Trending
By Walt Young
For the Mirror
When bass season opens on Saturday, June 11, all species of fish will once again be fair game in Pennsylvania.
The start of bass season, however, typically doesn't generate the crazy amount of activity the first day of trout season does. That's probably because trout are stocked by the thousands in so many Pennsylvania waters, making all those easy-to-catch hatchery fish readily accessible for opening day anglers.
While bass fishing is also tremendously popular, the start of the season simply doesn't include that "get 'em while you can" mindset, so fishing pressure for bass tends to be spread throughout the summer rather than concentrated to the first few days or weeks of the season.
Overall, the largemouth bass tops the list as the nation's most popular freshwater game fish. Largemouths are now found in all the lower 48 states and southern Canada and have been transplanted well into Mexico, Central America and most other continents as well.
Much of the largemouth's popularity and expanded range is because it does well in a wide range of habitats, from small farm ponds to the largest manmade reservoirs. Smallmouth bass were originally native to the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada from Manitoba and Quebec and south to Tennessee and eastern Oklahoma. Smallmouths have also been introduced into almost every other state but are not as widespread as the largemouth because of their preference for mostly clear water and gravel, rocks and other hard bottom structure.
Smallmouth bass thrive in rivers, while largemouths are primarily lake dwellers in the northern part of their range. In Pennsylvania, all of our major river systems are now well known for their smallmouth fisheries, even though smallmouths are only native to the Allegheny and Ohio River watersheds.
Those great gamefish were introduced to the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers during the late nineteenth century. Here in our region, the Juniata River and its Raystown and Frankstown branches produce many miles of great river smallmouth fishing. Most stretches of the Juniata are easily waded, and float-fishing from a small boat or kayak is also a popular way to fish the river.
Along with their widespread availability, bass appeal to anglers because they are strong fighters when hooked and can reach respectable average size in most waters where they are found. The world record largemouth weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces and was caught from Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932. That long-standing record was tied in 2009 by a monster bass taken in Lake Biwa in Japan. The Pennsylvania state record largemouth bass weighed 11 pounds 3 ounces and was caught from Birch Run Reservoir in Adams County in 1983. The world record smallmouth bass came from Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee in 1955 and tipped the scales at 11 pounds 15 ounces. Pennsylvania's record smallmouth weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was caught from Scotts Run Lake in Berks County in 1997.
Both species of bass are highly adapted and efficient predators that can catch and eat virtually any creature they can swallow and happens to be found in, on or around the water they inhabit. This extremely varied diet means bass are likely to attack a wide variety of baits and lures, a trait that endears these fish to both fishermen and tackle companies.
Shiners and other baitfish are always top live-bait choices for bass. Rig minnows gently through the base of the tail or the dorsal fin so the bait will stay alive longer while struggling somewhat, making it and irresistible target for any bass nearby.
Probably more lures have been produced specifically to catch largemouth bass than every other of species combined. Many hardcore bass fishermen seemed determined to collect as many of those lures as possible, and I am certainly one of them. While packing tackle for a bass-fishing trip a couple of weeks ago, I realized my biggest problem was not deciding what lures to take along but rather what lures to leave at home.
In more practical terms, I try to stock my tackle bags around a core foundation of proven favorites and fill in with new and different lures as space, fishing time and tackle budget permits. Regardless of the destination or time of year, a selection of soft-plastic lures is likely to be a part of my bass fishing strategy. Plastic worms, tube jigs and creature baits all catch bass in most situations. Another "must have" soft-plastic bait for several seasons now has been the Bass Pro Shops Split Tail Stik-O.
Crankbaits are go-to baits for covering lots of water on either a lake or river environment and come in every color scheme imaginable. Square-bills and shallow divers work well for summertime river fishing, while medium and deep divers can locate largemouths hanging on deeper structure. Spinnerbaits are another versatile favorite that can be both effective and fun to fish, not to mention the vicious strikes these lures can provoke.
Seeing a bass crash a surface lure is always exciting. For open water, topwaters that have a "walk the dog" action such as a Zara Spook are a good choice. Around heavily matted weeds, it's hard to beat one of the hollow-bodied soft-plastic frogs. And for sheer topwater fun, a buzzbait is hard to beat.