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T
he Largemouth Bass....quite possibly the most
popular freshwater gamefish in the country, even the
world. I know the trout guys will argue this, but hey, you
can go to almost any farm pond, lake, creek, reservoir,
or river in the Hudson Valley and catch Largemouth
Bass.
Largemouth Bass are actually the largest member of
the Sunfish family, (they’re not a true Bass) and are a
warm-water gamefish. They prefer weeds and fairly
shallow cover, but can be caught in 40 ‘+ at certain
times.
TheWorld Record Largemouth was caught by George
Perry on June 2,1932 in Montgomery Lake in Georgia.
It was entered in the Field and Stream Contest, then
taken home and eaten!! There have been several un-
official “record” Bass caught in Southern California, and
one officially to” tie” the record in Japan a few years
back. One well known Bass, “Dottie”, was over 25 lbs.,
but was never officially caught....she was “foul hooked”,
but never took a bait. She had a dark blotch on her
side, hence the name, Dottie.
You can catch Largemouth’s year round. Right after
“ice out” is an excellent time for a HUGE Largemouth.
The big females come into the shallow, North-facing
coves....all through Spring they stay in shallow cover,
near spawning areas and emerging weed beds. All
Summer and Fall, they’re pretty much everywhere....
docks, rocks, wood, points, coves , ledges, fallen trees,
shallow, deep, inside & outside weed edges.....as long
as the bait’s nearby. They also can be caught through
the ice. Some of my biggest Largemouth’s have been
caught ice fishing in farm ponds. Bringing in an 8 lb.
Largemouth, hand over hand, on a tip-up is pretty darn
cool!!
Largemouth’s can be caught on a large variety of
baits and lures. Soft plastic, Texas Rigged baits are the
most popular, due to the weedless presentation you
achieve by lightly skin-hooking the offset hook into
the soft plastic. Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits, Topwaters,
and Crankbaits are also good choices. Spinnerbaits/
Buzzbaits in and around weeds...Crankbaits, not so
much....try these aroundwood, rock, and outside edges
of the weedlines....points are key spots too. Probably
the most exciting way to catch Largemouth’s are with
Topwaters and Plastic Frogs. A giant Bass exploding on
your Frog and loading up your Flippin’ Stick will NEVER
get old!! HA ! Your heart may jump a few beats!! Just
remember.......count to 3......then SET THE HOOK!!
As for colors...a trip to a Bass Pro Shops could intimidate anyone!!
For Soft Plastics, stick to the tried and trued, more natural shades...
Watermelon, Smoke, and Green Pumpkin with your favorite color”
metalflake”, will always work....all these colors mimic Minnows, Perch,
Crayfish, and Sunfish, with the proper flake colors. Bright colors, like
Chartreuse, and good old plain Black or White, can be very good at
certain times and situations too. Experiment...soon you’ll have your very
own favorites!
For Spinnerbaits, White or White/Chartreuse with Gold/Silver blades
are the standard, but try more subtle Minnow-like hues in clearer water
and All Chartreuse or Chart./Black in stained/muddy water. Reel faster in
clear water and try to bump objects in muddy water.
LARGEMOUTH
BASS
by
Ralph Ferrusi I II
Part of my 18 lb winning bag on the Hudson River.