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Good bass fishing book?

5K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Wild Bill 
#1 ·
I am wondering if anyone can suggest a book that I could purchase which will help me learn the in's and out's (or at least introduce me to them) of bass fishing? I know a little but as far as how or when to fish certain lures, how to texas rig, or T rig, these things I do not know. I went out last season about 6 times and only was able to catch anything on spinners. I tried other things, but had no luck. I am guessing with some more information from a book I will be better prepared as to what and how to use other things. I also don't know anything about line, hook sizes/types. I did get a book last year at Walmart which introduced my to some of the stuff, but I guess I may need more on tactics. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greately appreciate it. Thanks.:letusfish
 
#2 ·
Try the In Fisherman Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Books, they give a basic understanding of different types of lakes.seasonal patterns, etc. Their video series is also pretty good,they make a good visual reference for the books. There are numerous books out if you are looking for advanced techniques and rigging try to get a copy of the bass techniques gien at the BASS UNIVERSITY the are pretty informative,tight lines and good luck in the upcoming season
 
#4 ·
The In-Fisherman books are must reads. They won't help you much with rigging ideas though, but you will develop a detailed understanding of bass on repeated readings. I actually like the book Bassmasters "gives" you for that sort of basic rigging stuff and when-to-use-what advice.

The Freshwater Angler--Largemouth Bass book is also very good.
 
#7 ·
The best reading material that I've come across is Bassmaster magazine. It provides all types of tips, articles, and up to date info on the latest trends. It also provides plenty of information on the sport in general. It's a great read and when you sign up they usually throw in some type of incentives (eg. a few baits or a hat).
 
#8 ·
Take your pick

Some of these are related to local rivers in Virginia, but many good 'generic' bass fishing books.

Journey on the James by Earl Swift / University Press of Virgina.


(book):
"Smallmouth Bass" by Dick Steinberg
"River Fishing-a happy world" by Dan Gapen Sr.
"River Smallmouth Bass-how-to fish" by Dan Gapen Sr.


(video):
In Search of Smallmouth
Advanced Smallmouth for Lakes and Reservoirs
Stalking Smallmouth
Smallmouth Bass-America's Greatest Gamefish

Ed Gertler, author of Keystone Canoeing

Tony Bean's Smallmouth Guide

Angler's Guide to Bass Patterns by Larry Larsen

Talks about how to pattern bass. Again, like most of Larsen's books, it's a bit superficial but despite that it's a decent read.

Bass Guide Tips : Tactics of Top Fishing Guides by Larry Larsen

I don't guide so don't know if it will help an aspiring fishing guide but the book does offer some good tips on how to locate fish fast.

Bass Lures Tricks & Techniques : new, innovative ways to fish artificial baits by Larry Larsen

If you're a newcomer to the sport of fishing, get this book. It will help you understand the different baits and how their meant to be fished.

Productive Tactics for Shallow Water Bass by Larry Larsen

Again, not bad. Not too technical or in depth but a good starting point.

Modern Book of the Black Bass by Byron Dalrymple

Old book - very scientific. I recently read that this book has been updated and re-released. I haven't seen the new version but the old one was excellent.

Circle on Bass: Bass Wisdom From a Master by Homer Circle

I liked this book probably because I like Uncle Homer. It's more of book for an intermediate staged bass fisherman.

Caught Me a Big 'Un... and then I let him go! by Jimmy Houston

If you want stories about Bass Fishing, then this book is for you but don't expect to learn anything useful.

Roland Martin's 101 Bass-Catching Secrets by Roland Martin, edited by Tim Tucker

Ok but nothing is gone into any depth. You may pick up a tidbit here and there but ol' Roland doesn't explain the reasoning behind any one of his secrets. He just kind of blurts them out and expects you to accept them at face value.

Denny Brauer's Jig Fishing Secrets by Denny Brauer and Monte Burch

Not bad. If you never fished a jig successfully, get this book. I think you'll find it helpful. On the other hand, if you're already proficient with a jig, don't bother... he won't tell anything in this book you don't already know.

Denny Brauer's Winning Tournament Tactics by Denny Brauer and Monte Burch

A tournament fisherman may look at the title and think that this book is for him... DON'T BOTHER. The book doesn't really talk much about how to prepare for and fish a tournament. It does talk about fishing tactics in general but nothing not covered anywhere else by other writers.

Big-Bass Secrets by the Experts at "Outdoor Life" magazine

This book is actually reprints of articles originally published in "Outdoor Life" magazine. Well, like the magazine, some articles are good some are not. The book is worth the read though.

Behavior of Teleost Fishes by T.J. Hara

Ok, this is a scientific book. But if you're into that kind of stuff, read this book.

Catching Bass Like a Pro by Steve Price with Guy Eaker

More of an intermediate book, kind of like Uncle Homer's.

Largemouth Bass - An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies by a bunch of In-Fisherman guys

Just get this book. Best book on Largemouth Bass Fishing I ever read. Read this book and when Mr. Jig mentions "early stage oli lake", you'll know what he's talking about.

Smallmouth Bass - An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies by a bunch of In-Fisherman guys

Be sure that when you buy the In-Fisherman Largemouth book, that you buy this one too.

Just do it!

I recently ordered from the library: Knowing bass : The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Dr. Keith A. Jones. The book isn't in yet but I'm really looking forward to reading it because this is the guy that did all those studies for Berkley (Pure Fishing). Supposedly, all the results from Berkley's tests are in this book.

Charlie Brewer's little booklet about Crappie and Bass Slider Fishing.

HOOKED!, its hardbound, and on the cover is a guy who looks like 'ol Bill Clinton, hooking up a smallie.

Finesse Bassing-Michael Jones
Stream Smallmouth-Tim Holshlag
In Fisherman Largemouth bass Fishing in the 90's
Here's one I liked not because it taught me anything but becasue it was just plain interesting to hear a legend talk....How to Think like a Fish-Tom Mann

Them Ole Brown Fish" by Billy Westmorland.

The Scientific Angler -available at most local libraries; covers interesting topics ranging from color perception of fish at specific depths to line stretch and oxygen and thermal considerations.
The Philosophical Fisherman by Harry Blaisdale
Written by a trout fisher at heart. Includes chapters on bass, pike but you can tell where his true love is. This book is old but timelessly humourous. Worth the search

Stream Smallmouth Fishing Tim Holschlag


"Small Stream Bass"
John Gifford
The Countryman Press 2002

"River Smallmouth Bass - How to Fish"
Dan D. Gapen Sr.
No publisher listed 1987

Them ol' Brown Fish- Mr. Billy Westmoreland.

The Complete Book of Tacklemaking by C. Boyd Pfeiffer. Excellent book covering everything from molding plastics to rod building. I reference that one a lot. Another good one is Lure Making (
i think that's what it's called) by A.D. Livingston. Good book regarding lead head lures.


Fishing Rivers & Streams by Dick Sternberg. – The Hunting and Fishing Library
800 328 3895

Lucas on Bass by Jason Lucas

Orvis' "Reading a Trout Stream" by Tom Rosenbauer

Hook, Line and Sinker , by Gary Soucie

A Guide's Secret Smallmouth Patterns , by Mike Mladenik

The Complete Book of Tacklemaking by C. Boyd Pfeiffer.

Virginia Whitewater by Roger Corbett

"How Fish Work: Fish Biology and Angling"
by Thomas J. Sholseth, DVM
Frank Amato Publications
2003

ISBN 1-57188-239-1


All of Dan Gapen's books are interesting. I remember reading articles by him in Fishing Facts magazine twenty years ago. I bought these three at once to save shipping but they overlap quit a bite:

River Fishing "a happy world "
River Smallmouth Bass "how-to fish"
Small Stream Fishing "Creeks to Love and Remember"

I would get Small Stream Fishing "Creeks to Love and Remember" if I were getting only one.
http://www.gapen.com/
https://ssl10.securedata.net/gapen/books-videos.html

Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia.
This book weighs 9 pounds and makes all prior books of it's type look like pretty feeble efforts.
I am still combing it for an error i can pounce on Ken about but no luck so far....Shucks.

For 2 BEAUTIFUL coffee table book/dream books, look at:
Greatest Fishing Locales of North America and the recently released, Spectacular Fishing.

Both of these are to be prized by all RS members as my beautiful mug appears in the Beauchene chapter in each.
Best.
dick

"Spoonplugging" by Buck Perry...

IN PURSUIT OF GIANT BASS by Bill Murphy
Virginia Whitewater
A paddler's guide to the rivers of Virginia
Roger Corbett

Keystone Canoeing
Maryland and Delaware Canoe Trails
Garden State Canoeing
Edward Gertler

Fishing the Upper Potomac River
Ken Penrod

Flyfisher's Guide to Virginia
David Hart

The James River Guide
The New River Guide
The Shenandoah and Rappahannock Rivers Guide
Bruce Ingram

The Susquehanna River Guide
Christopher Beatty

Wildwater West Virginia
Davidson, Eister, Davidson, and Walbridge

The Shenandoah River: An Illustrated Canoe Log
Matacia and Cecil

The Delaware River Smallmouth Bass Fishing Handbook
Blaine Mengel, Jr.

The Delaware River
Fulcomer and Corbett

Blue Ridge Voyages
Corbett and Matacia

Classic Virginia Rivers
Ed Grove

The books by Corbett and Gertler are particularly useful and well written. They are paddling guide books. The Ingram, Hart, and Penrod books are written for fishermen.

Larry Dablemont's "Rivers to Run"
 
#10 ·
Video

Senko Sam said:
Get videos if possible - a picture is worth a thousand words
I agree with every video EXCEPT Charlie Brewer's SLIDER fishing one.

That one is the biggest snoozer I own!

The book thoughs a literary art. So simple, yet so easy to read and miss the fine points of SLIDER fishing.

If there's one book to get and read continuously, I'ld recomment SLIDER fishing by Charlie Brewer.
 
#11 ·
Hookup, that is some impressive list of references. I too enjoy reading as much as I can get my hands on about fishing, especially in the winter months.

I will add, Sowbelly to the list of books. I thoroughly enjoyed this one about the search for the quest for the next record LMB. I will also ditto on Brewer's book on Slider fishing.

Videos: Love almost all of the In-Fisherman ones. "A Day on the Water with Al Linder" is recommended. I also like Don Iovino's video on Finesse/Split-Shot fishing along with his book. West Coast's Bazz Clazz videos are good too for finesse lovers (Garland Bros. on gitzits and Dick Trask on Split-Shotting)
 
#17 ·
Here are a few tips to get FREE info...

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits puts out an annual catalogue that you can get for free by calling 1-800 645-2248 and requesting a catalogue of their products. In that catalogue, they show many of the most common soft-plastic riggings, very well pictured. Learn those well, as that can be wealth of knowledge right there.

Then, once you see how to rig the baits for techniques, then do a search using the "SEARCH" function here at NYBass.com about them, like drop-shotting...or Carolina rigging, Wacky, or Texas riggings, as examples.
Once you've done searches on those techniques, you then have a "foundation of knowledge'' which you should then ask questions here about what you need to know further.
There is a wealth of info at your fingertips, for free too...
 
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