Largemouth Bass Fishing Tips in Minnesota

Since Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes, there are ample opportunities for anglers to pursue largemouth bass. With all this water to fish, it takes the proper strategies and techniques to stay on a hot largemouth bass bite. Read on for tips and tricks that will help you catch more and bigger bass in the great state of Minnesota.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Find Those Bass!

Things You’ll Need:

Fishing rod and reel
Fishing hooks
FIshing jigs
Plastic worms
Crankbaits
Spinnerbaits
Live leeches

Step 1

Since Minnesota lakes have abundant weed growth, the best place to start fishing for largemouth bass is on the edge of the thick weeds. Bass use these areas as an ambush point to catch their prey, so casting a minnow imitating crankbait like a Shad Rap works well to lure bass out from the weeds for an easy meal.

Step 2

Early in the season, the weed beds have yet to fully mature and bass will sit down in the weeds waiting for a meal to pass by. Casting a spinnerbait and retrieving it so the lure just ticks the tops of the weeds is a great way to draw those bass up out of the weeds.

Step 3

In the heat of summer, bass go to deeper water to cool off. This can be a tough time to get bass to bite, but using a plastic worm rigged "whacky" style triggers bass to bite. Put the hook through the worm half way down the body. This will cause the worm to hang over on the hook and will dangle enticingly in front of a wary bass.

Step 4

When cold fronts roll through, the barometric pressure change causes the bass to go off the bite. Using live bait, such as leeches, can be a great way to still catch bass that maybe in a negative feeding mode. Fish slowly along deep weed edges and let the lively swimming action of the leech bring the bass to you!

Tips & Warnings

Live shiner minnows are another great bait for tough biting bass. Suspend them under a float and allow the rig to drift through a weed bed.

Use barbless hooks when using live bait for largemouth bass. If the bass takes the bait deep, the barbless hook will not injure the fish.

Resources

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Article Written By Brian M. Kelly

Brian M. Kelly has been freelance writing since 2003. His work has been published in respected outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Life, Great Lakes Angler and Salmon Trout Steelheader. He holds an associate's degree in automated machine design from Macomb College.

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