Bass fishers help!

Morning all! I'm currently a trout guy and am really not too thrilled with it any more. I am going to be moving on to bass next year! I have a killer Ugly Stick that I'm madly in love with and don't plan on ever changing rod or reel. What I need help with is lures! I have no lures and cigar purchases have taken up my budget recently so I have no money to invest in lures this year. I'm dumb as crap when it comes to lures. Trout are idiots and strike at anything I throw powerbait on. What should I get? What works best for you? Big mouth or small? Gimme info!!!!!

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MorganGeo

I like just using plastic worms. Works best for me. You can get them purty cheap.

matkn293

It all depends on conditions , time of year, patterns, etc. If you are on a budget plastic is the way to go at first. Learn to Carolina rig or texas rig. Lures can get pretty expensive depending in what you are looking at. If you are not doing anything until next year wait until the end of season clearance sales or the blowout sales at the beginning of next season. You can also look at Crappie with a small entrance fee as well. You could also look at craigslist or local flea markets for tackle boxes that have gear in it already.

brianetz1

LiquidChaos66:
Morning all! I'm currently a trout guy and am really not too thrilled with it any more. I am going to be moving on to bass next year! I have a killer Ugly Stick that I'm madly in love with and don't plan on ever changing rod or reel. What I need help with is lures! I have no lures and cigar purchases have taken up my budget recently so I have no money to invest in lures this year. I'm dumb as crap when it comes to lures. Trout are idiots and strike at anything I throw powerbait on. What should I get? What works best for you? Big mouth or small? Gimme info!!!!!

how patient are you? Do you toss that power bait at them and let it float for a while and sit out there or do you toss it and then once it is past your "target" zone pull it right back?

plastics take a lot of patience to work. Personally i HATE fishing plastics. I know it cuts down on when, where and how long i can fish, but i would rather work a topwater all damn day long and catch shorts than work a plastic worm for an hour.

the best place for the budget conscious fishermen is Wal Mart. They have a lot of lures in their budget bins. Look for a floating/diving crankbait, a floating shallow diving stick bait, a couple of poppers, a couple of buzz baits (black works awesome), and a couple of spinner baits. You can get all of those out of the budget bin and then go with a plastics kit and probably stay under $70 for all of it. Maybe even under $50

LiquidChaos66

All the fishing I've done has been really short on water time. It usually turns into a cast and sit maybe no more than 5 minutes and I've got a hit. I have never had to use lures just a hook, 2-4 foot leaders on weights or a bobber system. Tough part is here in oregon we can not keep natives only stocked hatchery trout. The natives fight like a B***H but the hatchery ones are pretty lack luster.

Been doing a bit of research while at work an have found some decent priced lure kits online. I could probably make out like a bandit online for simple lures and (luckily I work in a instore bank inside a walmart) just hit up my walmart for other lures. Found several minnow and such lure kits for a decent price too.

matkn293

That is a great way to start out. You are currently a fisherman so you know as with cigars how out of hand this can get.

LiquidChaos66

I gotta say... I really wanna buy all the really pretty fancy life like lures. Lol

Jetmech_63

I've had good success using an umbrella rig with 3" shad swinbaits on each prong(check local laws before using one). There is an area of the river where nightcrawlers on a slip rig work really well too. Every body of water/time of day/water temp if diffrent. Hell i have a crappie setup(green Berkley Atomic Tubes with a pink crappie nibble on the hook) that catches way more bass than crappie, havent figured that one out but i aint complaining and the wife caught a ton of fish using nightcrawlers and a friggin bobber one day...go figure. Get a small selection of diffrent stlyes like a top water, a crankbait, a sinking lure and a pack of worms(watermelon is usually a universal color) some hooks and look up the diffrent rigs online. You can easily get you foot in the bass door for about 25ish bucks.

danielzreyes

I'm assuming you current setup is a spin reel. That eliminates a lot of the lures that you can use. With certain cranks, jigs, spinners etc. a baitcaster is recommended. As mentioned before, I'd start off with plastics using Texas, Drop Shot and even Carolina rigs.

deejmemixx

As I told u last night. You will have a care package coming... Just send me the trout you no linger like...and walleye

Lee.mcglynn

Personally I'd get rid of the ugly stick!! Took me years to get my buddy off them and he thanks me all the time now. But best lure to start of is senkos! I don't use them since I feel it's to easy to catch fish with but bass love them! Also spinner baits work well this time of the year. If you want really fun fishing but lower numbers frogs are awesome!!

LiquidChaos66

Daniel - I do have a spinning reel. Could one effectively learn how to use those lures without having to get a new reel?

Shane - I am eagerly awaiting this care package!

I spent quite some time yesterday researching bass gear and fishing methods and can't wait to get some bass under my belt. Are you looking for any specific trout? I've only done rainbows and some browns... Mostly rainbows though.

Lee - I happen to love my ugly stick! Like I told Shane yesterday it's super sensitive that I can feel if a trout farts anywhere near my bait! Lol it's strong, flexible, light weight and versatile.

BAM! That was an efficient post. Lol

Lee.mcglynn

What size reel and rod do you have?

LiquidChaos66

Lee.mcglynn:
What size reel and rod do you have?

It's a 6.5foot ugly stick ultralight and a pflueger president 5.2:1 ratio 10 bearing spinning reel.

the first fishing rod and reel I bought for myself

matkn293

You may want to go a little heavier on the rod. IMO. Especially throwin plastics. That rod will be good for wacky rigs or weightless and some shallow cranks. Topwater deeper cranks Carolina rigs will need a stiffer rod. Do like choice on the reel. I like a Garcia Vendetta rod with a Garcia pro max or Orra Sx reel if you like bait casters.

deejmemixx

If u like ultr light...go st Croix. If you want to try a heavier action go Abu Garcia veritas rod. Shimano reel or Abu is all I use for fresh water. Lee is right, frogs are we Bella fun...but get a top water mouse...there is nothing like a bass trying to take a warm blooded critter down...its crazy.
. Chris I'm a trout fisherman at heart, I love Brooke and rainbow.

Lee.mcglynn

I agree with getting a higher strength rod!! I use med/hev as the lightest rod. The most versitle rod I have is the st. Croix mojo cranking rod. It's got a great med action and will toss almost anything a country mile. If you have a tiny reel I suggest going with 10lb power pro with a flouro leader and don't forget the backing!! If you want to upgrade and your sticking with spinning gear is go shimano...baitcasting I'm Abu for life! The revo series are some of the best reels I use and yes I do own shimanos. But for bass I deff. Suggest a heavier rod!! Especially since bass like too get you stuck in weeds and scum plus Lilly pads! You'll end up snapping your rod or losing a ton of fish if you get caught up.

matkn293

Revo's are great, I have them Myself but for the money an SX on sale is comparable. Def not as light though. The Mojo is also a fantastic choice although heavy as well. I like the mojo for jigs heavy spinners AlAnd heavy deep cranks.

Lee.mcglynn

matkn293:
Revo's are great, I have them Myself but for the money an SX on sale is comparable. Def not as light though. The Mojo is also a fantastic choice although heavy as well. I like the mojo for jigs heavy spinners AlAnd heavy deep cranks.

yeah man!! The deep cranks are one of my favorites although for jigs and flippin I went with Abu...I like the adjustable stock and the fast action of the rod. Any idea how the new stx is? I want another one and another winch

matkn293

The STX is phenomenal. I just picked one up about a month ago. Holy hell it's light and pairs with a Vendeta or a Veritas you cannot go wrong. Talking to the guy at bass pro it's a better deal than the winch. I picked up a 7:1 crankier and it burns fast. Feels like a feather. Great for when you are cranking all day. The mojo is too damn heavy to throw all day everyday although it is a great rod and I love it. I have an Orra SX on it.

danielzreyes

Am I the only lame guy who still likes the cork handles?

matkn293

No sir. I have cork on my Fenwicks.

Lee.mcglynn

danielzreyes:
Am I the only lame guy who still likes the cork handles?

i have a good amount of cork but I do wrap it with hockey tape for a better grip in rain

danielzreyes

matkn293:
No sir. I have cork on my Fenwicks.

whaaaaaaaat? !?! I thought I was the only one who used Fenwick. I have 2 and they're my go to

deejmemixx

Have any of you used a Loomis? I can't see spending 200 on a rod.

danielzreyes

deejmemixx:
Have any of you used a Loomis? I can't see spending 200 on a rod.

I have used one but it was only 6ft.

matkn293

deejmemixx:
Have any of you used a Loomis? I can't see spending 200 on a rod.

No, what Loomis you getting for 2 hundy? I know a lot of people do and they love them.

matkn293

danielzreyes:
matkn293:
No sir. I have cork on my Fenwicks.
whaaaaaaaat? !?! I thought I was the only one who used Fenwick. I have 2 and they're my go to

I love Fenwicks. Got it from my Dad. Have an HMG 7' Heavy and a methods 6' medium I love for whipping lighter cranks out. I want to get an Aetos for a medium spinning reel but have not spent the coin on it yet.

danielzreyes

matkn293:
danielzreyes:
matkn293:
No sir. I have cork on my Fenwicks.
whaaaaaaaat? !?! I thought I was the only one who used Fenwick. I have 2 and they're my go to
I love Fenwicks. Got it from my Dad. Have an HMG 7' Heavy and a methods 6' medium I love for whipping lighter cranks out. I want to get an Aetos for a medium spinning reel but have not spent the coin on it yet.

I have a 6'6" HMG and a 7' Venture

Lee.mcglynn

Do you guys use stock reels or do you do any upgrades? I tend to always change the drag material and upgrade the spool bearings with boca orange seals

danielzreyes

Lee.mcglynn:
Do you guys use stock reels or do you do any upgrades? I tend to always change the drag material and upgrade the spool bearings with boca orange seals

I don't do any upgrades. Unless it came with a diff color spool. I'll change it out depending on my mood.