Skill is desirable for bass fishing, but there’s more to the hobby than that. If you don’t have the right knowledge, technique, and equipment for the job, then you’ll find yourself struggling before you’ve even properly begun. Therefore, it’s wise to spend some time reading about bass fishing from a variety of authors, to ensure you have the most up to date information available for when you’re on, and off, the water.
Top 13 Bass Fishing Books
Kayak Bass Fishing: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Stripers, By Chad Hoover
Fishing in populated waters in one thing, but to do it on secluded waters is something else entirely; this is what’s covered in the pages of this Hoover book. Published in 2017, this is a handy title to read for those who use kayaks to do the majority of their bass fishing. That being said, even if you’re not a kayaker, there’s still much to learn about bass species, where and how to find them, and how to improve your form regardless of your current skill level.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing for Everyone: How to Catch the Hardest Fighting Fish That Swims, By James Root
As anyone within the bass fishing community will know, there’s different species of bass to fish in different bodies of water. Consequently, while some fishers like to fish for all types, others prefer to specialise in one species of bass, like smallmouth bass. If you’re one such person, then this Root book will help you improve your skill and understanding of fishing all in one. Released in 2017, this contemporary title talks about techniques, seasonal and environmental tips for bass fishing, how to get your equipment set up, and the best locations to fish at. What is more, the book has over 150 illustrations to help guide you through each chapter.
How to think like a Bass: Professional Secrets to Catching More and Bigger Bass, By Fraser Wheaton
This Wheaton book keeps the details short and sweet, at just 54 pages long. Nevertheless, while a brief read, it’s one that packs in a lot of details. The way this book is written has a lighthearted, dry sense of humour to it, which some readers will love while others will dislike it. Regardless of your personal preferences on writing style, this book will give you some great pointers that are essential to bass fishing success. Though we doubt you’ll think like a bass by the end of it!
101 Bass Fishing Tips: Twenty-First Century Bassing Tactics and Techniques from All the Top Pros, By John Neporadny Jr.
One of the longer reads on our list, this Neporadny book has reasonable acclaim throughout the community, for the 240 pages covers a total of 101 ways to improve your bass fishing. Said to be one of the best bass fishers around, Neporadny Jr’s title takes you through the different baits, techniques, and even tips of luring fish out of cover to help you become a more effective fisher. Some of the details are slightly dated now, given that the book was released in 2013, but generally speaking the information is still relevant and adaptable for newer generations of fishers.
Kevin VanDam’s Bass Strategies Revised Edition, By Kevin VanDam Et Al
If you’re an avid bass fisher, then the name Kevin VanDam will already be familiar to you — he’s famous for being a skilled bass fisher. Therefore, if you want to improve your technique and become as masterful as VanDam, this is the book to do it with. Well received by fishers and readers, this title walks you through the various means you can catch bass throughout the waters of the US. Despite being America specific, this book still holds useful tips for fishers across the globe.
Secrets of a Champion: Bass Superstar Reveals His Winning Tips, By Kevin VanDam
We bring to you another VanDam book, this time from 2002. Only 167 pages long, this is a reasonably short book, though one filled with helpful tips to get you just as polished as the angler himself. Beyond everyday bass fishing, this book also takes you through a detailed account of how he won the Bass Master Classic back in 2001, which avid fans of VanDam will find particularly thrilling.
The Best Bass Flies: How to Tie and Fish Them, By Jay Zimmerman
This is another America specific bass fishing book, looking primarily at largemouth bass across the country. Throughout the 200 plus pages of this title, the author will provide you with a solid foundation on which to build your bass fishing knowledge, with each of his sections illustrated to further help educate readers. Despite referencing locations across the States, this Zimmerman book can be adapted to any location, due to how common largemouth bass are.
Largemouth Bass: Tournament-tested Patterns for Catching Big Bass in Lakes, Rivers, and Reservoirs, By Don Oster
Oster, yet another renowned bass fisher, has over 35 years of experience in the subject, and so it stands to reason that his book is useful to anyone looking to better their technique. What is more, this 2001 published title has some truly breathtaking photographs of bass in their natural habitats, which not only add further depth to the book, but are an enjoyable way to engage with the popular bass locations throughout the US. Although the book is only 160 pages long, there’s plenty of tips and sage advice to guide you to more effective fishing.
Bass Fishing Tips: 5 in 1: All 5 books to make you a better bass fisherman, By Steve G Pease
This might not be the most polished guide on our list, but Bass Fishing Tips is a detailed means of learning more about bass fishing and how to find the best locations when limited on time. Given the independent indie publishing of the book, however, the content is riddled with quite a few grammatical errors, which might make reading difficult. That being said, if you can look past the small mistakes, you’ll find a wealth of advice on bait, species, technique, etc.
Roland Martin’s 101 Bass-Catching Secrets, By Roland Martin
This bass book is by far the beefiest in our guide, coming in at 448 pages in length. Although a longer read, don’t mistake the title for being dull, as Martin’s guide is packed full of accessible, well written content. One of the main reasons fishers praise the book so widely is because of how practical the information provided is — it can be used right there, out on the water, without much additional interpretation or aid. Consequently, this has become one of the “must reads” for bass fishers worldwide.
Big Book of Bass: Strategies for Catching Largemouth and Smallmouth, By Steve Hauge
We bring you another longer read, this time from Hauge and in the form of 402 pages about bass, their habitats, and a concise guide on how to catch that all important trophy bass. There’s so much valuable information in here, as well as high quality, detailed imagery, that this book has been referred to as the “bible of bass fishing”. Given the wide praise received, this book is suited to all fishers, and will help to get you started and refresh your current fishing technique.
Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing: Where To Find Them, How To Catch Them, By Eric Burnley
As we mentioned earlier on, there’s books published for the different species of bass, with this guide focusing on striped bass in particular. What makes this such a stellar fisher book is the wealth of experience within it from author, Burnley, who has been a passionate bass fisher for 40 plus years. If you want to up your game and improve your casts, baiting, fly fishing technique, and general fishing skills, this is one of the best ways to do it.
Largemouth Bass; an In-Fisherman handbook of Strategies, By In-Fisherman
We end our bass book overview with an old school favourite, dating back to 1992; Largemouth Bass is a 336 pages book which walks you through the intricate relationship between biology and lived in fisher experience. Despite it being such an old publication, readers still purchase it and praise it for how thorough, useful, and relatable the content is. Even though some of the information will have updated versions elsewhere, this book from In-Fishman company shouldn’t be overlooked.
Conclusion
The world of bass fishing is a large one, and as a result, there’s no end of handy resources you can utilise in order to improve your skill. Our guide, which consists of both new and older publications, covers every aspect of the hobby, meaning that every kind of bass fisher is catered to. If you want to make sure your knowledge is up to date, or you simply wish to read from other fishers’ perspective, then the above titles are some of the best available to help you do just that.