Nowadays, it seems like every bass fishermen wants that brand new bass boat that can get them across the lake in a few minutes. I have to admit that I am guilty of this as well. With all of the great bass fishing tournaments on television showcasing some of the best bass fishing boats that money can buy, how could you not want to fish on one of those boats every time you go fishing. If you have ever been on a bass boat with a 250 horsepower motor, you know that by just taking off, you can get a rush of adrenaline. It is fun to go fast unless it is forty degrees outside.

This year, I am going to take more time out to go bass fishing in ponds than I did last year, especially on weekends when I know the nearby lake is going to get pounded by way too many fishermen. I have caught some enormous bass in ponds over the past few years and there are a few things that I do to find the best ones in my area. Depending on where you live, google may have a satelite image of your area that allows you to zoom in and find ponds. Go online and search google maps, then type in your zip code. In some areas, you may not find much, but if you do have a bunch of ponds nearby, check them out. You might be missing something.

So go ahead and take a look at the google map in your area. Select the satelite view so you can actually see the water. Find a few ponds that you would like to fish and I will show you how to weed out the bad ones. When spring hits, wait until you get a week or so of warmer weather. I’m talking about weather in the 60s and maybe even the low 70s. This will turn the bass on and they will move into the shallows to feed. Make sure to check out the ponds during good fishing conditions. I never try to find a new pond after a cold front or during the middle of the day during a 90 degree heat wave.

Fish the peak times. During the late spring, mid afternoon through the evening will be best because the water will have time to warm up. Now, if you’re fishing during the best times, you should catch fish. I don’t just try to catch fish though. I target big fish. I know that in the spring, smaller baits work best, but I am looking for ponds that have big bass. It’s not fun for me to catch 10 to 12 inch bass with no hope of catching a big bass. I am looking for ponds that have some bass in the 2 to 5 pound range, although, in my area, a 5 pound bass out of a pond is not common, so I would consider a pond that has 2 to 3 pound bass in it a good bass pond.

To target big fish, I use one bait: a live chub. I catch live chubs out of a nearby creek with a small hook and a kernel of corn. I will catch 12 to 18 chubs in the 5 to 7 inch range and head out to the pond. I will take the biggest chub I have and cast it out with just a big hook attached. These big chubs will swim all over the place if you don’t have a bobber or weight attached. Just let them swim freely and give them some slack line. Make sure to keep an eye on this rod or you can lose your fishing rod. With my other rod, I will take a smaller chub and cast it along the shorelines. I use the same setup as my other rod: a big hook and a chub with 12 to 17 pound test line. I will work this live chub along the shoreline just like I would use a plastic worm. A slow lift and fall retrieve works best. The live chub will only last about 10 or 12 casts if I am careful, then it will die. It will work just fine dead so keep working it like a plastic worm.

I will give each spot about 5 to 10 minutes and I will try to fish most, if not all of the pond in a couple of hours. If I catch one fish in the 2 to 3 pound range, it becomes one of my ponds to fish in the future. With big chubs, you won’t catch many small bass, but if I do catch a couple of smaller bass less than 2 pounds, I will come back and fish this pond. If I don’t get a single bite after 2 hours of prime time fishing with my favorite big fish bait, I will never go back. There isn’t enough time to mess around with average to below average ponds. After a couple years of this, I found 2 excellent ponds in my area and in one pond I have caught over 10 bass over 5 pounds with the biggest bass weighing in at 7 pounds. In the other pond, I catch mostly 2 to 3 pound bass and one at 5 pounds in 2 years.

With both of these ponds, I know that if I have an hour and a half to 2 hours, I will get 3 or 4 bites from fish in the 2 to 3 pound range every single time. (this is with live bait though, but it is consistent). I probably fished 7 or 8 ponds before I found these ponds, so make sure to do your research and do it during late spring. This is how I find big bass in ponds. If you enjoy using lures, that’s fine, but save yourself some time and get some big creek chubs. By the end of the spring, you should have at least one pond worth fishing throughout the rest of the year.

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Article provided by Kevin Sewell at Ultimate Fishing Site

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It really feels great to talk about things that could stimulate your imagination and excitement. After the hectic stress of doing your activities for the whole week, you can no longer wait for the weekend to come. You start packing up your things and simply waiting for the wee hours in the morning and get ready for your trip to Ocala Florida.

While on the trip, everybody in the vehicle is sharing the enthusiasm in their journey to a land of big bass and warm weather.

There’s no place like Ocala Florida. If you want to make your fishing vacation more pleasant by remembering that it is a fishing vacation, make it a point that you are prepared to enjoy the whole experience, which includes kicking back and enjoying your friends, your surroundings, and your brief respite from the daily cares of your life. But some of the people who spend their vacation do it not simply to relax themselves from their stressful days but they go for bass fishing for a purpose. There enters the tournament, the competition of big bass fish fever caught by many anglers.

Before entering any Bass fishing tournament in Ocala, Florida try to remind some of these things:

The first step is to be sure that you have established your actual fishing goals and then ensure that they are in fact realistic, based on the amount of time you plan to spend seeking those goals.

The majority of bass fishermen will tell you that they are going to Florida seeking that elusive goal of catching a bass over ten pounds. If this is your goal have you considered how much time you will be able to spend in this endeavor? Fishing for a bass that size is what you have been doing since you started bass fishing; will eight hours on the water really give you that chance you are looking for?

Your decisions to hit the waters of Florida are a step in the right direction, but remember, fishing is fishing: can you realistically expect to get it done in an eight hour day? Sounds easy but the truth is, it’s not.

The Florida Game and Fish commission makes a list each year of what they consider to be among the top ten bass lakes which will give you a starting point. This list is based on both shock surveys and creel counts that are reported by fishermen during creel surveys. You now need to narrow the list down to your selection and the only way to do this realistically is to get several references based on other people’s experiences. This is where they usually hold the tournaments. Ocala, Florida rarely leaves that list.

Most noted lakes and reservoirs in or near Ocala Florida are:

LAKE GEORGE

Lake George is one of the premier largemouth bass fishing lakes in Florida. It is the second largest lake in the state (46,000 acres), and is 18 miles northwest of Deland and 29 miles east of Ocala.

Lake George is one of the many natural lakes on the St. John’s River. It has extensive vegetation that provides excellent habitat for bass. Wade fishing in eelgrass with plastic worms fished on the surface, and other top water artificial lures, is productive. Fishing with live shiners is an excellent method for catching trophy bass during the spring spawning season.

Hot spots on the lake include Juniper, Salt and Silver Glen spring runs on the western shoreline. In winter and early spring, look for bass to congregate at the jetties on the south end of the lake. Casting deep-diving crank baits near old dock structures along the northeast shore and off Drayton Island can also be productive.

STICK MARSH/FARM 13 RESERVOIR

Created in 1987, the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 Reservoir is synonymous with trophy bass fishing. This 6,500-acre reservoir near Fellsmere, west of Vero Beach, became one of the hottest bass lakes in the country during the past decade. FWC biologists predict a continuation of excellent largemouth bass fishing in upcoming years. Electrofishing samples continue to indicate good reproduction and growth of bass in the reservoir.

Anglers can locate bass throughout the reservoir among a variety of habitats including woody stump fields, submerged canals and hydrilla. Summer 2004 hurricanes drastically reduced levels of hydrilla throughout the reservoir, however, which can affect where the bass are located. Anglers should keep this in mind when trying to pattern fish. Plastic worms, spinner baits, crank baits, soft jerk baits, and top water propeller baits are effective. Wild golden shiners are the top choice for anglers looking to catch a trophy fish.

The recreational harvest regulation for largemouth bass anglers is catch-and-release. There is a two-lane boat ramp, paved parking lot, picnic pavilions and rest rooms. No gasoline, food, ice or other facilities are available on site. This area is part of the St. Johns Blue Cypress Management Unit, see here for a recreational map of that unit.

These are some of the lakes where tournaments have been held and could be the place where future tournaments can be done. Try to practice and study the area so that when tournament time comes, you have an edge over the competition.

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Article Source: Enjoying A Bass Fishing Tournament

Today, there are more and more people trying to learn and find out what the buzz is all about. Bass fishing is more than just catching a fish. Its now about getting those prized big bass and having the opportunity to show it off. For beginners there are lots more to bass fishing that meets the eye.

First, try to know the lures that you must have to enjoy bass fishing.

And do you know what the top 3 lures for catching Bass are? Although there was no particular gauge that was presented by the researchers, a survey was performed among the pro bass fishermen and it was found that plastic worms was the most patronized and ranking on the second and third place were the spinner bait and then the crank bait.

However, picking one of these 3 is not enough. Some factors are still needed to be considered. Primarily, you must consider if it is better to cover a smaller segment of water thoroughly or skim across a larger area as quickly as possible to find fish. Using a worm is slower, but absolutely effective and is very seductive to Bass. They do best when the fish are schooled over a particular structure.

The problem that usually arise with fishing with a worm is the inability to sense strikes. Usually the inability to sense them is due to a sinker that is too heavy and a line that is too thick.

To help you to overcome this predicament you are advised to use a variable buoyancy worm using lead strip sinkers. Here are some of its advantages:

• No moving lead on the line to dampen the feel of a gentle pickup

• You can apply the precise amount of lead to deliver the worm action needed

• It makes it easier for a bass to inhale the worm

• It aids in hook setting

• It’s easier to shake loose from snags

• You can cause the worm to hang virtually suspended over the bottom when fishing shallow water.

To tell how much lead strip is needed, wrap one strip around the hook and bury the barb in the worm. Ease it into the water and watch it sink, it should barely settle toward the bottom. If it sinks to fast, take some off, etc. Make sure to use no heavier than 8-pound mono line – preferably 6 pound.

On the other hand, a Spinner bait can be moved more quickly across the surface and can be bounced on the bottom, sent against a tree limb and moved in many different ways in order to stimulate strikes. It is a great probing lure for the shoreline because of its tangle-free construction.

Lastly, Crank baits cover a lot of water in a hurry. Using them, you can check out a spot without wasting too much time. You can use them for locating fish that may be scattered.

The most important thing is, no matter what lure you select for the particular lake that you are fishing on, you need to make it as easy for the Bass to get at it as possible. Drop that lure right in front of them. Scientists have proven that Bass calculate the amount of energy it will take them to go after the prey.

Discover and learn to use one of those lures that you preferred to use for you to really find enjoyment in bass fishing!

Aside from considering the lures, it is also important to determine the accurate time in going for bass fishing.

Dawn and dusk are definitely when the biggest bass can be brought in. First, remember that bass love ambush spots offering lots of cover from the baitfish. They like to hid, and pounce on their prey.

These bait fish are most active in the early morning or evening. When they feed, bass follow because the baitfish is less aware of threats when they feed. Go out fishing during these times for the best success.

When retrieving an underwater lure in poor light, keep it coming at a steady pace once it is set in motion. This will make it easier for bass to locate and grab it.

The last thing is, don’t bother going out in the dawn/dusk when water is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature wipes out certain aquatics and terrestrials, which nullifies the food chain feeding.

Lures and proper time of going on bass fishing are ample factors only that must be taken into account because other aspects such as water quality considerations and weather conditions are also necessary for you to win the game on bass fishing!