Copyright 2006 Karin Manning

Pound for pound largemouth bass are one of the best fighting fish in the world which could explain why largemouth bass is the most sought after freshwater fish in North America and why bass fishing is so popular worldwide.

Yet time and again, cast after cast anglers just cant seem to get a bite.

There are some simple bass fishing tips that will have you catching trophy bass nearly every time you go bass fishing but you have to be prepared to ask for bass fishing help. Thankfully there is bass fishing help available, whether its actually paying for a bass fishing guide (which can be very expensive), or looking for the latest bass fishing secrets and tips online (which can be very time consuming). Why spend all that time surfing the net when you could be bagging massive trophy bass?

If youve lost one too many wall-mount trophy bass then you need to learn the fishing secrets of pro bass fishermen.

One thing pro bass anglers have learnt and understand is why bass fish strike. Some fisherman would say its because of hunger. There are however three different reasons why bass strike.

1. Suction feed strike

The larger a bass fish gets the more it uses this type of approach. Thats because that is the type of strike they use when feeding on sculpins and crayfish.

2. Ram-feed strike

Bass will use one of three different methods of striking, depending on which prey they are trying to catch. When bass are trying to catch free-swimming prey they rely on the ram-feed approach. They simply lunge forward and strike hard.

3. The survival strike

Bass of course need to feed to survive. Their protective and territorial instincts are very large and if theyre not hungry you can tease a bass to strike just because youre in his territory.

Bass will violently and aggressively protect their territories in particular in the weeks after spawning. They will also behave this way just because you have really annoyed them.

Largemouth bass are not picky eaters. As long as its smaller than itself its good enough to eat. They eat all types of prey, including young bass, leeches and frogs, and have even been known to swallow baby ducklings.

If you own a few bass fishing rods then why not take the approach of professional anglers who you rarely see changing bass fishing lures? Have about 8 or 10 rods already set up so theyre ready for use at any time in any situation.

Largemouth Bass tend to travel in schools when they are moving from one location to another or hunting for food so dont move on straight away after youve caught one bass as chances are if you keep working the area youll catch yourself a whole bass family.

When fishing for largemouth bass ask yourself these three questions:

1. Is it the ideal temperature?
2. Does it provide adequate cover?
3. Does it provide a food source for bass?

If you can answer yes to these three questions then you may have just found the latest and greatest bass fishing hotspot that will ensure you get a trophy bass before you go home.