The question is often asked...Is it easy to fish for bass? You could ask this question to a hundred fisherman and half would respond yes and the other half no. Bass fishing technique will determine whether you are successful or not. Bass can be such an intelligent fish that you have to stay one step ahead of the game to be in the race.

Bass fishing technique incorporates several areas and no one technique is more important than the other. More so a combination of things with the one obvious aim of snaring a fish. Let's look firstly at the casting and luring technique.

The Cast And Retrieval

The cast is fairly straight forward. Casting a reasonable distance is the preferred option. The retrieval of the line is where you should be paying particular attention. You need to tantalize the fish into striking your bait and one way of doing this is simply retrieving the line in short sharp bursts rather than just bringing it back in a straightforward, boring motion. An insect travelling across the water would hop and skip in a stop start fashion and bass find this hard to resist. To them it's food and if your bait is imitating the exact same movement, your chances of inviting the fish to grab your bait increase significantly.

Practice And Technique

Bass fishing technique involves a lot of prepatory work. It may seem a little complicated to the novice and that's expected but once they get the "bass fishing bug" into their system they become hooked for want of a better word. Here are a few things to consider:

- Know your area. If you a travelling to foreign waters get some understanding of the peculiarities of the area.

- Your gear should be maintained and up to scratch. For example, are your hooks sharp?

- If using worms, Texas rigged worms are preferred. Suspend the bait rather than submerging it. It's usually recommended that the bait be suspended for between 80-90% of the time.

- Except when jigging the bait in the retrieval motion, try and keep it as still and straight as possible. I've said the bass are a smart fish; they know what's natural and what's not, believe me!

- Many experienced fisherman will tell you to try and avoid clear waters and stick to the murky areas. If your technique is up to scratch, then clear shouldn't really be a problem. Again, avoid the temptation to just drag the bait along the water. It's lazy and the fish aren't stupid.

- Fishing at night will get you excellent results with bass. They are adept at seeing in the dark.

Spring is generally regarded as the favored time for fishing bass. However, in recent years, many anglers are starting to discover the joys of winter fishing. Obviously, you'll need a little extra clothing during the winter but for prey like the smallmouth bass, your chances are increased sharply.

Bass fishing technique will differ slightly from angler to angler but the basic principles usually apply. Just remember not to get too hung up on applying the techniques correctly first time. Just enjoy the fishing!