Fishing in general is a fun and exciting sport that people around the world can enjoy, but when it comes to extreme popularity, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing in the United States has taken hold on the hobby. It’s an extremely popular sport that is welcoming to anglers both young and old, experienced or brand new.
With bass fish, you don’t need to invest large amounts of money into the perfect tackle, and can even start to catch bass right in your own backyard. Once you get a largemouth bass on your hook, you will soon learn just how fun these game fish can be to reel in and may soon realize just why is bass fishing so popular.
Why is Bass Fishing so Popular? 12 Reasons
1: Year-round fishing
Bass fish can be active all year round, and at most times throughout the day and night. This gives anglers a huge range of options when it comes to setting up the perfect fishing trip with friends or family. Whether you are looking to catch some largemouth bass just after the spawning season or are wanting to try your hand at ice fishing, bass can definitely be your target fish during any season.
2: Many suitable fishing spots
In addition to being active year round, bass fish are found almost everywhere in the United States and into southern Canada. They are extremely common in lakes and ponds, but can also be found in rivers, creeks, estuaries, and the ocean.
With so many fishing spots available, you won’t have to travel far to go on your next bass fishing trip which makes these fun fish extremely accessible for everyone. This accessibility has made bass fishing very popular, especially among beginners just starting their angling journey.
3: Suitable for beginners
Bass fishing is a very beginner friendly sport. Not only are largemouth bass eager to take most types of artificial and live bait, but they are not picky about the quality of your fishing gear either. You can toss a cheap rubber worm into the water and start catching bass.
Additionally, beginners won’t need to have an advanced knowledge of fishing techniques or weather patterns in order to catch fish like bass. In fact, as long as you know how to hold a rod and bait a hook, you’re able to catch this popular fish.
4: There are lots of TV programs on bass fishing
Whether you are looking for fun fishing highlights or full tournament coverage, there are a wide range of programs on television that are dedicated to bass fishing and the anglers that love to catch bass. Many local news channels will even feature bass fishing tournaments and other fun fishing events that may be happening in your neighborhood, and ESPN as well as other major broadcasting channels cover bass fishing tournaments too.
5: A chance to become a pro
People love bass fishing because it’s a very friendly sport with plenty of room for newcomers to join in. And, with so many freshwater anglers having dedicated their lives to this fish species, you can easily find mentors that can help give you tips and information.
Once you have a grasp on the basics, head out on the water or enter into your first novice tournament. You may just spark the flame of a lifelong passion for bass fishing that can even turn into a professional career.
6: Healthy fish population
Bass numbers are not hurting which makes them a very stable and widespread fish. This is due in part to many conservation departments putting limits on the times you can fish for bass, as well as many bass fisheries being protected.
7: Bass fishing tackle accessibility
Finding the right tackle for bass fishing is almost as easy as walking into any department store that has fishing equipment. In fact, you won’t need anything special or fancy to start catching bass and can even have plenty of success when using the cheapest fishing equipment.
Bass are not picky about what goes in their mouth, so you can catch a monster sized bass on a rainbow glitter rubber worm if you want. You can go out on the water with a $25 fishing rod and still manage to haul in some aggressive fish on artificial lures that are fun to fight on the line.
Since bass fishing has such a low cost when it comes to getting started, it has become the gateway fish for new anglers to get started on to learn the ropes before moving into other species that may be a bit more demanding.
8: Enjoying a meal
While most anglers practice catch and release with bass, there is nothing wrong with keeping a few of your fish for a delicious meal. Bass are very easy to process straight out of the water, and can be a great fish to practice gutting and cutting.
After that, you can prepare them in pretty much any way including grilling, deep fried, pan frying, baking or even stewing. Whatever your preference in a fish meal, bass can meet those demands.
9: Range of styles – lure, fly and bait
Whether you are trying to find the style of fishing that you are most comfortable with, or simply want to catch something with the one and only method you use, bass are not picky. You can catch them with almost any lure or bait on the market, including flies and other top skippers.
If children want to go fishing, but won’t use anything but the neon orange rubber worm, that’s fine. Bass won’t care and will usually take anything into their mouth if they are hungry enough.
10: Convenience and availability
Bass are extremely common in all lower 48 US states, as well as parts of Alaska and Canada. This means you won’t have to plan months in advance for your next big fishing trip. You can simply grab a rod, grab your tackle box, and take a short drive down to the lake.
In addition to their locations being so common, their numbers are also extremely healthy. Very few areas are seeing a drop in bass populations, due in part to their popularity among anglers and the realization that protecting bass habitats also helps many other animals thrive too.
11: It is fun and exciting
Bass are fun to fight once you have them on the hook, and they can give you a burst of adrenaline when you are trying to haul them in without breaking your line. If that wasn’t enough excitement, there are also bass tournaments held around the country several times a year, many of which have beginner-friendly contests too.
Whether you are an old pro or someone brand new to the hobby, entering a bass fishing tournament can be one of the most exciting parts of the entire bass fishing hobby. And if you win? Well the prize money can help pay for your new addiction to fishing.
12: They are a wonderful fish
Bass are large and very active fish. They can be super aggressive and will put up a good fight on the line. They’re impressive looking and can slam into your lure like a torpedo if they want to. All these things combined make bass a wonderful fish to enjoy when fishing for a weekend hobby, or as a profession.
FAQs on Bass Fishing
Final Thoughts on Bass Fishing’s Popularity
There are many reasons why bass fishing is popular in the United States as well as abroad. It’s an extremely common fish that is easy to catch and fun to reel in. There is a very healthy community of like minded anglers that are welcoming and willing to help newcomers to the hobby.
There is no high cost barrier for beginners, which makes bass fishing very easy to get started with. You won’t need to invest hundreds of dollars into the perfect set of gear and tackle just to catch your first fish.
While bass fishing is easy to get started with, it can also be very difficult to master which keeps many anglers coming back to their favorite fishing spots year after year to catch that next trophy fish.
