Improve Your Bass Fishing Rod Skills

Conquering casting basics is an important part of successful bass fishing. Most casting and spinning reel and rod combinations presently in use, are made to be flexible in their use and trouble-free, for a variety of anglers skill levels. 

Work to remove mistakes errors from your fundemental technique and  style . Skill and accuracy should matter more than power. It doesn’t matter how far out or how fast you can cast if you are unable to place your bait in the proper location. Casting, getting your lure,  sinkers, weights and leaders into the water, at the correct depth, imitating ‘prey’, and doing so with, spot-on accuracy, is the ultimate goal. Refining your ability to use a bass fishing rod to hit your desired spot with confidence is the most basic skill to refine and. Getting the hook out to exactly where you want it to be is what you should practice and strive for.  

Casting to your desired lure placement is one part of this process, getting the lure to the right depth quite another. Advanced bass anglers suggest using a countdown or counting method. This method is really quite simple. When your bait hits the water, start counting, 1000, 1000 and 1, 1000 and 2, 1000 and 3 and so forth. This will allow you to estimate the number of seconds it will take for it to ‘drop’ through the water. This will help you know better what you are doing. You will be able to tell when it hits the bottom or if it got caught on something in the process etc. By using this method you establish reference points for yourself on and in the water.  

Nothing can replace hands-on, bass fishing rod in-hand practice to develop you casting technique. Using practice-plugs in the park, or your own backyard improve your casting abilities once you are on the water, no matter what the body of water, or style of fishing you choose to pursue. By marking a target area and repeatedly practicing casting to it from varying distances you will soon develop a “feel” for your equipment and the amount of effort it may take to place your lure in “just the right spot”. While practicing your technique it will also be important to develop a consistent grip of your rod to ensure that the “mechanics of your cast are the same each time. This is much the same process that a golfer uses to develop a consistent and predictable swing of their golf club.

 As a general rule of thumb, a good arch in the air as a travel path en route to the water, is a good reference and goal as you set out to improve your casting technique and accuracy.  Line-control is crucial to avoid overshooting, while obtaining a gentler landing and slow flight to your target area. This can be accomplished by learning to “feather” your cast by  touching the lip of the spool with the tip of your index finger..  

This post has only touched the surface of the vast amount of information available to improve your bass fishing. The Complete Bass Fishing Course shares the bassfishing knowledge of the legendary Bill Dance on 12 DVDs along with 12 CDs. Click below to learn how to receive a free lesson DVD.