we all prefer to be fishing than reading or watching television about fishing. but frankly, there’s a lot more time out of the water than there is in it. so I’m glad I have ways to keep myself thinking and daydreaming about fishing when I can’t. the time spent in the water is very small, so maximizing that time is imperative. To do that, every fisherman must be a student of the passion. learn everything you can learn out of the water to have more fun in the water.
In that vein, I thought I’d share five books related to bass fishing that I like and refer to frequently. I think these books help me to be a better fisherman and help me take some “luck” out of this hobby. but all of this information also brings me back to a simple point, fishing is not as hard as we try to make it. it’s simply about location and presentation. To consistently catch good fish, it all comes down to those two fundamental points: “find where the fish want to be, and then activate them to attack.”
You are reading: Books on bass fishing
but these books serve as good reminders on how to cover the details to achieve the simple successes. They’re not all how-to books, but they do share a common theme centered around knowing your opponent and knowing the tools to defeat them.
1. john hope’s trackin’ trophies by jesse miller
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This book was one of the first to really study how large bass behave differently and how much they will roam or stay close to a house depending on their size. the book is a short read and well worth a weekend of reading. Covers Hope’s exploratory research using sonars and radio monitoring to understand the movements of a bass. his ability to read a map and know the locations of big fish is amazing.
2. getting to know the bass by keith a. jones, Ph.D.
doc” jones is the famed mastermind behind the scent and actions of great berkley products. Probably few people have studied bass as much as Jones has, and his long years of study have gone into this very detailed book on bass behavior and how to capitalize on it as an angler.
3. bob mcnally’s complete book on fishermen’s knots, fishing tackle and how to use them by bob mcnally
mcnally and his father have long been regarded as the foremost experts in tying knots and rigging for generations. Aside from having the San Diego Knot, this book run covers it all and why and when to tie a certain knot. Thanks to this book, I can tie a uni knot, a dovecote, a rivet, a double rivet, a rapala knot and more in my sleep. flw outdoor magazine features one of mcnally’s book knots in each issue.
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4. in search of bill murphy’s giant bass
This book focuses primarily on live bait fishing, something I certainly don’t do much of, but the principles helped me fine-tune my jig fishing, how I position and move a boat while fishing. the book helped me understand a lot more about classic big fish holding areas and how a large bass isn’t just sitting in one spot waiting for you to cast bait there. some books since this one have been written based on the concepts in this book. the original is always the best in my opinion.
5. sowbelly: the obsessive pursuit of the world record for bass by mount burke
This book is not as instructive as the others. but it does have some interesting conclusions to be drawn about chasing big fish and the mindset one has to have to consistently catch big bass. what I liked about the book is that the focus was on being great at catching bass, it was more about effort and time than knowledge and skill. if you spend your time in the water, the big bass will come to you.
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