Bass Angler’s Almanac

John Weiss is the author of numerous fishing and hunting books, including The Whitetail Deer Hunter’s Almanac (Lyons, 2002; net sales 15,000). He has published hundreds of bass-fishing articles in a series of national magazines.Weiss sold his first fishing article to Ohio Angler Magazine at the age of fourteen. It was a humor article about the many ruses he had developed for sneaking onto private properties to fish bass ponds known to contain lunkers.One such technique was to use a throwaway rod, a cheap rod and reel bought at a garage sale for a dollar or so. As he wrote, “If a landowner ever catches you fishing his pond and gives chase, you can literally throw away the rod, at no big loss, allowing you to run much faster.” After a seven-year stint at Ohio University, he then launched upon a career as a full-time freelance writer. To date, he has authored eighteen books and more than five hundred feature articles for the major sportsmen’s magazines. Weiss has fished tournaments, his highest finish being second place in a multi-state contest. He has assisted tackle companies in lure design and worked with biologists on fishery-management programs. And he has given seminars and taught fishing classes, primarily to youngsters (he does not recommend trespassing on private property, by the way). Weiss lives on his farm in southern Ohio with his wife, Marianne. His daughter is a nationally recognized magazine writer and editor, while his son is a manager with a major fishing-tackle company.

From Library Journal Weiss is an outdoors writer of more than a dozen hunting and fishing books, including last year's counterpart, The Whitetail Deer Hunter's Almanac. Readers who like their prose packaged as numbered paragraphs of thematically organized facts and recommendations will appreciate this quick-read arrangement. There are useful tips and tactics on every page, but many segments were obviously culled from scientific press releases that only a biologist will care about. Since the 18 chapters aren't meant to be read in sequence, the same information often gets repeated two or more times; for example, the first two sections deal with the biology of largemouth and smallmouth bass, respectively, so several points, like how to tell them apart, get rehashed in both places. Other sections range from habitats to spawning behavior to the wide variety of modern tackle. Recommended for public libraries where bass fishing is popular.— Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.

• Introduction Chapter 1 40 Insights About Largemouth Bass Biology Chapter 2 34 Insights About Smallmouth and Spotted Bass BiologyChapter 3 30 Tips for Reading Maps and Using Sonar Chapter 4 42 Facts About Bass Spawning Behavior Chapter 5 40 Habits of Bass That Live in Natural LakesChapter 6 48 Habits of Bass That Live in Man-made ReservoirsChapter 7 40 Habits of Bass That Live in Rivers and StreamsChapter 8 40 Habits of Bass in Farm Ponds and Strip-Mine PitsChapter 9 37 Ways That Water Chemistry and Temperature Influence Bass BehaviorChapter 10 30 Ways That Weather Influences Bass BehaviorChapter 11 43 Tackle Tips on Selecting Rods, Reels, and LinesChapter 12 35 Ways to Fish Live Baits Chapter 13 38 Methods for Fishing Crankbaits and Topwater LuresChapter 14 37 Tips for Fishing Spinnerbaits and BuzzbaitsChapter 15 38 Secrets to Effective Jig FishingChapter 16 50 Ways to Fish Soft Plastic LuresChapter 17 30 Methods for Fishing Weedless Spoons and Jigging SpoonsChapter 18 32 Trolling Tips NEW Chapter 19: 6 of the Best Kept Secrets in Bassdom Where is the best bass fishing in North America? Fasten your seat belt!OntarioManitobaQuebecGreat Lakes BassingGetting It All TogetherAngling Techniques that ScoreNEW Chapter 20: 5 tips about Eyes Fish biologists have scientific explanations for why eyes on lures draw more strikes from bass.The Baitfish ConnectionGive Your Lures a Paint JobIs Color the Key?Eyes on Other Lures NEW Chapter 21: 7 outlandish bass tacticsKissing, slamming, doing-the-bump, gardening, slip-corking, crashing and casting Judas plugs are zany yet highly effective ways to catch bass. NEW Chapter 22: 33 Tips on Building Your Own Private Bass Pond or Lake