Finesse vs Power Fishing for Bass

There are two main styles of bass fishing. These are finesse fishing and power fishing. Each one has its own pros and cons and requires specific knowledge and expertise to utilize. Although these two styles of fishing are polar opposites, they compliment each other perfectly and allow you to catch bass no matter the situation.

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Difference Between Finesse and Power Fishing

This is the easiest part to understand. Finesse fishing is a much more subtle, slow, and low key style of fishing. Power fishing is an aggressive, fast, and obnoxious technique. When finesse fishing, you are going to use fairly small, enticing baits that don’t make lots of sound or vibration. They just look like very easy and non-threatening meals. So sluggish or cautious bass will still bite finesse-style baits. Power fishing on the other hand is aggressive. You are using bigger, louder lures that cause lots of vibration and commotion. Bass that are high energy or very hungry will have a very easy time hunting down baits like these because of how much commotion they are making in the water. But the bass have to be in a very aggressive mood to spend the energy chasing a power style lure.

Advantages of Finesse Fishing

Bass are not always in the mood to eat. Sometimes they just want to chill in one place and not be bothered. This could be because of weather, time of year, or a number of other reasons. Finesse fishing is very non-intrusive and makes the bait so easy to eat that these bass will still eat it. Finesse fishing is the best way to catch finicky bass that just don’t want to chase prey.

Advantages of Power Fishing

On the other hand, there are times when bass are very aggressive and are actively looking to hunt down food. Power fishing makes it extremely easy for bass to quickly find and eat your lure. Using lots of sound, vibration, and flash, power fishing allows you to very quickly fish through an area and get those aggressive bass to come to your lure. You can fish much quicker and more efficiently with power fishing.

Finesse Gear vs Power Gear

When finesse fishing, you’re going to use a spinning rod with a lighter, thinner line. The spinning setup allows you to cast the smaller, finesse baits much further and also give you lots of sensitivity, which is important when fishing slower, lighter baits. There are BFS rods and reels that offer similar benefits, but for the most part, a spinning rod and reel is best for finesse fishing. The thinner line also increases casting distance, but more importantly, it makes the line much harder for the bass to see. When targeting finicky bass, the less visible your line is, the better. And when power fishing, you’re going to use a baitcasting rod with a bit heavier line. The heavier duty baitcaster gives you much more control over the bigger, heavier lures that come with power fishing. And the heavier line and rods give more strength to drive the bigger hooks into the bass’ mouth. Line visibility isn’t as big of a concern when power fishing because the bass are so aggressive that they aren’t as picky or threatened by the line.

When to Focus on Finesse Fishing

Now these are just general rules or thumbs. Of course, there will be times in each of these scenarios where power fishing will also work. But typically, during these conditions, finesse fishing is the best option.

After a Storm

The couple of days directly after a storm can make the fishing very tough. The temperatures rise a bit, the wind comes to a screeching halt, and the clouds clear away revealing the bluebird skies. And while this might seem great to us, it is the exact opposite for the bass. During these post-frontal conditions, the barometric pressure rises quickly and causes the bass to become very lethargic. The bass get pushed farther down in the water column and lose much of their appetite. Finesse techniques are the best way to persuade these bass to eat a quick snack.

Cold Front

A big cold front will throw a wrench in bass fishing. The bass will often push out into slightly deeper water where the temperatures are more consistent. Their metabolism will slightly reduce, and along with it, their appetite. These bass are more cautious and not willing to leave their area to chase after fast moving targets. A slow moving finesse bait is your best bet.

The Winter

Now the winter is essentially one very long, intense cold front. The water temperatures drop dramatically for months, and bass become very lethargic. Their metabolism gets very low, and they don’t feel like eating big meals or moving around much at all. When winter fishing, loud, aggressive lures are incredibly unnatural in these conditions and will not interest the bass at all. 

Ultra Clear Water

In crystal clear water, bass primarily hunt by sight. They don’t use sound or vibration much to track down their prey. Instead, they use their eyes, and are able to get a very good look at their targets. Most power fishing lures are not super realistic. They often have swinging treble hooks, wire arms, metal blades, loud rattles, and other things that actual bass prey does not. But a natural, finesse bait being subtly retrieved with invisible line raises no alarms for these bass, and looks exactly like real forage.

When to Focus on Power Fishing

Again, you can often have success with finesse tactics during these conditions, but most of the time, power will serve you best.

Before a Storm

In the couple of days before a big storm, the wind will pick up, the clouds will roll in, and the temperatures will slightly cool. This threatening weather gets the bass fired up and notifies them that they need to feed up before the intense weather comes. As the storm gets closer, the barometric pressure falls, which causes the bass to rise up in the water column and become very aggressive. Power fishing gets the bass even more fired up and triggers big, angry bites from bass. You can fish very quickly and catch a ton of bass that are frantically trying to eat as much as they can.

Everything but the Winter

During the spring, summer, and fall, bass have a reason to eat a lot of food. In the spring, they need to gorge up so that they have enough energy to spawn. In the summer, the high temperatures raise their metabolism and force them to eat a lot of food. And in the fall, they need to bulk up to prepare for the long, hard winter. During these three times of year, it is usually best to start with power fishing to catch some aggressive bass, and then switch to finesse if that isn’t working.

Muddy Water

In muddy water, bass can’t really rely on their sight. Since they can only see 4-12 inches, they need to hunt by sound and vibration. Power fishing gives those bass louder lures that have lots of vibration, and are very easy to find, even without seeing them. These muddy water bass aren’t as worried about how realistic or easy the lure is. In muddy water, their hunting options are much more limited because they can’t see very well. And as the saying goes, “beggars can’t be choosers”. These bass have no choice but to eat your bait, because an easy meal like that is incredibly rare in muddy water.

Examples of Finesse Baits

Examples of Power Baits

Letting this One Go

Finesse and power fishing offer distinct techniques and benefits for bass anglers, each excelling in different conditions. Finesse fishing, with its subtle and slow approach, is ideal for targeting finicky bass, particularly in post-storm conditions, cold fronts, winter, and ultra-clear water. On the other hand, power fishing’s aggressive and fast method shines before storms, in muddy water, and during the active seasons of spring, summer, and fall. By utilizing both styles, anglers can effectively adapt to varying situations, ensuring successful bass fishing year-round.

Further Reading

This article was written by a guest author, Matt from barbcatchfishing.com We thank him for his contribution!

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