Bass fishing is the activity that involves angling for the North American game fish, which is popularly known as the Black Bass. The black bass family has numerous species, including the largemouth bass, Guadalupe bass, and several other varieties. Although all of them are generally referred to as bass, they are actually members of the sunfish family. Bass fishing began in the late 19th century and has developed immensely since then. The modern bass fishing industry is a million dollar industry with a consistent growth. The bass fishing sport involves specialized equipment, such as the latest bass fishing gear. This includes rods, reels, lines, lures, electronic depth and fishing instruments, drift boats, float tubes and the latest boats. Bass fishing in the USA developed on its own and was not influenced by other countries in Europe and other parts of the world. In the late 19th century, bass fishing was carried out by many fishermen for sustenance and was not a sport for the rich and wealthy. During this period, bass fishing involved catching smallmouth bass with poles and live-bait. This practice gained popularity and reached a stage where it was treated as an adventure sport for the rich. Now, bass fishing is a very popular sport in the USA. Most black bass are known to be great fighters, which makes fishing for them a great recreational activity. It takes a lot of effort and skill to catch a bass, so it is both entertaining as well as adventurous to catch them. There are many factors that influence the availability of black bass. The most common factors are water quality and availability of food. If the conditions are suitable, black bass may be found in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, streams, creeks, and at times, in roadside ditches. Largemouth bass are known for their size as well as their strength and tenacity. They are also very fast swimmers and have the ability to take shelter behind underwater bushes and weeds. So, fishing for the largemouth is more popular and adventurous. Bass fishing for smallmouth bass is also very interesting, as the smallmouth generally jumps more then the other fish of its family. The smallmouth will jump and fight aggressively to escape from being hooked. Thus, it requires great skills on the part of the angler to catch a smallmouth black bass.