NJ Bass Fishing Knots

Best Bass Fishing Knots for New Jersey

The best New Jersey bass fishing rigs and knots will depend on if you decide to fish live bait or artificial lures. Check out these examples of freshwater fishing knots you can use with different presentations for freshwater bass species.

Largemouth Bass Knots

If you are learning how to freshwater fish in New Jersey, you may want to target largemouth bass since they will strike both natural baits or artificial lures -- they will give you plenty of knot-tying practice. You can learn to tie one line-to-line knot and one terminal knot to start with.
 

• Consider using braided main line on your reel to help with a firm hookset when fishing for largemouth bass. You can then connect your braided line to a fluorocarbon leader using a double uni knot.
• If you plan to fish with artificial lures for largemouth bass, such as a crankbait or topwater frog, you may want to use a non-slip loop knot as your terminal connection in order to give your lure more action.

Smallmouth Bass Knots

When you plan a New Jersey fishing trip for smallmouth bass, you may want to remember that this species prefers to inhabit areas near rocky humps, points, and ledges. This means you will want an extra strong knot that will hold up when fishing around rocks and other types of structure.
 

• If fishing for smallmouth bass with an in-line spinner lure or a drop shot rig, the Palomar knot is considered one of the strongest and easiest knots to tie.
• When the water is cold, you can use a hair jig to entice the smallmouth bass into biting. To give your jig the maximum amount of movement in the water, rig the hair jig to your leader using a Duncan loop knot. This knot also retains a high percentage of its original breaking strength.

Rock Bass Knots

As far as New Jersey bass fishing knots go, you can use one of the simplest and easy terminal knots when targeting rock bass. Freshwater rock bass more closely resemble a panfish than in size and shape than an actual bass, but they are tons of fun for kids and beginners.
 

• When fishing live or natural baits for rock bass, the improved clinch knot is one of the easiest and best choices for attaching lighter monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line to a hook.

While it might seem as though there are many New Jersey bass fishing rigs and knots you can use, you can start out by learning to tie one or two. Part of the fun is building on your knot and rig tying knowledge as you gain more fishing experience.