How To Catch Big Bass Everglades Bass Fishing Guides

How to catch big bass everglades bass fishing guides - Follow John Pate's advice you you might catch trophy bass like this 12 pounder!

If you would like to know how to catch big bass in the florida everglades – or anywhere else you live or fish – this is going to be great information for you.

Here is why…

Believe it or not, catching big bass is not as hard as you think.  The problem is – most fisherman make it Way more complicated then is actually is.

And it’s not your fault.  After you go fishing time and time again and rarely – if ever – catch a trophy largemouth bass… it’s easy for you to think you must need fancy techniques and “secret” knowledge to do it.

How To Catch Big Bass Everglades Bass Fishing Guides

In reality – BASICS CATCH TROPHY BASS.

And even more important – basics done extremely well… in the right place… long enough… catch trophy bass.

Listen – most fisherman don’t catch big bass consistently simply because they haven;t mastered the basics.  And I mean the basics of both locating bass – and then catching them for that location and situation.

Now I’m going to tell you one of the best piece of advice I can give you for locating both numbers of bass and big bass…

Man made structures hold both numbers of bass and big bass

In other words, if you see a man made structure – like a dock, bridge etc… fish it.

Here is a great example of a manmade structure you should be fishing from wired2fish…

A culvert or a concrete drain is also a man-made structure on various fisheries. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a way to funnel runoff rains into a body of water from different areas where you don’t water pooling. Other times it’s used to control over filling and refilling of backwater areas. Some guys have fished through them to the other side to reach a promise land of bass, like John Cox showed us in the FLW Tour event on the Red River this year.

But the actual drain itself can be a bass magnet at various times of the year.

In the spring, warm rains can send much warmer water into the lake and the bass will roam around the drains staying closer to the warmer water and chasing forage that often congregates. During the summer, the current can put fresh oxygen into the water and create an easy feeding zone for the bass. In the fall, these hard structures can often create ambush points and running water is usually not as prevalent in the fall, but they can be very attractive fish holders when they are flowing water into a bay or creek.

Understanding how the fish will position on these structures leads anglers to better catches. Often depth is the critical factor in how you should fish them. If they are in shallow water, moving baits can work well. If they are on steeper backs as they often are, they can provide great cover, fresh water and are perfect for more contact oriented baits like jigs and Senkos.

The first 20 pound limit I ever caught on Kentucky Lake was fishing a runoff area with the majority of the fish coming from a hard concrete drain. We were catching the fish leading up to the concrete structure and going away from it with shallow crankbaits in very cool water in early spring. Some 60-70 degree days brought warm rains that brought an influx of very warm water into the lake. Each time we made a pass by the concrete drain, we would pitch jigs and shaky heads into it and let them tumble away from it. Nearly every pass we connected with good fish. From nice spotted bass to big largemouths to very thick smallmouths, every type of bass seemed to be feeding in and around the drain.

Vic Vatalaro won his first tour level bass fishing tournament on Lake Dardanelle in August of 2009. He used his side imaging to scan along flooded banks in a few bays and found where the drains and culverts were completely submerged in the muddy water. The water was coming out of the backwater areas and was actually a little cleaner and refreshed than the mud-filled rest of the fishery. The current was pushing the mud away from the structures. He was able to pitch tubes and shaky heads around the structures to catch enough bass in one of the toughest FLW Series tournaments on record.

The biggest stringer of bass I’ve personally ever caught weigh 29 pounds, 5 ounces. I caught all of the bass pitching a senko in and around the current that was blowing out of a concrete drain in a small lake in Northern Arkansas. The lake was cold but was warming and the fish were grouped up waiting for the water to get warmer so they could move shallow. The drain had 20 to 30 feet of water out in front of it. I tried fishing a drop shot out in front of it, but it wasn’t until I started pitching a Senko next to the current of the drain and just letting it sink slowly that I started catching big bass.

My theory is the current was coming out of the drain so hard that the baitfish would get disoriented and sort of spin out of the current into the slack water next to it and the bass were waiting with their mouths open in the slack water. I caught six bass weighing more than 5 pounds that day. My five biggest were 29 pounds and change; all caught on light line and a Yamamoto Senkos rigged weightless. It was a painful way to fish, letting that bait fall sometimes 20 feet before seeing my line jump or start tightening up.  But understanding how the fish were relating to the drain and the current from the drain was the key to the big catch.

Jigs are a great tool around culverts and drains, as are soft plastics and crankbaits.  You can deflect and ricochet off the structures themselves and tumble around in the current often found near them. Be sure to check your line often, especially when fishing around the metal variety. These places often have rebar, rip rap rock, rusted metal and other line destroying obstacles to be concerned with when fighting bass.

Culverts are awesome structures for catching bass.

Now here’s something that’s extremely important if you want to catch REAL TROPHY BASS…

A lot of good fisherman know to fish man made structures.  As since they stick out like sore thumbs – they get a lot of fishing pressure.

So here are two tips that will help you catch bigger bass:

First, well you are fishing “common” man made structures – try to use lures no one else is using.  In other words – be unique.  That why Everglades bass fishing guide, John Pate used a lot of homemade lures.

Mr. Pate has been an everglades fishing guide since 1973 and has developed and tested some amazing lures.  He often catches huge bass when no one else does because (1) the lures are very good and (2) the lures are unique to the bass since no one else is using them.

John Pate’s second tip to catch really big bass is to try to fish the not-so-obvious man made structure.

Try to find structures that are hidden to  the naked eye.  This way – you will be fishing less pressured bass.

Everyone just wants to start casting – but if you do a little extra work searching for spots – you will catch a lot more big bass.

If you would like to go fishing with everglades bass fishing guide John Pate and learn how to discover the best places to catch big bass in the everglades, giv his a call.  His number is 954-325-5310.  If you have any questions send an email to: southfloridabassguides@gmail.com.  For trips and prices go here. 

If you would like to learn how to catch big bass in the fall click here.

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