How to Catch Your First Bass: 10 Easy Tips for Beginner Fishing Success

Master the Basics of Largemouth Bass Fishing With Gear, Casting, and Strategy Tips That Set You Up for Success

New to bass fishing? Discover 10 proven tips for beginner anglers—from choosing the right gear and lures to understanding bass behavior. | Kurt Mazurek

Largemouth bass live nearly everywhere freshwater environments exist--49 of the 50 United States, with Alaska as the exception. They are aggressive feeders, fooled by a wide range of lures and techniques, and never discriminate against an angler's age, sex, heritage, or past. But that same ultra-wide range of opportunities can feel overwhelming to beginners. I hope this guide will provide you with a few essential tips to jump-start your bass fishing journey.

1. Always Remember These Two Truths About Largemouth Bass

To get you started, here are a couple, high-level truths about bass that may help you start to understand how to catch them.

1. Bass are known to be opportunistic feeders, meaning they are generally open to the idea of eating, or at least trying to eat, just about anything that fits in their mouth. It also means they can be coaxed into a reactive bite even when they aren't necessarily in a positive feeding mood. It's not unlike the way a cat can't resist chasing a moving string if you give it a quick, erratic action.
2. Bass are generally ambush hunters, often hiding near structures like submerged trees, rocks, or aquatic vegetation, waiting to surprise prey that passes by a little too closely. So, presenting your lure in and around these types of cover can draw out a hiding bass.

For the author there's no better way to start the day than taking a quick walk to a local pond and catching a nice little, hungry largemouth bass. | Kurt Mazurek

2. Research YouTube Fishing Videos

Before you hit the water, it's helpful to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of bass behavior and preferences. I would suggest YouTube videos as the quickest, easiest resource, noting that some info presented will be more reliable than others. Generally, you can't go wrong by sticking with the advice of some proven favorites like Bassmaster, Tactical Bassin', or In-Fisherman.

3. Learn the Best Bass Waters Near You

Start by researching the type of bass in your local waters. Your state DNR's website (the same place you can purchase your fishing license) should have the answers for most waters. Largemouth are the most common by far, but some waters hold other closely related cousins like smallmouth, spotted, shoal, guadalupe, etc. Each will exhibit predictable habits and preferences that will help you dial in how to catch them.

4. Choose Beginner-Friendly Bass Fishing Gear

Spinning gear, as shown in this photo, is generally easier for beginners to master, and is fully capable of reeling in big bass. | Kurt Mazurek

Spinning Gear or Baitcasting Gear?

The first question is spinning gear vs. baitcasting gear. If you're truly a beginner, most people find spinning gear a bit easier to work with. However, there are some bass fishing presentations that are much more effective with baitcasting gear. But baitcasting gear does come with a longer learning curve to master. Ultimately, almost every bass angler ends up deploying both styles of rod and reel to most efficiently deliver a wide variety of presentations.

How to Choose a Fishing Rod

In either case, start with a medium or medium-heavy rod somewhere between 6'10" and 7'2". That size and action rod is the most versatile and can be used reasonably well for a wide range of baits and techniques. Eventually, you'll see the benefits of a selection of lengths and actions, but this is a great place to start. 

How to Choose a Fishing Reel

For reels, think medium. With spinning reels, a medium-size with medium capacities covers most bass applications. Different manufacturers use slightly different designations, but a 2500 or 3500 size will be perfect. With baitcasting reels, a medium-fast retrieve ratio, somewhere around 7:1 and a medium spool capacity of 100 to 200 size should be perfect.

Which Fishing Brand is Best?

As with most things, you'll get what you pay for. I would recommend sticking with the well-known brands like Shimano, Daiwa, ABU, Lew's, etc. because even their entry-level models are of dependable quality. All of these manufacturers are producing smooth, reliable gear at reasonable prices.

5. Keep Your Bass Lure Selection Simple

I understand that hunting for and buying new fishing lures is a super fun part of the whole bass fishing experience. I certainly will not deny you of it, but I would suggest to start super simple. Once you have caught a few bass and have developed a feel for what make a lure effective for catching bass, rather than just catching anglers, you’ll be able to build a much more effective and more satisfying collection.

Start With a Senko

So, where to start? First, in my experience the most universal, “catch some bass, anywhere, on any day” lure is the soft plastic stickbait. In fact, this link goes to an article where I explain why I use asoft plastic stickbait in great detail. The Yamamoto Senko is the original and now kind of the “Kleenex” of soft plastic stickbaits. A variety of colors would work fine, but if I could only have one it’s green pumpkin with black flake. And to rig a Senko, pick up a pack of 4/0 size, offset, wide-gap, worm hooks—any brand will do. Start by Texas-rigging it. If you don’t know what that means, do a quick YouTube search.

This angler’s secret weapon? A soft plastic stick bait for consistent bass action. | Kurt Mazurek

A Spinnerbait is So Easy to Fish

After that, I’d probably recommend a 3/8 ounce, double willow spinnerbait. I’d probably go with white and chartreuse skirt with one gold blade and one silver blade. This has the hook built in, so just tie it on, cast it towards likely cover and reel it in.

Every Bass Angler Needs a Topwater Lure

And finally, I’d get one topwater bait just because a good topwater bite can turn inexperienced anglers into dedicated lifelong bass fishing addicts. I would suggest a lure called a Whopper Plopper in a 3” to 4” size. Pick whatever color looks cool to you. This is another bait you just tie on, cast and reel in. You will never forget the first bass that eats this lure. Explosive!

6. Practice Quiet and Accurate Casting

Casting is a fundamental skill. When you can’t get to the water, it will benefit you to spend time in your backyard or a local park perfecting your casting technique. I have spent hundreds of hours underhand pitching a jig into a coffee cup while watching fishing videos in my living room. Learn to cast accurately and quietly, as this can make a significant difference in catching bass.

7. Connect with the Bass Fishing Community

I really learned a ton in my early days fishing with a local bass club. | Kurt Mazurek

One of the best ways to accelerate your learning curve is to connect with experienced anglers. Join a local fishing club, follow online forums, and again, watch instructional YouTube videos.

And if you're looking for a real crash course, consider signing up as AmBASSador in one of the highest level bass tournaments like the Bassmaster Elites series. For the uninitiated, it seems crazy to pay to just sit and not fish. But I can tell you first hand, watching the best in the biz make decisions and execute perfect casts at that close up range can really open your eyes to what might help you catch more fish on your next outing.

8. Practice Ethical Catch Photograph Release

Handled properly, that big bass will head back out its ambush spot where I'll hope to fool it again in the future. | Kurt Mazurek

Bass, especially in a tournament setting, are often the focus of catch-and-release practices to maintain healthy populations. Personally, I don't really eat bass. While I'm not against the practice when it's done within the legal limits for that body of water, my tournament experience kind of has me in that mode. Plus, there are lots of tastier species. So, in most cases quickly and carefully unhook the fish, take a quick photograph (otherwise, did you really catch that big fish?), and gently return the bass to the water, confirming that he swam away, strong and upright.

9. Put Safety First—Lightning, Life Jackets, and Sun Protection

Yes, this is near the end of the list, but honestly you should always put safety first. No bass is worth dying over.

Always keep an eye on the weather. We all have access to current radar data on the phones we carry. If a storm with lightening is approaching get off the water as soon as possible.

I think wearing a life jacket on a boat is a great habit to develop right away. If I'm fishing from a kayak or running a boat, I always have a life jacket on. If you ever fish a bass tournament you'll find out that's a rule. Too many things can go wrong too quickly. There are so many tragic boating stories that would have ended far less tragically if everyone was wearing a life vest. Plus, I really can't see a downside to wearing one.

One of the best things about bass fishing is how much time you get to spend outdoors. But with long hours in the sun comes the risks associated with overexposure. Fishing apparel has adapted to solve most of those problems. Hooded sun shirts, neck buffs and fingerless gloves are available in super comfortable, performance materials. And a little sunscreen on your nose and cheeks greatly reduces your chance for problems down the road.

If I'm on the water, I'm wearing a life vest. | Julie Mazurek

10. Stay Patient and Keep Learning

Be patient, and don't get discouraged if you don't catch a fish right away. Persistence pays off, and the more time you spend on the water, the more you'll learn and improve your skills.

Remember what you've learned about bass behavior. Assess the environmental conditions. Choose a lure that will make a good presentation around the cover where you're chasing bass. Pay attention to your results and refine your approach. When it all comes together, it will be very rewarding.

Bass fishing is an exciting and rewarding pursuit that offers endless opportunities for learning and improvement. By mastering the basics, practicing patience, investing in quality gear, and understanding bass behavior and habitats, beginners can discover a fulfilling hobby that can last a lifetime.