Gear Fishing - Basics

5 Bass Fishing Tips You Need To Know!

• Fish isolated targets
• Identifying the type of day it is so you pick the right bait/technique
• All water has current...find it
• Keep your color selection simple
• Downsize if you want more bites

5 MUST HAVE Rod/Reel combos you need!

In order of most importance:

• 7ft-1in Medium Heavy Baitcaster
• 7ft-3in Heavy CarbonLite Baitcaster
• 7ft Medium Heavy Baitcaster
• 6ft-8in Medium Baitcaster
• 6ft-9in Medium Spinning

The Only 3 Rods A Bass Angler Needs

• 6ft-10in Medium Action Spinning Rod
• 7ft-2in Medium Heavy Action Spinning Rod
• [unspecified] Baitcaster Rod

Building Your First Tackle Box

• 3700 size tackle box + plastics bag
• Soft Plastic Worm ("Stickbait")
• Soft Plastic Jerkbait
• Soft Plastic Creature Bait
• Spinner Bait
• Squarebill & Lipless Crankbait
• Topwater Popper
• 3/O Wide Gap Worm Hook
• 1/8oz & 1/4oz Lead Slip Weights
• Line Clippers

How to fish every bass fishing beginner lure!

• Texas Rigged Worm
• Texas Rigged Creature Bait
• Texas Rigged (weightless) Soft Plastic Jerkbait
• Spinner Bait
• Crankbaits - Careful of snags!
• Topwater Popper
• Whopper Plopper

The only hook you need for bass fishing

• 3/0 Wide Gap Hook
• For 99% of Soft Plastics
• Small enough to fit most plastic profiles
• Has enough clearance to expose the hook point
• Usually the right thickness
• Not for use on Ned rigs, big worms and big swim baits

Tips for the best fishing hookset

• You can over set the hook on light line
• Heavy sets on Frogs and Jigs
• Medium sets on Treble hooks and Spinnerbaits
• Light sets on Ned rig, Drop shot and hair jig
• [Hook setting examples]
• [Hook set motion examples]

How to fish every soft plastic lure

• Wacky Rig Senko - Hop it off the bottom
• Texas Rig Senko - Hop or drag on the bottom
• Texas Rig Creature Bait - Drag on the bottom
• Shaky head / Ned Rig - Hop it off the bottom
• Drop shot - Twitch off the bottom
• Punch Rig - Hop it off the bottom (very specialized use case)
• Buzz Toad - Immediately start fast retrieve with rod tip up
• Flashy Swimmer - Weightless or belly weighted. Vary the retrieve.

The fishing lure colors you actually need

• Only 2 categories / "Natural" for clear water and "Silhouette" for dirty water
• Selecting based on Clarity, Light Penetration and Depth
• You only need...
  • Natural = Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Red, Light Purple
  • Silhouette = Black, Black/Blue, White
• Flake / Shimmer rarely makes a difference...pick what you like
• Don't over complicate this

How to fish every style of jig to catch more bass

• In order of most used..
• Arky Head - all purpose jig
  • Hop it up and down and set it REALLY hard.
• Swim Jig - meant to ...swim
  • Just swim it in shallow cover (grass, docks, etc)
• Football Jig - shape of the head
  • Drag across the bottom
• Finesse Jig - it's small
  • Meant for rocks...and only rocks

Which fishing line is best??

• Types: Mono, Flourocarbon, Braid
• Mono: Cheap, less abrasion resistant, very stretchy, least sensitive
• Flouro: Sinks, Expensive, abrasion resistant, medium stretch, medium sensitive
• Braid: Floats, less abrasion resistant, no stretch, high sensitive
• Dirty water / heavy cover = Braid
• 99% of the time = Flourocarbon

Choosing the correct type of fishing lures to use

• Standard Bank...
  • Finesse - Texas/Wacky Senko or Shaky Head
  • Reaction - Chatter Bait or Spinner Bait
• Wood...
  • Reaction - Frog, Swim bait, Spinner
• Rocks...
  • Finesse - Ned rig, Shaky head or Drop shot
  • Reaction - Crank baits all day

The Most Detailed Fishing Line Video On YouTube

Diameter (pound test) of your line will affect your lures both in depth and action and your casting distance

Types: Mono, Flourocarbon, Braid
Mono: Floats, very stretchy - best for top water or short cast crank baits
Braid: Floats, more visible to angler, no stretch - best for power fishing heavy cover (50lb) [Braid to flourocarbon leader is just stupid - just fish flourocarbon]
99% of the time = Flourocarbon

How To Rig Up A Texas Rigged Worm

• Use a 'slip sinker' (it's hollow in the middle)
• Use an Extra Wide Gap (EWG) hook
• 'nose hook' the worm about 1/4" of an inch
• Put the hook through the worm
• Make sure the worm is straight
• Skin hook the worm with the point of the hook
• (optional) Use a toothpick to 'peg' the weight

The 3 Types Of Fishing Line

• Monofilament: Cheapest, has a lot of stretch, so good for short hook sets but bad for long hook sets
• Fluorocarbon: Diameter of the line is 50% less than Mono. Harder for fish to see. Less stretch than Mono. Most popular line for pros.
• Braided: No stretch, super strong

How To Choose The Correct Plastic Worm Color

Only two different colors:

• Dark - Low Light conditions or dirty water
  • June Bug or Purple
• Natural - Bright sky conditions or clear water
  • Green Pumpkin or Watermelon

If unsure...go Natural

How To Pick The Right Skirt Color

• Silicon material has wider color range
• Live Rubber material is more realistic
• If water is dirty use a bright color for flash or a very dark color (for silhouette)
• If water is clear use a natural color like brown

How To Rig And Fish A Ned Rig

• Light line spinning rod
• Twitch it off the bottom
• Use a 1/16oz ned rig specific hook
• Cut of 1-1/2 inch of a basic stick bait
• Hook from the nose into the middle

How To Fish Topwater Lures

Primarily based on environmental conditions...mostly water temp. Needs to be warm water above 60F.

• More bites on clear water
• Dirty water use a noisy bait
• More production on low light days

The Most Important Skill Beginning Anglers Must Learn...

• Learn to cast well
• Practice in your yard at targets
• Cast right and left handed
• Use different weight lures

85% Of Anglers Can’t Pick The Correct Crankbait <b>BACK</b> Color...

1. Black = Low Light
2. Blue = Muddy Water
3. Chartreuse = Dirty Water / Dark Day
4. Translucent = Clear Water
5. Green = Summer time Perch

How To Fish A Jig...

One of the oldest and most effective lures

• Has a weed guard to protect hook point in cover
• Lighter jig for shallower water
• Heavier jig for deeper water
• Dirty water use a dark color
• Clear water use brown/green
• Almost always use a trailer to make it look like a crawfish

How And When To Fish A Lipless Crankbait

• Primary value is it has a loud rattle
• Used for a 'reaction' strike
• Should be fished fairly fast
• <50F water temp fish towards the bottom
• >50F just toss it out and reel fast
• Best during windy days

How To Fish A Spinnerbait

• One of the oldest baits
• The blades "spin" causing vibration & flash
• Round blades are called Colorado
• Oval/Leaf shaped blades are called Willow
• Bight colors for low visibility water
• Subtle colors for high visibility water
• Use a reel, pause, reel, pause technique

How To Rig And Fish A Swimbait

• Good for all species fishing
• Most have a "boot tail" that cause the bait to wobble
• Rig it with a 1/8oz jig head
• Hook through the head and carefully straight down the middle
• Usually fished with a spinning reel
• Cast it out and let it go to the bottom and reel slow...or...
• Cast it out and immediately reel back slowly

How to choose the RIGHT Weight for Bass Fishing with a Texas Rig

• 1/8oz - for shallow soft bottom
• 3/8oz - Best all around for pitching
• 1/2oz - offshore 10ft or deeper
• 1oz - for punching heavy grass cover

How To Fish A Plastic Frog

• You want to "walk" them back to you
• Vary your speed
• Not just for lily pads and grass, good for shallow shaded areas too
• Color doesn't really mater
• Use braided line