“Fishing is fun, that is all there is to it,” declared Bassmaster Elite Series and Early Times Kentucky Whiskey Professional Angler Kevin Wirth from Crestwood, Kentucky.  Wirth should know since he has been fishing all his life and professionally for a number of years.  “I love the competition and the thrill of the catching them,” explained Wirth.  Even this seasoned professional angler gets excited about catching a bass; however, there are certain things newbies can do to have more fun fishing when first starting out.

Wirth said, “Anglers should focus on some of the basic things when first begin like equipment, casting skills, and reading the water”.  Although situations and time of year are can make a different on every reservoir, some of the basics apply to each body of water.  “First, start with something simple, lures that fish can hook themselves and not hard to cast,” Wirth continued, “keeping it simple is the key”. 

As for lures, Wirth likes to give newbies one of these four lures.  A finesse jig head worm AKA shaky head because all they have to do is cast it out, some bites may even happen before it hits the bottom and has a natural presentation.  Drop-shot because again you just cast it out and pick up the slack, shake it and the fish will hook themselves by just reeling.  Another lure is a small Pop-R although it does require the newbie to work it; sometime it will catch fish just sitting there.  The most challenging lure for the newbie would be a jerkbait; although it does require some skill to present it correctly, it will catch fish in numerous situations.  The only real reason Wirth did not like newbies to cast jerkbaits was they have dangerous treble hooks.

Maybe one of the most confusing to newbies is fishing line.  In the past, anglers only had one choice and that was monofilament.  Today, anglers have to choose from Braid, fluorocarbon, hybrids, and monofilament.  “Depending on the variables, it is hard to go wrong with fluorocarbon with a few excepts,” Wirth continued, “I use Spiderwire Ultracast 100% Fluorocarbon line for crankbait fishing; it gets the bait deeper so I get more bites, otherwise Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon line for everything else.”  Wirth also recommended that newbies learn about line diameter and how it affects the lure.

The last thing Wirth though newbies should learn and believes the most important thing is location.  Where are the bass located and why?  “Each lake is different and has to be approached differently,” Wirth continued, “take for example Kentucky Lake, newbies can take a topographical map or their GPS units and find fish because it so easy to develop a pattern; however, small lakes are harder to pattern because there is not enough structure like points or deep underwater brush piles and fronts or fishing pressure will vary patterns daily”.

As for rods and reels, Wirth believes anglers just starting out should have two 7-foot medium heavy rods rigged with a fast retrieve 6.3:1 gear ratio.  The theory behind having two of the same rods is so an angler can get comfortable and control the bait better with practice.  In fact, Wirth recommended that anglers practice at home in the yard at first before going to the lake.  Like most pros, Wirth has his own favorite rod and reel set up.  “I prefer a 7-foot medium heavy Fenwick Rod with a high speed 6.3:1 Abu Garcia Revo STX bait casting reel.

Key Bass Fishing Technique: “When you are new to fishing, do not let strange lakes intimidate you or listen to dock talk; just go out and fish your gut feeling,” Wirth recommended.

Sponsors: Early Times Kentucky Whiskey, Triton boats, Berkley, Abu Garcia Reels, Mercury, Power pole