Go into any tackle store and you can be overwhelmed by the different ways to catch bass- and they say there is a time and a place for every technique and lure. There is no hard and fast answer for choosing lures, for if you asked a seasoned bass angler the question... if you only pick one lure to catch bass what would it be, almost every angler would choose something different. Hopefully, this article can explain some of the basic and standard techniques for targeting bass in the North State.

Live Baits
It should go without question that fishing live bait is usually productive. Remember that all those lures and plastics in the stores are trying to represent or imitate a live bait. It should be noted that there is live bait restrictions on certain waters in the state so be sure to check regulations before introducing live bait into any lakes or streams.

Some of my earliest memories were of dangling a minnow under a bobber at Lake Shasta fishing for bass with the family. Minnows are a great bait for bass and can be used off the bank or boat. Using a size 4 to 8 hook depending on the size of minnow used, hook a minnow just behind the dorsal fin or by hooking the minnow just under the back of the jaw or through the nasal area. Both hook locations allow the minnow to swim freely. An active minnow will entice more bites, so keep your bait fresh. If using a bobber, place a small split shot or rubber core sinker about 12-18 inches above the hook. This keeps the bait down, for without the weight, sometimes the minnow will swim up to the surface. Set the bobber depth so the bait is just off the bottom if fishing a shallow area or at a selected suspended depth in deeper water. It can be helpful at times to vary the depth to get the bait into an area to entice a bite. Some anglers will also use minnows without a bobber, dropping the minnow to the bottom, reeling up a few feet and allow the minnow to swim freely just off the bottom. As bass often relate to structures like submerged brush-piles, trees and rock piles, this bobber technique can be effective and allow the angler to keep the bait from getting too close to the structure and snagging up. Keeping the minnows fresh with cool oxygenated water is very important. Nightcrawlers can be fished the same way and can be very effective, especially in ponds.

In lakes such as Trinity and Almanor where live minnows are not allowed, crickets fished under a bobber will produce bass. Crickets can be especially effective with smallmouth bass. When fishing live bait other species are often caught. It is not uncommon to catch trout, crappie, bluegill or catfish when live-bait fishing for bass.

Another great live bait for bass is crawdads. Many anglers hook the crawdad throughout the tail and cast out. Allow the bait to work along the bottom, keeping a relatively tight-line to keep the crawdad from crawling under a stump or rock thereby snagging the hook. Some anglers will also pinch off the claws to keep the crawdad from hanging onto submerged rocks and vegetation. Oftentimes, the bass will pick the crawdad up and swim with it before you can actually feel the bite, so carefully watch the line for movement at all times. Crawdads are simple to use but sometimes it takes some practice to detect bites.

Artificial Baits
If choosing to use artificial baits, one of the simplest technique is casting and retrieving crankbaits. Crankbaits can be very effective for bass. The design of a crankbait will determine the depth the bait will attain on retrieve, and the movement of the bait. Some have large front lips designed to dive deep while other crankbaits are lipless and designed for fast retrieval. Many crankbaits are designed to be paused during retrieval, some reeled very slowly, and some to be reeled in at high speed. Others are designed to be ripped or jerked during retrieval providing a very erratic action. Experiment with the lures on each trip to see what technique, color, and depth spurs a bite, trying to establish a pattern. When a pattern is found, multiple hookups are common. The ability to establish and match shape and color patterns is key when using artificial baits

Crank baits can also be very effective when trolled along the shoreline contours. A key to trolling is to be sure to troll the baits about 125 feet behind the boat and use a crankbait matching the depth you are targeting. Make sure the boat speed matches the action of the lure, this can be accomplished by setting the lure just behind the boat and making sure the lure action is tracking properly. A crankbait like a Rapala Shad Rap works very well for trolling and trolling is a great technique when there are more anglers on a boat (a great technique for family fishing) than can safely cast and retrieve.

Casting and retrieving spoons like Daredevles and in-line spinners like Roostertails can also be effective for bass, especially when fishing from shore. As with live bait, multiple species are often taken when using these baits. When casting from the shore, fan cast. Make casts so that all 180 degrees of water in front of you is covered. Bass will often hold tight to the bank and can be caught along the shore so don't just cast straight out as far as you can. Cover all the angles in front of you.

Spinner baits are another basic cast and retrieve bait. The blades are used as a vibration, commotion attractor and can resemble a single or multiple small bait fish. They can be retrieved at varying speeds at varying depths, even along or just below the surface. They come in numerous colors to represent bait fish such as bluegill or shad minnows. Some anglers like to toss black spinnerbaits for the silhouette on dark overcast days or even at night while the blades provide the commotion.

A favorite technique for most bass anglers when conditions allow is tossing a topwater bait. Early morning before the sunlight hits the water and just before dusk are popular times of day to employ this method. There are few things more exciting than to have a bass take a surface lure. The explosions can be exciting as bass will sometimes come completely out of the water attacking a bait. Often they will miss the lure altogether, so only set the hook when you can feel the fish on the line. That is an easy thing to say, but hard to do when that bass blows up and the excitement and surprise takes over an angler's reaction. Some of the basic topwater lures include poppers, which are retrieved by pausing the bait, twitching the rod tip to create a gurgle or popping, retrieving slack line, and then pausing and repeating the process. Walking baits, like Zara Spooks, are designed to be retrieved by twitching the rod while reeling in slowly. This produces a walking back and forth motion along the surface. Buzzbaits are fashioned after crankbaits but the blades are replaced by prop style blades to churn the surface on retrieval,

Plastic frogs are also great basic topwater baits, especially in shallow matted conditions and along tules and weed lines. This is a favorite for many pond anglers at Clear Lake and in the Delta where these conditions abound. When fishing heavy cover make sure your rod and line are up to the task. In heavy Delta cover anglers often use specially designed rods, casting reels with tight drags and braided line. Sometimes the weeds come out with the fish, so when fishing heavy cover this is not a technique for a basic spinning setup.

Another basic setup is tossing a jig; a weighted head and hook with a skirt. Sometimes a soft plastic body is added to the hook. There are two basic methods of retrieving these baits and reasons for doing so. One method is to move the bait very slowly along the bottom, bouncing it along rocks and structure, jigging it if you will. Hence, the name- the action mimics a crawdad. The other popular method is to retrieve the jigs as if it were a fish, swimming the bait with a steady bouncing retrieve. The body and skirt provide the live action of a bluegill or other bait fish. Colors vary and matching the natural forage can be a key to success. Jigs heads and bodies can also be purchased separately with a different variety of weighted hooks with various head shapes and a variety of plastic bodies. A football head with hook and hula grub combination is very popular with many “jig” anglers.

Part IV of my series, Bass Fishing Basics will duelve into plastic lures and swimbaits, stay tuned...

Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing.