This post goes out not just to aspiring anglers, but every sports fan in the country. The on-going spread of COVID-19 has likely affected the lives of every American in some way, and with the cancelation of all upcoming professional seasons and the Tokyo Olympics, this includes all sports fans. I’ve seen the jokes on the internet, people watching bowling and chess on TV to fulfill their need for sports; but what if I told you there was a legitimate solution to this dilemma?
There is one sport that nearly everybody can still participate in while maintaining “social distancing” in this troubling time-- largemouth fishing. The most popular state fish, a staple of freshwater sportfishing, and found everywhere from backwoods ponds in the middle of nowhere to some of the most urban environments. These are some of the reasons why largemouth tournaments are the most televised form of fishing in the United States, and why every sports fan that is bored sitting at home should purchase a fishing license on their state website, and head out to their local ponds with a rod and reel to flip some senkos.
If you didn’t know, largemouth bass can easily be caught from shore and on a million different things from live shiners to topwater frogs. The best baits to use will depend on your area and what the bass are feeding on locally, but you can almost never go wrong with a pack of senkos and a couple 3/0 worm hooks (not to be confused with a 3/0 live bait hook). The fight is impressive given their typical size and on light tackle they are a joy to catch. I’ve never gotten used to using the freshwater baitcasters, so my suggestion for rod and reel would be a seven foot, fast action, spinning rod with a line rating somewhere in the range of 10-20 pounds and a 2000 class spinning reel fitted with ten pound mono or fifteen pound braid. All the information around setting up your gear and how to fish with it can be easily found on Youtube if any aspect is confusing.
Once you have found your pond or lake, do your best to find submerged structures near the shoreline. This could be a sunken tree, a dock, rock piles, or dense vegetation such as lily pads. Once located, cast on all sides of the structure you can without getting your bait snagged on something that isn’t a fish. You’ll want to cast as close to the structure as you can but don’t be afraid to venture a few casts away from structure because you never really know where they might be holding.
Let’s make this post the center of an unofficial largemouth tournament, where all you need to do to enter is go catch a largemouth. Since most people don’t have scales for weighing fish, record the total length of your fish in the comment section . We will be going off an honor system, but it's not like there’s a prize incentive anyway (other than bragging rights). Don’t let the cancelation of sports keep you bored, participate in this national “Social Distancing” Largemouth Tournament.
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