One of the first Bass fishing basics to learn will obviously be the bait. This can be live bait such as peeler or soft back crabs, these are really fine baits for Bass. A crab is a peeler when it is in the process of losing its old shell, (to test if a crab is a peeler, try lifting the rear end of its shell; it should come away easily). A crab is a soft back when it has already discarded its old shell but before its new shell has hardened.

Other good Bass fishing baits include sand-eels, lugworm, and rag worm. Sand-eels can be collected from wet sand where they lie buried on a receding tide. They can be used as a dead bait but are more effective as live bait. Both lugworm and rag worm can be dug at low tide and will keep for a couple of days wrapped in damp newspaper. You could also try what is called a bait cocktail, which consists of both crab and worm on the same hook.

Other popular baits are artificial lures, and these should be part of any Bass fishing basics kit. There are so many of these artificial baits available that you could spend a fortune on them. My best advice would be to take a trip to your local tackle store, and ask for the most popular types for your local area. Start off simple with just a handful, which should include a couple of (top water baits) a couple of (spinner baits) and a couple of (plastic or rubber lures). As with the live baits these should all be retrieved slowly when fishing for Bass.

The next of the Bass fishing basics is the cast. When you find yourself fishing from the shoreline, make sure to try and cover a large area. To do this you should cast in a fan shape, start with a cast to the left of where you are standing and retrieve your bait, slowly pausing every ten to fifteen feet. On your next cast aim slightly to the right of the last cast and repeat this process until you have covered a fan shaped area. Try this a couple of times and if you have no luck simply walk twenty or thirty yards down the shore and start again.

Night fishing for Bass can be very productive, some of my best Bass fishing has been at night. For this you will need a lure that makes a lot of noise in the water when being retrieved. You can get some great lures which bass find very difficult to resist - just visit your local tackle store. These are just a few of the Bass fishing basics, you will pick up more as you go along, but the best advice I can give is to get out there and have a go, I guarantee you will soon be hooked.