Essential Bass Fishing Equipment: 5 Things You Must Have

Fishing is an activity that can have quite a positive impact on both your physical and your mental health. Keeping you fit, providing you with the necessary vitamin D, improving your concentration, as well as your self-esteem, making for a perfect excuse to spend the day with friends. Those are just some of the benefits that come with engaging in this particular activity. Therefore, it is definitely popular and has a large pool of enthusiasts ready to drop everything, grab their equipment and spend the day this way.

Bass are practically the most popular species to fish for nowadays, so if you’re just entering this world, that’s the type to consider. Plenty of reasons for their popularity, some of which are listed here, but the biggest one lies in the fact that these can be found pretty much anywhere. Yet, they don’t come in such huge numbers, meaning they’re not easy to catch, which only adds to the appeal of the activity. After all, people would surely lose interest in them if catching them was a piece of cake.

Anyway, if you’re not exactly a seasoned fishing enthusiast, and if you’ve just recently taken up this activity, or are thinking of taking it up, you’ll have to know how to get equipped for bass fishing. Going into it all blindly and without the right gear, although it could be funny and adventurous at first, will certainly soon lose all of its appeal, making you wonder why on Earth you haven’t geared up before leaving. Not something you’d like to experience, is it?

Well, if not, then you better gear up properly. Understanding what kind of equipment, you need for bass fishing is of crucial importance, which is why I’ve prepared a list of those things that you absolutely must have when aiming to enjoy this activity. Once you go through the list, you’ll realize which pieces of equipment you already have and which ones you have to get, meaning it will probably be time for you to go shopping. The great thing is, you’ll know what to shop for, so you won’t buy a bunch of useless stuff and ignore the items that could be extremely useful.

1. Rod and Reel, Of Course

What’s the first piece of equipment you’ll think about when you decide to go fishing? The one thing that will pop into mind even if you don’t know anything about this particular activity yet and even if you’ve never even seen people engage in it? A fishing rod, of course! This is the item that everyone knows they must have. But not everyone knows that the choice of rod and reel can actually make or break their entire bass fishing experience.

Professionals often have different types of rods and reels that they use for various purposes on water and that align with the different techniques and strategies they want to use. Since you’re a beginner, you’re most likely not ready to invest in all of those different types, meaning you’ll want to learn specifically which rod and reel could be perfect for bass fishing. A baitcasting rod and reel is the answer for you and, although it comes with a learning curve for beginners, they have proven to be amazing for a lot of lures and techniques you may want to use. Of course, what you should do next is consider the types of baitcasting reels in more details. That way, you’ll find something that will be perfect specifically for you, which is the whole point.

2. Hooks and Weights

Your tackle box should undeniably be equipped with hooks and weights. Having a good assortment of those will help you handle any kind of situation on the water and create loads of different presentations with your actual bass fishing tackle. And, while a lot of artificial lures usually come with their own hooks, fishing with soft plastic baits will require you to have a variety of different hooks for yourself in that tackle box, aiming at being perfectly prepared. For catching largemouth bass, you’ll need to have a combination of a bullet sinker, an offset shank hook, and barrel swivel.

3. Lures

Most experienced fishermen will bring a rather wide assortment of lures on their fishing trip. Yet, as a beginner, once again, you may not want to invest in a huge amount of those. The great thing is that you can go by with a few different ones, that is, with a tackle box that involves a combination of a few different lures, such as the topwater baits, square bill crankbaits and, of course, soft plastic baits.

The soft plastic baits stand out as the most commonly used ones for bass fishing. This is because, with them, there are basically endless tactics and presentations you can use so as to mimic bait fish or some other creatures that big bass actually target throughout the entire year. The wavy action that the soft plastic produces gives them the appearance of something swimming in water, which is definitely what you want if aiming at catching anything.

Read more on how to fish for bass: https://www.wikihow.com/Fish-for-Bass

4. Lines

Now, lines have to be carefully considered when it comes to bass fishing, because you will need to use heavier ones compared to the lines you could go for if you were aiming to catch trout or other smaller species. Fluorocarbon, monofilament, and braided are the three most common types of lines used by those fishermen that want to catch bass. Woven together from multiple strains of material, the braided line is essential in those areas with heavy cover and vegetation. The fluorocarbon is perfect for clear waters, and the monofilament line is great with lures that you will have to jerk or twitch on the retrieve.

5. Pliers

Having a good pair of fishing pliers in your equipment box is also essential. At one point or another, you’ll have a fish that is hooked deep in the throat and getting that out with your hands is extremely difficult. That’s where pliers come in, allowing you to easily remove the hook, while ensuring the survival of the bass.

If you’re thinking you can use any pliers whatsoever for these purposes, think again. While that may seem like a good idea initially, not having the right kind could lead to issues such as the pliers rusting or breaking. This is why you should aim at getting a great pair of needle-nose pliers, as those are narrow enough to reach into the mouth of the fish and thus remove the hook without any problems.