Bass Fishing in Florida; A multi-million recreation

Largemouth Bass - Micropterus salmoides (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bass fishing represents one of the most popular fishing sports practiced today. Its popularity has yielded a multi-billion dollar industry unto itself, aside from the business of other modes of sport fishing. There are boats on the market designed specifically for bass fishing. Clothes and gears are also very popular.

Freshwater sport fishing in Florida provided recreational opportunities for over 1.32 million people, over age 16, and generated an economic output of $2.0 billion in 2001. Aside from that, Florida freshwater recreational fishing generated 19,519 jobs with earnings of $484 million in 2001. Florida freshwater fishing provided 20.8 million angler days of recreation (92% resident) based on 14.5 million trips. (A trip is from the time someone leaves home until they return and may include many days; a day is defined by an activity on a specific day.)

Bass habitats include a variety of environments, from rivers, lakes, streams, and even ponds. Rivers provide one of the healthiest habitats, due to the highly oxygenated waters from the rapid current. In order to fish bass from rivers, it is best to seek out breaks in the current, perhaps from a fallen tree, a stump, or rocks. The fish that bass feed upon will normally school below a dam, thereby making these spots ideal for bass fishing.

There are at least 32 species of fish commonly caught in the numerous lakes, ponds, canals and rivers throughout Southwest Florida. The anglers pursuing the most popular of these freshwater game fish are locally referred to as either bass fisherman, "perch jerkers", pan fisherman or catfishermen, depending upon the object of their pursuit.

The most common and popular of these are Largemouth Bass, Catfish, Panfish, Chain pickerel and Crappie.

Largemouth Bass without a doubt is the most sought after game fish in Florida. It is the main target of the majority of anglers. Many of these lure busting monsters in the 10 to 12 pound range are taken every year in local waters.

The yellow and brown bullhead, followed by the channel catfish, is the most abundant in the area. They are favored by sportsman for the delicious table fare that they provide. Also harvested commercially, mainly on Lake Okeechobee, and their tasty fillets are served as an "all you can eat" favorite in most area restaurants. But it is still the bass fish that promises the challenge of the sport.

Every freshwater river, canal, lake and pond in South West Florida is abundant with what is locally referred to as "panfish" for the thick tasty fillets they provide. The term actually covers a wide variety of pan sized fish in the sunfish family. These include, but are not limited to, the following: bluegill, bream, warmouth, and the most sought after, redeared sunfish, locally referred to as a "shellcracker" for its diet of aquatic snails. Another favorite is the exotic oscar, which has flourished in the hundreds of miles of canals in the area.

An angler needs only to arm themselves with a cane pole and a can of worms or crickets for guaranteed success in catching supper. However, most anglers opt for the ultra-light spinning outfits with tiny spinners and spoons, or the fly rod with popping bugs. Catches of fifty or more a day are common.

While not particularly sought after, the pickerel must still be considered a game fish for its savage attacks on the lures most commonly thrown by bass fisherman. They are fast, tackle busting acrobatic fighters. While edible, they are usually released due the many pesky little bones in their fillets.

As seen on : Anything for a Fish Fry! Florida Everglades Bass Fishing.

Get to know more about Bass Fishing Lures

As seen on : Bass Fishing : How to Choose the Right Bait When Bass Fishing

Bass fishing has evolved to a near cult popularity with so many anglers through the years that there have been so many products made, clubs formed, and articles written about it. Here you will read about the types of Bass fishing lures you can use to catch them. Also, there is also a list on the necessary equipments to have when going bass fishing.

The type of bass that will bite almost anything is the largemouth bass. Minnows, worms, or other live bait, plus poppers or streamers presented with a fly rod, or plugs thrown from a casting or spinning rod are ways where they can be caught. Since bass is usually associated with weeds, a weedless bait will often be necessary. Morning and evening are the best fishing times when warm months come. They usually like to stay in warm water and warm weather. There is only little bite during winters.

Smallmouth bass pound for pound are the scrappiest fish of all fresh water bass. They are usually associated with a rocky stream or lake environment where its favorite food, the crayfish, is plentiful. The best lake fishing takes place in the month in June and just after, the spawning season, and in early fall. Natural lure like hellgrammites, dragonfly larvae and crayfish are especially useful during early morning or late evening. Most likely, the best artificial lures are those who are used on the surface. Light tackle is ideal. Fish quietly, casting toward rocks or logs, keeping the rod tip up and the line tight. Many fishermen debate on the colors used for their lures. This may vary on the bass fish that is to be caught.

Fishing requires more than just a simple fishing rod and some lure for serious fisherman. People who fish for leisure are those who fish because it’s their hobby, they can have some tools and accessories that will help them make it easier and be able to catch more fish. Here are some suggested tools for starters that will help them improve in catching fish:

•    Fishing Rod. The most important piece of equipment and should be chosen with care.  A basic rod-and-reel set is enough for beginners. It is necessarily important to have more featured materials. The most important is that you should learn how to use the rod and be comfortable to it before moving into another difficult type of equipment. Professional fisherman can experiment different types of rod for them to know what works best for them.

When buying a fishing rod, know before you enter the store what kind of fishing you'll be doing, and under what conditions. Rods come from different varieties of materials, from wood laminates to fiberglass to carbon fiber. Rod handles should fit securely in your palm, and practice casting with the rod, to test how flexible and easy to use it is. In addition have the proper length of the rod. For using lighter lure, or catching tiny fish, a 4 inch to 6 inch rod is advisable to use. For using larger lure, which gets larger fishes or casting longer distances, a rod of at least 6 inches may be required.

•    Waders. It is a water- resistant covering you wear over your pants to keep them dry so you can wade out into the water. A lot of are made like overalls, covering the chest and the legs, and with boots attached, for ultimate defense. Make sure the boots are warm and secure, to supply better balance while walking on wet rocks.

•    Fishing Vest. Contains several pockets for storing fish equipments and your hands are free to manage the fishing rod. Also, should you have to wade out into the water, wearing a vest will let you to have all of your gear with you at all times. Make a decision beforehand which gear is necessary; if you store too much in the vest, it may make it too heavy to wear, which could bring you down.

•     Tackle Box or Fly Box. In fishing it requires a lot of supplies and you need a something big to store all your gears. Spend in a durable tackle box, in which you can store your entire lure, keeping it easily to get to. Styles are classified into simple and inexpensive, and large and costly. Fishermen may only need something small, but the more advanced fishermen may want something handier. Furthermore, you should consider a fly box. Small enough to fit a vest pocket and allows you to keep them with you as needed.

Bass fishing reports to the rescue

Smallmouth Bass Fishing in the Fall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As seen on : lake okeechobee kissimmee river bass fishing 2011

Sometimes even the most techno-oriented person would like to live his life in the streams where living comes on hand. Bass fishing report either be coming home with nothing bass on hand, or getting your camera to capture the moment of having your finest catch.

Bass are fishes with different kinds; the striped bass and the largemouth bass, small mouth bass and spotted bass.  The striped bass comes from the family of Percicthyidae and its other members include white bass and white perch. The striped bass and white bass are also known as temperate basses- exercising moderation and self restraints.

Stripped bass fishing can sometimes be very different activity compared to chasing those regular bass. The important thing to remember is that each and every fish requires a slightly different approach to maximize the possibility of success. The best way to go about things is to know the fish itself. Learn its movement and capability to escape as a prey.

The largemouth bass, small mouth bass and spotted bass- belong to the sunfish family Centrarchidae whose other members include: bluegills, pumpkinseed and rock bass. These basses are also referred to as warm water basses or black basses.

A smallmouth bass is a greenish brown color, with a vertically striped side. The most suitable way to distinguish the two is simply by looking at their mouth.

If you recognize the upper jawbone extends past the eye then you know you have a large mouth bass on your hands. On the other hand, if the fish has a reddish eye, and the upper jaw bone stops before the eye, then you have caught a smallmouth bass.

Another good clue is the weight, a small mouth bass ways and average of seven and a half pounds. The best place to go small mouth bass fishing is near rocky streams. Once you have caught them, they pretty much taste like a large mouth bass.

Bass have progressively and gradually grow to be the most well-liked freshwater sport  in the United States. Their popularity has increased due to the rise of the bass fishing tournament industry that helps sell recreational fishing products and train other fishermen on how to catch bass.

Modern Bass Fishing has its roots in the Southern United States, originally for the purpose of food-hunt. The sport has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. The sport has changed radically since the 1950’s from modest beginnings and has develops into the second most specifically sought after game fish in the USA. The sport has driven the development of all manner of fishing gear, from rods, reels, lines, lures, and electronics to modern 'Bass Boats'.

Competitive bass fishing alone generates approximately two billion dollars annually. Overall the latest numbers place the value of the sport at over seven billion US dollars.

The majority of participants no longer views Bass as a food fish. Nowadays, most fish are released as soon as it is caught. In competition anglers are penalized heavily for dead fish, in some cases dead fish are not weighed. Fish turned in for weighing are immediately released or placed in tanks and treated for stress and injury to their slime coats, then released back into the water.

Sports fishermen and governmental wildlife departments have initiated the Largemouth across the world. Largemouth bass can be found worldwide, Japan, Australia and South Africa have active programs of stocking. The subculture of competitive Bass Fishing has followed the fish across the globe. There have been a number of tournament events in the USA involving invited participants from Japan, South Africa and Australia.

Anglers themselves had created an organization where fishers can best enjoy the camaraderie of bass fishing with fellow sportsmen. Bass Fishing Clubs take their existence all the way to United States, and are split up by the western, central, and eastern divisions. These Bass Fishing clubs is an assortment -from competitive to recreational.

A usual bass fishing club will give and offer its member with newsletters, and occasionally periodicals that provide information about upcoming events, contests and tournaments. Bass Fishing clubs are a great way to get involved in tournament fishing as they can often be used as springboards to enter national tournaments.

Most of these bass fisher clubs have their own web pages where you can gather more information about the club specifically, including dues, locations and pictures and write ups of past events and tournament regarding bass fishing sport.

Unfortunately, we cannot give you the best insights on the most suitable technique in bass fishing because everything differs in one way or another. A small bass is differently caught from a big bass. The technique lies within your hand. It depends on you what technique to use best.