Bass fishing pointers from local pro

For some of the boys (and girls) of summer, a great catch won't be found on the baseball diamond or even the wedding chapel - it can be found bass fishing on Yuma County's Colorado River.

And now is one of the prime times to cast your line.

For those who gravitate toward the sporting life, bass fishing is a family sport. It is not limited by age or physical ability, and it's not just for the guys. According to Dave Willhide, fisherman and tour guide who runs Goin' Fishin' Productions, there are a number of savvy women anglers on the river.

The fishing in Yuma is unique in part because bass can't dive in deep water to escape the summer heat. Instead they seek cover in the river foliage, Willhide said. Anywhere there is water, there's fish: in the canals, shoreline, lower river and west wetlands.

"Bass is an ambush feeder," Willhide said. "It hides behind grass-beds, shoreline weeds, sunken trees - anywhere it feels protected, it lies in wait for its food."

Bass usually feed on sunfish, crawfish, blue gill and thread fin chad. But they tend to eat almost anything they can get in the their mouths, said Willhide.

He noted that bass are a lazy fish and don't like to chase their food. And while they don't like to be in the river current, they do like the fact that the current washes food to them. He called the river a first-class fishery.

"I guide from rank amateurs to tournament fishers who want to learn these waters," said Willhide, who offers half-day and full-day fishing tours. "One day on the water with me you'll know what you should be doing, where you should be doing it and most important why."

The more a client learns why they caught a fish at a particular time and place, the better their basic understanding is so they are able to go out alone, Willhide said. Even big-name pros can get "skunked" (miss their catch) and need to adjust their tactics, he said. Some of the variables that can influence a catch are time of day, water depth, water clarity and the amount of sunlight.

"Bass are affected by its metabolism," Willhide said. "If it's warm, its metabolism speeds up and it eats more. It's usually hiding in cover (grass or weeds). As the sun goes down and there is less light penetration, it will come out of hiding."

During the summer, bass look for the coolest water, so the best time to fish is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. And when bass fishing, the angler is never stationary, even if you find a big school of fish, Willhide noted. His 21-foot aluminum boat is powered by a 225-horsepower outboard motor that can drive it in excess of 75 miles per hour.

But when searching for fish along the river's banks or any of the lakes around it, he relies on his electric trolling motor that maneuvers along at 6 mph to allow his clients to present their bait at different angles.

The biggest key to bass fishing is how the fisherman presents the bait (usually artificial). The fisherman must make it attractive by manipulating the rod, he said. Once the angler determines where the bass is positioned, he must be prepared to drag the fish from the brush and weeds.

During August, Willhide always takes his clients north of the Imperial Dam to Martinez, Ferguson and Squaw Lakes because his boat is too large to navigate on the lower river. Anyone booking a tour needs a valid Arizona fishing license or a California fishing license with a river stamp, beverages (no alcohol) and a bag lunch. Willhide supplies all the fishing gear.

Harold Wah, owner of Sportsmen's Hide-A-Way tackle shop, has known Willhide for three years and said he is knowledgable not just about the river but the whole area, including Mittry Lake.

"He knows about the whole sport," Wah said. "It's not just bass, but he specializes in bass. He practices and preaches safety. I'd say he's the best in the area."

While any professional in the sport wants to help the amateur catch as many fish as possible to encourage their participation in the sport, Willhide stresses he wants his client to have fun.

"There isn't any pro who won't bend over backwards to help an amateur to catch a fish. I've been a pro bass fisherman for 45 years, and there isn't a day I didn't learn something."

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William Roller can be reached at

wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.