14 replies to this topic

[alwayscatching]

Hey guys, I get a lot of questions about how to get started bass fishing beyond the simple ugly stick and spinning reel combo. How do I prep to fish deeper water with cranks? How do I get fish out of the heavy cover? Realistically to anyone who is not as serious as I am or most others, there are 3 basic rods that you should look to invest and 3 reels along with them.

 

1. Start your journey with the purchase of a 6'10- 7 ft MH Fast Action Baitcaster. This will primarily be your jerkbait, spinnerbait, crankbait, lipless crankbait, and possibly some topwater plugs. Without breaking the bank you can aim to buy yourself a Mojo Bass St.Croix rod. They are not as expensive and if you can buy one used then you will pay a lot less. As for a reel, you can use anything from a 4.7:1 - 5.5:1(the bass pro qualifier reel is great for the price and I would load it up with suffix siege clear mono line)

 

 

2. I also recommend getting a nice spinning rod 6'8 or 7'2 Extra Fast Action. This can be your rod for tossing wacky senkos, tubes, drop shot, finesse shaky heads. For this situation I love pairing up a shimano Crucial with an Abu Garcia reel. The Crucial is great but only if you buy it used, do not pay retail for it. If you have the extra cash to spend on a reel, the Abu Garcia Revo SX spinning reel is amazing! Suggested on my end.

 

 

 

3. Now the fun part. I am a big fan of flipping a jig into that cover, or punching a tungsten skirted weight with a creature bait on the hook. If you really do not want to spend too much money, the Abu Garcia Veritas 7 ft Heavy Fast Action rod is a great start. For 79.99 they are very reasonable. Again if you can find it used BUY IT. I am sure you can snag one for 50 bucks. Make sure that the baitcaster you pair it with has a ratio of 7.1:1 at least.

These are the basic 3. You do not need to spend over 500 bucks on all sorts of rod and reels and different baits. You can easily fish a full day on the lake with these 3 types of set ups. Now if you have money and are willing to get yourself a full arsenal then I support you!

 

 

 

Cheers and thanks for reading if you took the time. Do not forget to green arrow if you liked!

[Kleiner]

Some really good info here! Thanks alwayscatching, you get a green arrow

[alwayscatching]

Thanks kleiner, I know theres a lot of great information for the river people but I want to make sure the other people coming to this forum don't just assume that is all the forum has to offer.

[alwayscatching]

Hey OFF, just wanted to give this post a Bump for the purpose of helping out some Bass Anglers out there who are possibly looking to have their questions answered.

[cptpronin]

Alwayscatching, you fish tournies?  You come off as a bassaholic!

[alwayscatching]

cptpronin I am indeed a bassaholic. If I could make a living off of this I would. Also yes I do fish tournaments. I fish as a non-boater meaning I do not use my own boat to fish the tournaments.

[buckhorn-bassin]

Great tips!

For the non tourney angler who doesn't want to spend a ton or carry around a dozen rods etc.

When prepping for a tourney I'll carry 6-10 rods with me.. Maybe more.. Just to see what's working and what isn't. Come tourney time my partner and I will discuss what we've found to be working. Then decide what to bring or not bring that way we aren't bring the exact same rods. At times we will share rods or baits since we are a team we work as one.. Again great advice alwayscatching!!

[classic drifter]

thanks for the pointers!

[cptpronin]

cptpronin I am indeed a bassaholic. If I could make a living off of this I would. Also yes I do fish tournaments. I fish as a non-boater meaning I do not use my own boat to fish the tournaments.

 

Excellent stuff! 

 

Something I was aspiring to do at one point but just didn't have the time to put in, nor could I find somebody with a boat that I could click with to make a team.

 

Best of luck, sir and hope it works out.

[alwayscatching]

Thanks for the responses guys. I appreciate that my time and effort in helping does not go to waste!

[PUMP KNOWS]

Thanks AC

 

This is my first official bass season and I'm on the Team Ugly Stick.

 

So far I've landed 1 bass and lost 6 lipless cranks in 3 days.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to catch fish on hardbaits and plastics.

 

Once I start figuring things out, I'll take your advice #1 and buy a baitcaster setup.

[alwayscatching]

Hey Pump. To be completely honest, throwing a square bill crankbait isnt that bad on an ugly stick spinning rod. The classic bend of the stick makes for an almost perfect hook set for cranks. When the crankbait gets hit by the bass or other fish, the bend in the rod absorbs the shock very well and prevents the crank from being ripped out the lips of the bass. I suggest trying out straight braid with a palomar knot to start! Dont be afraid to PM me for any questions. I so far have been asked by a few members for suggestions and they have found my information very productive.

[PUMP KNOWS]

Is it ok to use braid when using senko's or plastic worms?

 

Or should I tie a fluro or mono leader on the tip of the braid?

 

I haven't caught a fish on a senko yet but I hope to scratch that off this weekend.

[DILLIGAF?!]

lots of ways to fish with a senko. texas or wacky, weighted or weightless. you can rig it weedless. i always rig it weedless on a fluoroleader (12 inches) with a bullet weight on the swivel.

[alwayscatching]

For the purpose of using it on a spinning combo, stick to 20 lbs braided line(power pro recommended) and depending on the clarity of the water/density of weeds you fish, you can add a Fluorocarbon leader, I suggest 20+ lbs for the heavy weeds. Also, I do not add a swivel because that will pick up weeds and you don't want that. Use the Uni to Uni knot. It can be a bit bulky but not like a swivel. Also use super glue to toughen the knot of the 2 lines. I recommend fishing wacky in 5+ ft of water, but you can ultimately throw wacky in 1 ft of water as well. 5 inch senkos color Smoke with Gold and Blue Flake work well anywhere I go. I stick to wacky primarily.