what's special about bass?

[Crankbait]

Can someone tell me what it is about a bass? I have fished for all kinds of fish but none seems to do it for me like a bass. I’m in Tampa fl for a minute and have an estuary in my backyard with snook and redfish. Yet even when catching juvenile tarpon I’m still thinking about bass. My wife wants to know what’s wrong with me because I’m surrounded with saltwater yet I’m still on Google earth constantly looking for freshwater?!? i can't get bass off my brain!

[keithdog]

I'm the same way and I honestly can't explain it either. I think it's everything involved. The gear thats used, the techniques of which are many, the excitment of the hunt, the way a bass will slam your bait and put on an arieal show. Everything I guess. But I'd love to hook into a tarpon one day. Thats on my bucket list. I'd also love to do some fishing for redfish!!!

[bamabassman]

THE BASS SPECIES OF GAME FISH is like the whitetail deer to a hunter. it is the hardest freshwater to figure out on a daily basis. at least it is for me. it's like the biggest challenge you can take on in fishing freshwater. again in my opion.
the closest thing to a bass i think in freshwater is the RAINBOW TROUT. in my opion, these 2 are the hardest to figure out. but with a trout all oyu need is the right fly. a BASS......you need the entire BASS PRO SHOP store inventory of baits to figure them out, hahahaha!

[Bassboss]

I was the same way fishing in Florida, the whole process of it always seemed funner to me. It was always more accessible to me as well which really helped.

[Tavery5]

Can't explain why, but when I am targeting LM Bass and catch another species of fish, I am almost always disappointed.

[kennethdaysale]

they pull good
they're curious
they're pretty and colorful with soft brown eyes
they're widespread, adaptable and cooperative
they'll eat everything from a brim fly to a musky jitterbug
they'll bite 365 days a year
they're both predictable and mysterious
like an old friend they're easy to be around
they're apolitical and no respecter of persons
they give no quarter and expect none
they just simply "pull my cork under"

[bassboogieman]

You've all been brainwashed by guys like Ray Scott and Forrest Woods.

Bass fishing has been highly markeded and promoted, much more so than other species, but some of them (walleye, redfish, etc) are trying to get a piece of that marker with promotoin via their own tours, although they have a long way to go to catch up.

Bass were easily promoted - they are available virtually everywhere (except Alaska) in this county and now abroad in several countries. That offers a broad opportunity to a wide market, not just a regional one (like walleye, pike or muskie, etc). The only other widespead species available across the country are panfish - and how exciting are they?

Bass fishing has spawned (pun intended) many companys that support the sport from boats, to plastic worms - from big ticket items to just a couple bucks, it covers a pretty broad spectrum in economics.

Ray Scott had a vision in the late '60's and bass fishing soon became a profession for a few very skilled anglers. With that, bass fishing grew at a very rapid rate. With awareness of something the average person can do, and even compete at, is fun yet challenging and offers a chance to "get away" to the outdoors -growth of the activity grows, ever expanding.

As the sport expanded, more effort was devoted by fishing tackle companies to get in on the activity, and develop bass specific gear. More so than any other type of fishing, and fed the growth. Think of it now BASS boat, BASS rods, BASS lures, BASS clubs, very specific target and it works virtually eveywhere across the county.

And finally the bottom line - anyone and everyone can do it. Men, women, young or old, even those with disabilities can enjoy it and do! You don't have to be particularly physically fit unlike most other sports. It is a universal activity that appeals to a lot of individuals for various reasons - fun and recreation or competion. You can do it cheaply or invest way too much money, but it is the angler's choice on how they will do it. You can do it many ways - live bait or artifical lures that offer various methods of presentaions, from the bank or on a boat.

It is the variety as well as the opportunity nationwide that makes bass fishing so appealing for those that do it, and for the companies that make a profit by providing the tackle we use to do it.

The only fishing close to bass, IMO, is saltwater, but that is more restricted as it can't be done nationwide - it's limited to those with access to the coast in order to do it regularly, and cannot appeal or involve the number of anglers as bass fishing does.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by bassboogieman

You've all been brainwashed by guys like Ray Scott and Forrest Woods.

I eagerly drank the Kool-Aid and found it to be very tasty indeed.

[nofearengineer]

I'll once again offer my unpopular theory.

Like Boogie has mentioned, the real reason bass fishing is so popular is because it has been marketed so well. That's not really a terrible thing...good things can benefit from marketing just as much as bad things.

But there are a couple of underlying reasons bass (and largemouth bass in particular) were "chosen" to be the ultimate fish:

1. They have the most widespread North American range of any large, freshwater, predatory fish. They can survive, and even thrive from Key West, Florida to Seattle, Washington.

2. Artificial lures are the backbone of the bass fishing industry. It wouldn't surprise me to find out sales of artificials surpass rods, reels, or bass boats. The largemouth bass is simply the perfect fish to support the artifical lure industry. Largemouth bass are only large North American Fish that can be reliably caught on artificials, with the possible exception of the pike family. Now when I say "reliably", I don't mean "bluegills on crickets" reliably. Catching 100 bass every trip would get boring. But getting skunked 10 trips in a row would be worse. Bass are just right. And it's a good thing too.

[joedog]

Bassboogieman, great post. With two exceptions or ideas.

The only other widespead species available across the country are panfish - and how exciting are they?......The only fishing close to bass, IMO, is saltwater, but that is more restricted as it can't be done nationwide
What about carp? Number one sport fish in Europe. Good fight,find anywhere almost, and size that can even impress the most avid Musky fisherman. Easily shore fished or boat fished and can be caught on something as simple as pieces of corn.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by joedog

Bassboogieman, great post. With two exceptions or ideas.

The only other widespead species available across the country are panfish - and how exciting are they?......The only fishing close to bass, IMO, is saltwater, but that is more restricted as it can't be done nationwide
What about carp? Number one sport fish in Europe. Good fight,find anywhere almost, and size that can even impress the most avid Musky fisherman. Easily shore fished or boat fished and can be caught on something as simple as pieces of corn.

Hey Joe I like carp too but admitting it in public is akin to liking an Artic Cat ATV...it might be the "best you ever had" but you don't say it out loud.

[joedog]

Point well taken! It is growing in popularity though.
Avid carp fisherman are funatics about carp....almost to the piont of insanity.

Opps I just described us and Bass didn't I?

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by joedog

Easily shore fished or boat fished and can be caught on something as simple as pieces of corn.

Ray Scott and others had no intention of trying to make millions selling whole kernel corn.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by Crankbait

Can someone tell me what it is about a bass? I have fished for all kinds of fish but none seems to do it for me like a bass. I’m in Tampa fl for a minute and have an estuary in my backyard with snook and redfish. Yet even when catching juvenile tarpon I’m still thinking about bass. My wife wants to know what’s wrong with me because I’m surrounded with saltwater yet I’m still on Google earth constantly looking for freshwater?!? i can't get bass off my brain!

Crankbait The REAL REASON you can't get them off your brain is because they are worthy. Yes marketing may have hastened their widespread appeal but they most assuredly would have achieved their #1 game fish in N. America status with no help at all. It would have just taken a little longer. Fried chicken tastes good independant of Col Sanders. Blue jeans are comfortable and practical without the help of Mr Strauss. Cars are better than horses Henry Fords genius notwithstanding. etc etc etc

[Handlebars]

Originally Posted by kennethdaysale

they pull good
they're curious
they're pretty and colorful with soft brown eyes
they're widespread, adaptable and cooperative
they'll eat everything from a brim fly to a musky jitterbug
they'll bite 365 days a year
they're both predictable and mysterious
like an old friend they're easy to be around
they're apolitical and no respecter of persons
they give no quarter and expect none
they just simply "pull my cork under"

so basically they are just the total opposite of a woman.....hmm, maybe it really is just that simple.....

[bassboogieman]

The only other widespead species available across the country are panfish - and how exciting are they?......

Sorry, you just haven't read enough of my pontifications to realize that was purely a sarcastic comparison. There are several other wide spread species often intentionally fished for, carp is one, suckers, CATFISH and possibly trout are others. I don't intentionly target those, but they are available and are fairly well dispersed across the continent. But carp being the number one European "sport" fish doesn't impress me at all, after all they are Europeans and don't know any better and have different and fewer choices. Remember bass are available across the entire continent here, when talking about Europe and finding one species readily availabel across it - would probably be the carp.

[joedog]

I'm the one to apoligize, I wasn't trying to out-wit or think anyone (because I can't) I just wanted to add the carp question. And I think you hit it on head with widespread availability but look at Japan and bass fishing, they are not as availble or even close to the availibility we have here but there are some fine Japanese manufacturers of fishing wares.

Nofear, point well taken but go to a carp fishing web site and check it out or better yet a carp fishing equipment sales site and you may see Ray Scott could easily have made his millions selling carp supplies....and carp funatics litterally chum with corn. They throw literally gallons of corn not just a kernnel.

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by joedog

Nofear, point well taken but go to a carp fishing web site and check it out or better yet a carp fishing equipment sales site and you may see Ray Scott could easily have made his millions selling carp supplies....and carp funatics litterally chum with corn. They throw literally gallons of corn not just a kernnel.

Oh yeah...I know those guys are fanatics about carp. It all seems so surreal.

[Top Tiger]

I have an old friend who is a tarpon guide down in Boca Grande. Been fishing with him for pretty much my whole life. When I lived in Florida, we would sometimes get together in the afternoon after he had a half day charter and go inland to go bass fishing. Snook are about the only saltwater fish that compares to bass for the enjoyment of the hunt. We used to run out to the
"middle grounds" and go after the big amberjacks out there (100-125 miles offshore). After the first few times, it just gets boring. If you've seen one wave, you've pretty much seen them all. For me, bass will always be my favorite target whether I get any fish or not. Just to be able to sit in the boat or on the bank and watch Mother Nature at work is a big part of my enjoyment. Can't tell you how many times that I've been just sitting having a great time and not even have a line in the water. One thing I always catch is a great time, either alone or with friends. Fish are just the icing on the cake. I will say though, that I like a lot of icing on my cake. The little note on the bottom of Bryce's posts is right on the mark.

[PAfisher76]

It's simple; we as humans and especially the male species love toys and tinkering with things and no other kind of fishing lends itself to these two things better than bass fishing. It might also be due to our attention deficiency in this country, for bass fishing is more fast paced than sitting around waiting for a carp or catfish to bite.

[Raul]

Bass can be found practically everywhere, that´s what makes it very special to me. Where I´m at there´s no walleye, no musky, no pike, no pickerel, trout only in ponds high in the sierra where the water is cold enough for them to be there, so other than carp and ocassionally catfish there´s not much to fish for and even though carp can grow large, fight well, can grow large they have one big disadvantage, you got to fish for them with bait and wait until they want to bite, so they are good for a day of absolute relaxation, throw a few lines, sit on chair and drink beer waiting for that bite .......... after the third beer I´m bored to death , on the other hand bass is about movement.

[Crankbait]

Ha I love all these answers, or just hearing there are others obsessed too!

[Scott the fishman]

thats all my mom and dad say! I have shore house but i fish a freshwater creek for bass. I have no idea why i like bass. I think its because they are so wide spread. but i have no idea really why.

[bamabassman]

i'll agree bruce and bryce.to a point. lol. i have been "bass fishing" since i was 5 years old. never heard of ray scott till i was in my teens. i grew up watching CHAMPIONSHIP FISHING on saturday mornings during the winter, mainly because my father watched it. my FATHER got me into bass fishing. also into hunting (too cold for that though,haha) among other things.

not wanting to start a fight, but that is what got me into it. and the fact that i can't seem to get past catching dinks. hahahahahaha!!!!

[kennethdaysale]

Hey Bama Remember during the last 5 minutes of Virgil Wards show he would ALWAYS drop a Beetle Spin in an aquarium and demonstrate the proper way to fish it! (lift/drop/lift/drop) You know I don't think I've ever caught a fish on it except slow and steady?