Bass Fishing Tools
10 Amazing Essential Accessories for Bass Fishing: Lure fishing is somewhat easier than conventional bait fishing. The reason is we don’t need to bring as much fishing equipment with us.
Here are the 10 essential accessories for bass fishing with lures.
1: The Daiwa Sokkou Tool
This braid-to-nylon knot-tying tool is an absolute game-changer. The main key features is its ability for tying a quick knot when we are lure fishing. It’s called the Sokkou Tool
This ‘easy to use’ device is just a bit smaller than a pen and has a hole so you can attach it to a lanyard. But you could stick it in your pocket and forget about it until you need it again. Let’s be honest; we are not tying knots every five minutes, are we? That wouldn’t be very productive now, would it?
The last thing we lure fishermen need is for bass to snag us around rock or get stuck in that heavy kelp. You may even fray your leader or braid and do not want to risk your line snapping; those lures are expensive. Ultimately, you may even get a wind knot close to the leader and want to get rid of it.
So some of the above may not always come to light every time we go fishing. The point is, whether you can be bothered to stand there tying a perfect knot for ten minutes is entirely up to you. This tool is even more useful when we have waded out over those nasty rocks.
2: Fish Grips
The fish grips are an amazing accessory to have if you are standing in the water. The simple trigger will lock into the bass mouth so you can easily unhook the fish.
Different Types of Fish Grips
There are a load of different options when it comes to choice, but basically, you get what you pay for. I have had the fish grips this year and honestly, keep forgetting to use them. Maybe because I’m so used to just unhooking the bass the normal way.
The Inventor
I think the fish grips were invented by a bloke called Don Norton from the USA. These were designed with big fish in mind.
Amazingly, in most of the lure fishing videos I’ve seen from Japan the fish grips seem very popular.
Are Fish Grips Safe For The Fish?
I have noticed that some of the fish grips look like they could be a bit harsh on the fish’s mouths, but we’ll leave that up for debate. Incidentally, this was one reason they were invented, so it was less stressful for the fish. Ironically, most anglers hold their fish by the lip, so maybe this immobilises the captured bass.
3: Braid Cutters
In my eyes, having a decent set of braid cutters is essential for lure fishing. You can find thousands of different options on either Amazon or eBay literally.
Scissor Type Braid Cutters
I like the plier type, similar to a multitool and convenient for a few different scenarios. But I have now opted for the scissor-type braid cutters because I have found that the pliers are not so consistent. In other words, they seem to blunt a bit quicker. Ultimately, if we do have to tie some braid to our leader, we don’t want to be mucking around trying to cut off the braid tag ends.
The RidgeMonkey Nite Glow Braid Cutters are especially effective if you are fishing at night because…guess what?… They glow! Yes, great when you’re night fishing and trying to keep your light off. I’m forever dropping things in the pitch-black only to realise when I get home that I’ve lost something. So these are a godsend as far as I’m concerned.
4: Head Torch
Well, we have already covered headlights in another post so you can read it here. But if you can’t be bothered, then carry on reading.
Best Light for Lure Fishing At Night
The headlight in the picture is my number one choice for a few good reasons, but the main one is we hardly turn them on.
The reason is that we do NOT want to spook the bass when we are fishing. Normally, we will turn the light on if we stand in the water. But face back to shore. If there is a problem, either a tangle or re-tie a leader, then we would go back to shore but still face the light away from the water. We even turn our headlights off, driving to some of our hotspots.
Shore Fishing
When shore fishing I would use a light that has a longer battery life. The obvious reason is that you would probably have the light on all the time. But if we were bait fishing for bass we would still keep the light off the water. I always use rechargeable batteries. I found it’s much cheaper than keeping Duracells. Some lights have a built-in charger which is even better, I personally don’t have one.
10 Essential Accessories for Bass Fishing
5: Fluorocarbon
This is the line we use for our leader, attach to our braid mainline, and of course, whatever lure clip we fancy. Now when it comes to quality, it’s all down to your own personal preference.
What’s the Difference Between Fluorocarbon and Mono?
Fluorocarbon has some great quality compared to the standard monofilament line. For the lure fisherman, the Fluorocarbon has extremely low visibility in the water. This is important we do not want to spook that bass. That’s why we use it for our leaders. It also has great knot strength and excellent abrasion-resistant qualities. However, it is normally twice the price of mono and there is no reason why you can’t use mono. But Fluorocarbon is just better for lure fishing it’s that simple.
Other Types of Line
Yes, of course, there are other types of hybrid lines that you could choose. In fly fishing, sometimes the sink rate can be critical depending on the fly you are using: You wouldn’t want a sinking leader for a dry fly because it would sink. As for fly fishing for bass, I’m not sure how they would get around this, especially if they are fishing off the surface. Ultimately, this is the same thing. Fly fishing for bass is not really my thing, although we do have a ‘fluff chucker’ that occasionally comes with us. But don’t think the conditions always favour him. Although he does get the fish, I could imagine the fight is great on those lighter fly rods. Location is key for the fly fisherman, in my opinion.
6: Lure Clips
So what are the best lure clips out there?
There are loads of different types of lure clips out there. The reason we use them is that changing the lure is much quicker. You could tie a fancy knot, but that can take time. It’s far easier to unclip whatever lure clip you choose and carry on fishing.
Here is a list of lure clips
- JB Clips
- Tronix
- Breakaway Links
- Hook Snap Links
JB Clips: These are by far my favourite lure clip. I don’t think there is a lure out there that the JB wouldn’t fit. Some of the others can be challenging, especially at night, if your eyes are like mine, that is. Not always the easiest to get hold of, though, and you have to get the right size which is a 2.
We sometimes modify the clip bit with our pliers so that they undo a little easier. The JB also has a swivel attachment which is a bonus. Some of the other types of lure clips have them that we don’t mention. You could even add your own with some of the clips.
Tronix HTO Clip: These are another great clip, but like the JB, I sometimes modify the actual coil, so the lures go on a bit easier. The awkward lure in question is the ‘Komomo II’ Incidentally one of my favourite lures. Just bending that wire a tad can make it a bit easier. After all, we don’t want to be standing there for a half-hour when the fish are buzzing, getting a lure on, do we?
Breakaway Clips: This is another firm favourite with plenty of lure fishermen, but not every lure is going on that easy. Having said that, it’s still much better than tying your lure straight to your fluorocarbon leader. I haven’t even tried these, but I will order a packet and give them a shot.
Hook Snap Links: With the snap links, you can add a swivel to them a little bit more fish-friendly. Sometimes they already have the swivel, which is a bonus if they’re the type of clip you want to use. Basically, there are loads of different types of lure clips out there; it’s just trial and error to see what suits you.
7: Polarised Sunglasses
The times I have been fishing with other people and have not had a decent pair of polarised sunglasses is a joke. They would often shout, look at that bass following your lure. Once, we were fishing off a groin around our Kent coast when I heard someone shout, “Look under your lure”. I couldn’t see anything at all. They looked like they’d seen a ghost. Someone said that the fish following my lure was the biggest bass he’d ever seen. Unfortunately, if it weren’t for his pale look, I probably wouldn’t have believed him.
Better Vision For Spotting Bass
Well, you have probably guessed where this is going. But if I had my Polarised Sunglasses on, I may have had a chance to catch the monster. I could have slowed down my retrieve or even stopped reeling altogether; sometimes, this can prompt a bass into action. But I never saw it, so that’s the way it goes.
I don’t personally get on with sunglasses simply because I’m forever losing or breaking the bloody things. With that being said, I do have a pair for next season, so hopefully, they will last.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on sunglasses either; make sure you get a proper polarised pair.
8: Lure Vest
10 Essential Accessories for Bass Fishing
Well, if you are going to be standing in the water, wading across the treacherous rocks, we will need a good lure vest. After all, I doubt if we’d get all our accessories in just our wader pockets.
Lure Vest Variety
I have had a couple of different types, to be honest. My go-to lure vest can hold two lure boxes at the front. Then, on the back, it has another bag bit that looks like a small rucksack. You can see it in the picture.
Shoulder Type Lure Bag
The other type I use is a couple of pockets but only holds just the one lure box. However, you could still fit another much smaller box for soft plastics and smaller lures in the other pocket. This is like a small shoulder bag which is great, but you can’t carry that much. By this, I mean a bottle of drink like that. Not unless you had another rucksack like the bag as well that went over your back. Another way is to get a metal drink bottle (army type) and hook it on with a carabiner clip to hold it on.
10 Essential Accessories for Bass Fishing
Lure Vest Life Jacket
Yes, another alternative that should probably be your number one choice is the Lure Vest Life Jacket. The thing is, you never know what could happen while you’re fishing. I wouldn’t say I like wading over the rocks for a good few reasons. You can’t put your hand down to steady yourself if you lose your footing. Also, we tend to fish where there are strong tides which can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Personally, I would advise anyone not to fish where the water can be potentially out of your depth. IT’S JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK.
Separate Life Jacket
The other alternative is to get a separate life jacket. There are numerous types of life jackets that you would hardly notice. By that, I mean life getting in the way while you’re fishing. The life jackets for kayak fishing are a great example of this.
10 Essential Accessories for Bass Fishing
9: Lure Box
Let’s face it; we will want to keep all those lures in a safe place. After all, we can’t have those lures lost in our lure vest. It’s going to be messy. One thing, you must make sure your lure boxes fit in your lure vest pockets. Unfortunately, you truly have been caught out like this. The pockets on the vest were just too small. If you’re using a rucksack, it really doesn’t matter what lure box you use. As long as your lure box has compartments, then you can keep your lure organised and tidy.
10: Spare Spool With Braid
Last but not least, a spare spool full of braid, leader and lure clip are all ready to go. This is entirely up to you, but it could be game over if you get a killer wind knot if you don’t manage to sort it out. There is always room for a spare spool somewhere in your lure vest; let’s call it our ‘get out of jail free card’. You may just get snapped off by that mammoth bass swimming around a rock. But at least you will have the ammo to carry on. Best Braid For Lure Fishing