fact, leaping is sort of a trademark with them. I have a limited edition art print entitled “The Splash,” by Maynard Reese, which depicts a huge smallmouth in midair.  

Around here, we are lucky that the Allegheny River contains a very good population of many kinds of fish, especially bass. It is also my favorite fishing water, both from shore and from a boat.  

When it comes to the actual fishing, I tend to use live bait nearly all the time. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, it is very effective. Also, considering the high incidence of snags involved in river fishing, it is a lot cheaper to replace a hook and sinker as opposed to an expensive lure. Surface lures, of course, solve this problem, but I have not found them to work very well, at least for me.

There are a number of baits which will work very well on smallmouths. One of these is the humble old nightcrawler. When rigged properly, they are hard for a fish to resist. They are also easy to obtain, and cheap to buy. When stored properly, you can keep them for a long time.

Minnows might be even better than crawlers when it comes to catching Allegheny bass.  They are easy to get, as just about every bait store sells them. You also have the option of trapping your own. Just find a deep pool in a stream, bait your trap with a bit of bread or dry dog food, toss it in and tie it off. Some anglers feel that “crick minnies” are better than the bought ones, as they appear more natural to the fish,  Who knows?  I have had success with both types.

Perhaps the very best bait for bass is the soft shelled crab. They are, of course, actually crayfish, but they are usually called crabs in these parts. Bass seem unable to ignore them.  There are a few problems with them, though. First of all, they are very hard to find, as many, if not most, bait stores do not carry them. Further, if you do find them, they are often frightfully expensive. On top of all that, lots of fish other than bass also love them. It is pretty painful to have expensive bait stolen by rock bass and other small fish.

Over the years, I have often found hard shelled crabs in the stomachs of bass I have cleaned.  I have, however, never had any success using them as bait. Go figure.

Now, we come to the issue of what to do with the bass you catch. There are those who feel that it is imperative to release them all. While I see nothing wrong with catch and release, I also see nothing wrong with catch and eat. Fresh bass filets are, in my opinion, a genuine taste treat. Hushpuppies or french fries make them even better.

Bass aren’t the only quarry for the angler. Catfish (which merit a column of their own) are also hitting by now.  

There’s other neat stuff to do in June besides fishing. It’s a good time to hunt woodchucks. Opportunities for outdoor photography also abound. Enjoy!

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