Beginner Bass Fisher?

I live in central to east texas. I have not bass fished in over 12 years because of my lack of time due to military service.



I went to the store to grab some lures, and its extremely overwhelming to see thousands of lures, and not know which one, and what accessories to buy.



I am confused as to how to set up my rod for Bass in these different areas:



1. fishing from shore, Clear day, little to know wind, medium to dark water, with weeds and brush less then a foot underwater,



2. fishing from shore, darker day, medium to high wind, medium to dark water, with weeds and brush less than a foot underwater



Thanks for ya'lls help

Beginner Bass Fisher?
I'm no expert but here are some things that better fishermen than I have always said:



Early mornings, after rains, and late evenings usually are good times to fish. Fish tend to be lazy (like us), they look out for their own comfort a lot (like to rest in the shade), and eat (strike) only when they really need to or when they feel their territory is being invaded. They usually go for easy meals.

So don't pull your bait in too quickly.

Fishing from shore, (for both of your examples) I would use a long pole and plenty of line. If your body of water has a dock (for boats) that is a good shady area for fish to rest underneath. Try to cast as far into the deeper water as you can and then pull your bait back in a way that simulates a wounded or injured minnow in its presentation. Use something shiny as bait as it is more easier seen by the fish.

Something with natural "movement" also helps entice the fish into striking it. Other colors, types would need to be delivered more close to the fish for them to be noticed, or wouldn't provoke a strike as they didn't believe the lure to be an actual meal. I hope it helps. Good Luck!
Reply:I do most bass fishing on the shore and I throw almost exclusivly plastic worms. It's easy to throw a half dozen weights in with the hooks and bag of worms in your pants pocket.

There's no sense hauling bulky baits and tackleboxes around. Nor does it make sense to toss out 3 or 4 dollar lures that you can't get to when they hang up.



Provided the weeds do not present a problem because they are so thick, I would use plastic worms.

Black with green tails

Electric blue (blue or purple with sparkles)

Tequilla sunrise

Those are all you would need.
Reply:Buy you a medium heavy pole and use a good open face reel with an aluminum bell housing.



String it up with 17lb test line (Trilene).



Get you a 1oz Rattle Trap and go to town my man and rattle your trap around the banks casting out and reeling it in towards the bank and you should bust up a trophy right now.

The Bass are coming in for pre-spawn and that is the best time to hook into a trophy.
Reply:Lots of good answers here. Id just like to add some tips from my experiance with fishing for bass off of shore. That other gentleman suggested using spiderwire...its whats called a "super" line and its very strong and very thin at the same time. I prefer using a brand called powerpro to the spiderwire brand. Its never let me down when ive had a big fish on(knock on wood). It will help you pull fish outta heavy cover without snapping your line...its a must have.

If you want to try something other then the plastic worms like everyone else suggested...id try topwater lures. If its dark water then use dark colors because dark colors give off a better sillouette then bright or flash colors. Id try a black colored terminator buzzbait or a black zara spook where youre fishing. The year before last i caught a 5 lb bass off of shore on a buzzbait over thick weeds so believe me, this method works. if the weeds are right under the surface of the water the buzzbait would be a better choice then the spook. The spook has treble hooks that may get caught up in the weeds. Also when a fish strikes these lures remember to only set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish. Sometimes theyll try to strike the lure and miss it. If you keep a steady retrieve theyll come around and hit it again if they miss the first time. Try these lures as an alternative to plastic worms and youll have a blast!

Good luck and let the big ones go!!!
Reply:Try a 10 inch Berkley Power Bait worm in black and blue. People fishing in Texas are known for catching 8+ pounders on these worms. I would also try a jig. Try to match the color to the water color. Also early in the morning and late evening try a frog in albino color. These lures can be a blast when the water condions and fishing conditions are right.
Reply:clear to stained waters use light colored plastic worms\lizards rigged Texas style

muddy to dark waters use darker colored plastic worms\lizards rigged Texas style



check out lake forks web site , you can get some good tips there
Reply:I am a Past Post Commander of VFW Post 6448 Dyer Memorial Post, Dyer, Indiana 46311.

My peace of mind time is spent hunting bass, walleye, crappie, etc., etc.,

When I got out of the service, it took me some time to get past living in the field, but time marches on.

Anywho, Pick out a Med. Hvy. rod with a fast action tip, and the longer the rod, the further the cast. I like a medium weight open face reel, and I choose the 20 lb. test braided spiderwire ( it has the diameter of 6 lb. mono, and you'll cast as far as you would w/the 6 lb., and the 20 lb. strength comes in real handy when horsing a decent sized bass out of heavy cover, but when initially spooling it on the reel, be certain to put it on really tight, as it has a tendency to bind if it is loosely spooled.) Next item on the list is to pick out a package of barrel swivels ( I prefer the small black ones over the brass, but they'll work just as well, and they serve to keep the twist out of the line on a leader between 10" to 3' long). Look for a pack of Mister Twister "Keeper" Hooks, 5/0 size is my preference, and a package of the Original---10" Berkeley Worms, with or without Salt (I don't like the Gulp brand as they cannot be put back into the pack, once they've been in the water, and they turn hard.). Hooking the worm onto the hook is self explanatory, as long as the tail is facing up, when it is in the water. You can fish this as I've described (bareback), or add a bullet nosed weight just in front of the hook (Texas rigged), or in front of the swivel (Carolina rigged). There is a wide assortment of colors to choose from in the soft plastics, but you just can't go wrong with black, black/blue fleck, or blue. My reason for the 10" over the others is that old saying "the bigger the bait the bigger the trophy" or something like that.

Now this rig is very versatile, cast it out around and into weeds, lily pads, bounce it off of stumps, rockpiles, etc., cause there is a myriad of ways to fish this set-up. I pitch it out there and let it set for a couple of minutes (because the splash will usually spook the bass off for a while, but they'll come right back shortly, and if they don't I'll start twitching the line and / or start a slow retrieve, while twitching the rod tip, sometimes to the left or right and let it stop for a minute or so, aggravating the fish to strike, in fact they don't strike the lure because they like it, they hit it because they hate it.

That should cover just about all you need to get started, but contact me if you have any questions about this set-up.

By the way, whether you went overseas or not,

WELCOME HOME!!!

Goodluck %26amp; Good fishing
Reply:crankbait or spinnerbait match lure with water color