Lake Shore Community Education
Professional Bass Fishing Course
The Class is being offered to anyone over 18 with some experience fishing (basic casting skills and the knowledge that fish live under water and have to eat to live). Below are some of the topics we will cover you will learn to cast with a casting reel, one of the most versatile tools in a tournament angler’s arsenal. If you have a casting reel and rod bring it.
Safety on the water.
The uncommon, “Common sense of boating”. Some rules of the road… Bass fishing tournaments stress safe boat operation and it is part of the rules. Following the recommendations of tournament rules will keep bass fishermen safe as well as other boating enthusiasts using our waters.
Habitat
Smallmouth and largemouth bass preferences and needs, identifying types of cover and forage plants types of lakes and the fish that reside in them and the impact on bass.
Seasonal patterns
Finding bass in the spring, summer, and fall. Fish have seasonal migrations, water preferences of pH, dissolved oxygen, light, and temperature. These physical characteristics in the system influence where bass will be.
Map reading
Use maps to find fish on lakes you know or have never been to. Basics for navigation, finding structure and cover to explore.
Electronics
Finding fish and navigation with your GPS, understanding the picture on the sonar screen.
Knots for fishing
Palomar, improved clinch, loop knot, Rapala knot, blood knot, uni-knot, etc.
Rods and Reels
Picking the right fishing rod for the “job”…. Reels can make life much easier if matched to the job… proper care for equipment. Just as a golfer has a set of clubs in his bag for any situation, a bass angler needs the right tools in his “bag”.
The Art of Artificial Lures
Crank baits, jerk baits, soft plastic worms and creatures, top water, jigs, scents and attractants lure color and fish.
Techniques
Jigging, plastics, Carolina rig, drop shot, Texas rig, three way rigs shaky head, finesse baits, vertical vs. horizontal
Casting
Casting with a casting reel…flipping, pitching, roll cast, skipping, accurate casting (practice casting to targets).
Picking tournaments…
Fishing as a co-angler in FLW tournaments… “Living the dream”… Team tournaments, “outlaw bass tournaments”, Bass Clubs, Federation Nation…. Opportunities abound to use your new skills.
