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Are you interested in learning how to catch yellow bass? Yellow bass look like white bass except for the yellow or golden sides with five or seven black stripes. It fights hard despite its size and can be found in the Northeast, Midwest, and the South of the United States. Yellow bass can be found in the backwaters of lakes, pools, streams, rivers, and reservoirs.

In this article, we discuss how to catch yellow bass, the fishing methods often used by anglers, the baits and lures, the fishing tackle, as well as share tips and tricks to help you be successful when fishing for yellow bass.

How To Catch Yellow Bass
How To Catch Yellow Bass

How To Catch Yellow Bass

Yellow bass can be found in quiet pools and the backwaters of lakes, rivers, streams, and reservoirs. Anglers use many fishing methods such as baitcasting, trolling, still fishing, drift fishing, fly fishing, and spinning.

1. Baitcasting

Baitcasting is one of the often used fishing methods used by anglers when fishing for yellow bass. Anglers use a variety of bait such as minnows, worms, wax worms, and live bait when baitcasting for yellow bass. The line, with the bat, is cast into the water from a boat or from the shore, and retrieved.

The cast and retrieved motion is done repeatedly until there is a bite. Baitcasting is an ideal fishing method when you are learning how to catch yellow bass.

2. Drift Fishing

Drift fishing allows you to slowly move the boat at the velocity of the water current with the line moving slowly in the water with the bait attached. Drift fishing makes it possible to cover a lot of water. Additionally, it also makes it possible to catch a variety of fish as you move through different habitats.

3. Trolling

Trolling is similar to drift fishing and the boat is moved slowly as the bait moves through the water at the back of the boat. When there is a strike, you take control of the line and reel in the fish.

4. Still Fishing

Still fishing is another fishing method that is used to catch yellow bass. it is a simple and effective fishing method in which you drop the line with the bait into the water and wait for a bite. Do nothing but just wait for the bite. Still fishing can be done by sitting at a dock or pier. When you are learning how to catch yellow bass, this is a fishing method that an be used.

Yellow Bass Fishing
Yellow Bass Fishing

5. Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is another fishing method that can be used when fishing for yellow bass. It is a more advanced fishing method that requires more skills to implement.

6. Spinning

Spinning is also used by many anglers when fishing for yellow bass and many other species of fish.

Yellow Bass Fishing Tackle

Yellow bass, like its cousin white bass, does not grow into large fish. You can use light to medium tackle when fishing. A light-weight to medium-weight action rod, preferably 6 to 7 foot with 4 to 6 pound test, will work when fishing for yellow bass. Moreover, lighter weight lines make it easier to cast the line further into the water.

Yellow Bass Fishing Tricks
Yellow Bass Fishing Tricks

Best Baits For Yellow Bass

  1. Live Bait

Live bait is very effective when fishing for yellow bass. It is ideal when you are learning how to catch yellow bass.

2. Minnows

Minnows are one of the best baits to use when fishing for yellow bass. It is also ideal for a beginner who is learning how to catch yellow bass.

3. Worms

Nightcrawlers and red worms are great baits for yellow bass. Rig a piece of the worm on a small hook to get the hook and bait into the mouth of the yellow bass. When learning how to catch yellow bass, worms are ideal for targeting yellow bass.

4. Spikes

Spikes work well as bait for yellow bass as they are an ideal size for yellow bass. They are best used on a single hook or at the tip of jigs, spoons, and spinners.

5. Wax Worms

Wax worms also work well as bait for yellow bass on a single hook or at the tip of jigs, spoons, or spinners.

Yellow Bass Fishing Tricks
Yellow Bass Fishing Tricks

Best Lures For Yellow Bass

  1. Jigs

Jigs are also used to catch yellow bass when they move to deeper waters. Vertical jigging is a fishing method that anglers use to attract yellow bass deep in the water column. The jigs are often tipped with a bit to be more effective.

2. Inline Spinners

Inline spinners are an effective lure to use when fishing for yellow bass. When they are in a school and feeding on baitfish, cast it out and do a steady retrieve.

3. Jigging Spoons

When yellow bass is deep in the water column, jigging spoons, tipped with a worm, can be used to attract and catch yellow bass.

4. Soft Plastics

Soft plastics are a good lure to use when fishing for yellow bass.

Yellow Bass Fishing Ideas
Yellow Bass Fishing Ideas

How To Catch Yellow Bass Ice Fishing

When ice fishing for yellow bass, drill many holes as you can to increase your chances of finding and catching them. Moreover, use your ice fishing fish finder to locate schools of yellow fish. If you see fish and they won’t bite, you can use this trick to determine if they are yellow bass or another species of fish.

Drop a small spoon down and move it through the school of fish. If they all scatter, then they were perch. If they linger around, they are most likely yellow bass.

Small spoons and jigs with spikes or wax worms at the tip are some of the lures that are effective when ice fishing for yellow bass. A light action rod and a reel that is spooled with a fluorocarbon coated ice line will work.

How To Catch Yellow Bass In The Night

Yellow bass is most active at night and in low-light conditions like early morning and late evening. When fishing for yellow bass during the night, lures such as spoons and spinners with a silver shiny work well. Minnows and jigs are also very effective when fishing for yellow bass. Baits and insects that resemble insects, small shad, insect larvae, small Sunfish, and minnows work well.

When night fishing, look for yellow bass near bridges, docks, piers, creeks, and river channels. They can also be found in drop-off areas. A rig that proves to be very effective when fishing for yellow bass during the night is a lighted slip-bobber rig.

Yellow Bass Fishing Tips

  1. Yellowbass is often found at the bottom preying on blood worms and other baitfish.

2. Keep your bait within six inches of the bottom.

3. Yellow bass spawns in May when the water temperature is between 60 and 65 degrees.

4. Yellow bass is usually found in 6 to 12 feet of water during the winter.

How To Catch Yellow Bass
How To Catch Yellow Bass

5. Yellow bass are most active during low-light conditions early in the morning and late evenings.

6. Yellow bass spawns in two to three feet of water. When fishing for them during the spawning season, look for rocky shorelines or shallow rock reefs.

7. The best time of the year to catch yellow bass is summer and spring.

8. Drift fishing, trolling, baitcasting, fly fishing, and still fishing are some of the fishing methods that can be used when fishing for yellow bass.

9. When ice fishing for yellow bass, drill many holes to increase your chances of finding them.

10. When yellow bass ice fishing, use your ice fishing fish finder to locate fish. if you don.t see them in one are, move to another area. if you are interested in ice fishing fish finders, then read the best ice fishing fish finders.

What is the best bait for yellow bass?
Minnows, live bait, and worms are some of the best baits for yellow bass.
What is the best bait for bass ice fishing?
Spikes, wax worms, live bait, maggots, wigglers (mayfly larvae) or minnows are some of the best baits for yellow bass ice fishing.

The Bottom Line

Yellow bass is very similar to white bass, except for the yellow sides and black stripes. It can be found in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southern parts of the United States.

Additionally, they can be found in quiet pools and the backwaters of reservoirs, streams, rivers, and lakes. In this article, we discussed how to catch yellow bass, the fishing methods, the baits and lures, fishing tackle, and shared some tips and tricks to catch more yellow bass. You can also read how to catch smallmouth bass, how to catch spotted bass, how to catch largemouth bass, and how to catch black sea bass.