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Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides · also: bucketmouth, achigan à grande bouche

The weed-and-wood fish. Shallow, warm, cover-oriented and the reason weedless rigs exist.

Where to find them

Southern Ontario (Kawarthas, Rideau, Lake St. Clair, Lake Scugog), southern Quebec (Richelieu, Lac Saint-François, Eastern Townships), BC's lower mainland and Okanagan, Manitoba's Whiteshell.

Rigs by season

SeasonWhere and what to tie
Late spring (opener)Post-spawn in shallow weeds and docks. Wacky rig, Texas rig, frogs.
SummerThick milfoil, pads, docks and deep weed edges. Texas rig, Tokyo rig, punching, free rig on edges.
FallGreen weeds and the outside edges as weeds die. Texas rig, jigs, spinnerbaits, shaky head.

Gear

A 7'–7'3" medium-heavy baitcaster with 15–17 lb fluorocarbon or 50 lb braid for Texas rigs and cover; a medium spinning rod with 12 lb fluoro for wacky and shaky heads.

Bait and lures

Creature baits, craws, stick worms, ribbon-tail worms. Green pumpkin, black/blue, watermelon red.

Tips

  • Fish the thickest cover you can get a bait into.
  • Most Texas-rig bites are on the fall; watch the line.
  • Early and late, throw a frog or topwater over the same weeds.

Rigs for largemouth bass

8 rigs

Texas Rig diagramMain lineBullet weight (slides)Palomar knotOffset worm hook, point buried

Texas Rig

The weedless soft-plastic rig every bass angler learns first. A bullet weight slides on the line above a hook buried in the plastic, so it slips through weeds and wood without hanging up.

bassBeginnerLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass
Carolina Rig diagramMain line (15–20 lb)Egg weight 3/4 oz (slides)Bead Barrel swivelLeader 18–48"Offset hook, Texas-rigged

Carolina Rig

A heavy sliding weight, a bead, a swivel and a long leader let a soft plastic drift naturally behind the weight. Perfect for covering deep points, flats and rock piles.

bassBeginnerLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass
Drop-Shot Rig diagramBraid main lineFG / Alberto knotFluoro leaderHook stands out, point upTag end 12–24"Drop-shot weight

Drop-Shot Rig

The weight goes on the bottom and the hook is tied above it, so the bait hovers off the bottom right where suspended fish feed. The number one finesse rig for smallmouth in Ontario and Quebec.

bassBeginnerSmallmouth BassLargemouth Bass
Wacky Rig diagramFluoro 8–12 lbPalomar knotWacky hook through O-ringWorm hooked at its middle, both ends free

Wacky Rig

A stick bait hooked through the middle so both ends flutter as it sinks. The simplest rig on this site and one of the best for pressured, shallow bass.

bassBeginnerLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass
Ned Rig diagramLight fluoro or braid + leaderPalomar knotMushroom head + buoyant stick

Ned Rig

A short, buoyant plastic on a light mushroom-shaped jighead that stands up on bottom. The rig that made "do nothing" finesse fishing famous — and a smallmouth killer in Canadian rivers and lakes.

bassBeginnerSmallmouth BassLargemouth Bass
Shaky Head Rig diagramFluoro 8–12 lbPalomar knotShaky head, worm Texas-rigged

Shaky Head Rig

A finesse worm Texas-rigged on a stand-up jighead. Shake the rod tip and the worm dances upright on the bottom. The go-to when bass are pressured or the bite is slow.

bassBeginnerLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass
Tokyo Rig diagramHeavy fluoro or braid Swivel + solid ringHook Texas-rigged, bait hoversWire dropper 2–3"Weight(s) on wire

Tokyo Rig

A hook, a solid ring and a short wire dropper with the weight on it. The bait sits a few inches above the weight and flutters in place — a Texas rig with a drop-shot attitude.

bassIntermediateLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass
Free Rig diagramFluoro 12–16 lbFree-rig weight on swivel eye (slides)Egg sinkerPalomar knotOffset hook, Texas-rigged

Free Rig

A free-sliding weight on a swivel clip, then a hook tied directly to the line. The weight drops first and the plastic glides down behind it on a slack line — a Carolina rig with no leader to tie.

bassBeginnerLargemouth BassSmallmouth Bass