Weeds
One can find largemouth bass in lakes, slow-moving rivers and ponds where there is ample weed cover. The weeds that grow in the shallows offer a bass a chance to hide from predatory fish larger than themselves, such as pike. Weeds also enrich the surrounding water with oxygen, provide shade from the sun in the hot weather and attract smaller fish that bass ambush. By finding weeds, an angler will find bass. Submerged weeds that are growing from the bottom and that do not reach the surface offer a person a chance to use soft plastic baits. Carefully rigging a hook Texas style so that it will not snag in the weeds allows this vegetation to be fished.
Retrieving lures such as crankbaits and spinnerbaits for the water above the weeds are also effective for bass. When weeds reach the surface, the same baits will work. The anglers should always use very strong braided fishing line in these scenarios to avoid losing a fish due to the line breaking. The strain of having to pull a fish through the heavy cover can be too much for ordinary monofilament.
Finding river smallmouth
Smallmouth bass will provide a much better fight when caught in a river as opposed to a lake. The current in a river combines with the fish's own strength to make the smallmouth a worthy battler. It is important to look in the right sections of a river for smallmouth. This kind of bass always prefers cool water in the warm months of the year. They will not be in great numbers where the current is very slow, since the water at that point will tend to warm more rapidly. Moreover, swift current makes a smallmouth have to work too hard just to move about. The angler should look for places in a river where the current is broken up by huge boulders, trees, logs and other types of structure. A point of land that juts out into a river is one of these "current breaks." Where shallow and fast water empties into deeper pools is where smallmouth are found. As the current brings food such as insects and tiny fish into the pool, the smallmouth will wait in the lesser current and then go after the offering in the deeper water. In times when there are low water levels, smallmouth bass retreat to the deepest pools.
Bass at night
Bass become lethargic during the day in the midst of summer when the temperatures are the hottest. The water temperature rises and bass will not feed actively. However, by fishing for them at night, an angler can find success. The sun goes down and bass will move in towards the shallower water after spending much of the day in the cooler deep levels. Using a topwater lure that mimics frogs, lizards, mice and injured smaller fish will work under these conditions. A lure known as a crawler that "wobbles" on the surface attracts bass. As it is reeled in, it kicks up the water and this will get the attention of a bass. Fishing with meticulous repetitive jerking motion lures like surface plugs are proven methods. Rigging a line with a night crawler and a split shot and letting it sit on the bottom can catch bass.
