How to Fish for Sea Bass
Sea bass is a delicious and fun fish to catch. It is a popular fish on the east coast, particularly the New York coast. Read below for tips on how to put together your own sea bass fishing expedition.
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Things You'll Need
- Fishing pole
- Fish hooks
- Lead weight
- Clam bait
- Salt
- Gloves
- Net
- Bucket
- Boat
Instructions
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Charter a boat or join a local fishing expedition. Talk to local fishermen to find out how far out in the ocean you need to travel to reach the sea bass.
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When you've reached the desired spot with your boat, the first thing to do is bait your hook. Clams work the best when catching sea bass. Just stick your hook through the middle of your piece of clam.
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Make sure you have a lead sinker that weighs about 1 pound and then cast off your fishing pole. To cast off, swing your line backward and then jerk it forward quickly and let the line go out naturally. If you are new at this you should practice a few times before you put the bait on to get the hang of it. You want your line to go out as far as it can from the boat because some of the fish might be scared of the boat.
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Wait patiently for a sea bass to bite your line, keeping a close eye on the line. You want to be ready when the fish starts to bite or it could just take your bait and run.
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When you feel a little tug on the line, quickly jerk your line up and the start reeling the fish in. The quick jerk will catch the fish off guard and hopefully get the hook in their mouth. While you are reeling in your fish, have someone get a little net to put around the fish when you lift it up out of the water. This will make sure that the fish doesn't fall off the hook and back in to the ocean. Scoop the fish up and bring it on deck.
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Check to make sure the fish is a regulation weight. Each state has different regulations, so you should get that information before you go out on your expedition. If the sea bass is under weight, you must toss it back in the ocean. Make sure you remove the hook from it's mouth first. Do this fairly quickly because the fish cannot survive long outside of the salt water. If the sea bass is the correct weight, place it in a bucket of salt water until you can get it home to fillet it. This step will ensure that your sea bass remains as fresh as possible.
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Repeat these steps until you've caught your desired number of sea bass.
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Tips & Warnings
Salting your clams before you put them on the hook will make them tougher, and they will stay on the hook better.
The suggested hook for catching sea bass is the the Kirby pattern, No. 1. You can get this at any bait and tackle shop or by searching online. Make sure you buy extras as you are likely to lose a few.
Plan on spending several hours fishing. This is a sport that requires patience.
Wear gloves while fishing to protect your hands.
