Possibly one of the most essential parts of bass fishing is actually finding the fish. Once you locate the fish, half the battle is won. In order to see bass, you need to know where bass like to hang out. Bass are often observed in and around underwater shelter, whether it's fallen trees, rocks, sign posts, boat docking facilities or dense weeds. Also, bass tend to prefer shelves, where there is a abrupt drop-off, coves, and sandy areas. some lakes, actually have man-made cover underwater designed to attract bass. They are usually made from rocks or dead trees. In order to notice these areas, a topographic map charting the geographical configurations of the lake, can prove to be an invaluable tool. Also, ask local fishermen, tackle shop owners, and rangers who are acquainted with the lake, where they have had success.

Fishing in and around these structures, can be tormenting, as it's problematic to really make a lure down into many of these areas. Ask your local tackle shop for lures and jigs, particularly designed to sink in these bass shelters. Also, fishing the heavily weeded areas and grasslike-bottom parts of the lake, can cause a lot of snags. Bass are not duped by a lure covered in grass. Try using a weedless hook, or immerse the tip of the hook inside your rubber jigs. That way they will sail right through the weeds and moss without hanging.

Once you have located the bass, even if it is just a few, in general, there are some more in the vicinity. Bass tend to often return to these spots, so it also can be helpful to keep a diary of where you seen the bass. You can note your exact position using a geographic positioning system (GPS) or if you don't have a GPS, just triangulate your position with landlocked reference points. Return to these spots year after year, but keep in mind that bass have seasonal patterns, so don't expect to always discover the fish in the same spot through out the year. During their breeding season, for example, look for the bass to run into the shallower areas where the water tends to be a few degrees warmer. Also, the bass like to create their nests in sandy areas or in small pebbles. The bass can appear to be easy targets when they are in the shallows, near the shore, but their mind is usually concentrating on protecting their eggs, so they may not be as easy to catch as you might expect. Often times they chase a lure when they are breeding, but it is just to get it away from their nest, and not to actually feed.

Without any knowledge of the underwater sheltered areas, bass can still be simple to discover during their large eating times. Although bass love minnows, they are often top eaters, and jump out of the water. During the early morning and late evening, bass lakes come to life as the surface of the water begins to boil with their movement. This is Maybe the easiest time to fish for bass. After all, why not fish when they are preying? This is a good time to try using a top-water bait, with a lot of movement. This action really gets their attention.