Power vs Finesse Fishing
When it comes to bass fishing, most anglers fall into two different schools – power fisherman and finesse fisherman. Though most anglers will use both of these tactics on any given day, most people do end up preferring and “specializing” in one or the other. Let’s break down both tactics, and discuss when and where they shine, so you can be better prepared and boat more fish the next time you are out.

Power Fishing
Power fishing is exactly what it sounds like. You like to power through different spots throwing aggressive lures into places where you think bass are hiding, and you’re looking for a reaction bite. Some lures that power fisherman favor are spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or anything that can be fished at a decent speed. You could also consider something like a football jig on a flipping rig to be power fishing due to the sheer number of presentations you are going to be making.

When you are power fishing, you are trying to play a numbers game. The more fish you get your lure in front of, the more likely you are to get one to bite. This can be a great tactic for your first day on a body of water where you are trying to figure out where the fish are holding. Due to the speed at which you can cover a spot, you will have plenty of time in a day to fish tons of water and get your presentation in front of lots of bass.

Finesse Fishing
Finesse fishing is a more subtle, thoughtful, and technical approach to catching bass. Generally, these anglers are going to be using lighter tackle, and lighter rigs like a drop shot rig, a ned rig, or a senko. Finesse presentations take longer to fish, so you are not going to be able to cover as much water as you would when you are power fishing. This technique often shines when you are fishing in spots where you know there are bass, but they just might not want to bite.

By using lighter tackle, lighter line, and down-sized presentations, you can coax a fish into biting even if they aren’t really in the mood to eat. While lots of big fish are caught with big lures, plenty of large fish will take notice of the subtle details of your presentation and can be convinced to bite, even if they’re more wary in general. In areas that receive a lot of pressure, finesse fishing can be a great way to put some more fish in your boat on a day where you otherwise may not have gotten a ton of bites if you were fishing with a loud lipless crankbait, for example.

Both techniques have their time and place, and so you should always be prepared for both. But knowing where and when to bust out the medium light spinning rod vs the flipping stick can always be helpful, and hopefully you will find your daily catch rates going up as you consider this information.