Rods: Spinning-
7' Medium or Medium Light Action.
Casting-
7' Medium action
Reels:
Spinning-
2500 series reel
Casting-
Low Profile, 6.2:1 or 6.3:1 Gear ratio. Needs to hold at least 100yds. of 12lb. Test line
Line:
Monofilament: Berkley Trilene XT, 10lb Clear
Braid: Spider Wire Stealth bradi, 30lb. Green
Lures:
Spinnerbaits: Booyah! Pond Magic, 3/16 oz. in White, Strike King Red Eye 3/8oz in white, Mann's The Classic spinnerbait, 3/8oz. White
Topwater: Rebel Pop-R, Black Back/Silver, or Silver Shad, or maybe Red Eye Perch or Ole Bass, Heddon's Tiny or Baby Torpedo in Baby Bass or Brown Crawdad, Spro Bronzeye Jr. in Leopard, and a Snag Proof Mouse in Grey.
Crankbaits: Lucky Craft RC 1.5 Copper Perch, Storm SubWart in Bluegill, some guys like Rat-L-Traps, but I don't care much for 'em........
Plastics: Stanler Ribbit Frog in Baby Bass, Trick Stick, Dinger, Senko, ect. in Watermelon Pearl Laminate, Watermelon Red, or Craw Orange Swirl, Brush Hog, Jungle Hawg, ect. in Watermelon Red, Luck "E" Strike Razor Worm in Green Pumpkin.
Swimbaits: Tru-Tungsten 4"Tru-Life swimbait, Bluegill colored.
Terminal Tackle: 4/0 EWG Worm Hooks, 1/8oz and 1/4oz bullet sinkers, Split Ring Pliers, Split Shot, Scissors, HOOK SHARPENER.
This is coming from my point of view as a bass angler, so take it for whatever you want, but here is what I suggest.
First off, get your rods and reels. My personal favorites are the 7'ML Spinning, due to the fact that it casts a mile and a four or five pound fish can put up one serious fight on it, and the 7' MH casting rod, due to the fact that it can handle the frogs, but isn't overpowering on the fish. These are my preferences. For reels I reccomend a 2500 series spinning reel, or a 3000 if its from Daiwa, as their ratings are different from most others. 200 yards of 10lb test is what you are aiming for in line capacity, because this allows you to worry less about changing you line or running out, and also promotes better casting distance due to the larger diameter of the spool. For a casting reel I recommend getting the best you can afford, as this is one place where, if you skimp, you will regret it. It is difficult to get a good casting reel for less than $100, as most of the stuff under this wears out rather quickly. A 6.2:1 or 6.3:1 gear ratio is what you want to shoot for, as it has enough speed to burn spinnerbaits and frogs, but it still has enough power to haul in the frog fish with 10lbs of weeds on 'em. One note- casting reels take patience to learn. A LOT of patience in some cases, but more if you buy lesser quality reels.
Ok, now for the line. Th two main kinds of line used fall into one of two categories, Braid or Mono. Fluorocarbon is an option, but as a beginner you will go through a lot of line. Trust me....... In the mono department all you really need is a spool of good 10lb. line, but if you are uncomfortable with that, 12lb is just as good. It pays to error on the side of caution. Berkley Trilene XT is a good choice, as it is abrasion resistant, and still ties well. Both of these facts are important to consider when choosing your line. In the braid department 30lb works well, but if you are putting it on your casting reel bump up the size to 50lb. I tried for quite a bit to use 30lb, but backlashes are very common, due to the smaller line diameter. Green Spider Wire Stealth is a good choice.
So we are now at the fun part, the lures. Most lures fall into one of two categories, hard or soft. Simple, right? Not really.... Its a very confusing world when it comes to lures, because there are so many of them. The ones I listed above are proven producers that are relatively easy to fish, and most are inexpensive too. That allows you to buy a couple, so if you lose one you have back up. While this is not such a big factor while fishing out of a boat, when bank fishing it can really help out. Fishing these lures can be a challenge, and in all honesty it takes experience, however I will try to give a brief explanation to get you started.
Spinnerbaits: Chuck and wind, for the most part. Toss the lure out and reel back at a medium pace, trying to stay near cover, and in the middle of the water column.
Topwaters:
Pop-R- Toss it out near any cover, let it set a few second than twitch it. If nothing happens, twitch it back to you in an erratic retrieve, with a few short pauses. Sometimes the fish want it twitched really fast, other times super slow. Experiment, and the fish will tell you before long. When the fish crash these things, the first thing you'll want to do is yank. DON'T! You'll lose more fish this way than setting to late. This was really hard for me to do when I started fishing, but know its instinct. As soon as you see the boil drop the rod tip to the water's surface, turn the handle of your reel once, and set the hook hard. It might seem hard or complicated, but after a while it becomes second nature.
Torpedos, Bronzeye, Mouse- I fish all of these baits the same way. Toss them onto, in the case of the weedless lures, or near any likely structure, and let 'em set for a few seconds. If nothing bites, start retrieving them with short twitches, to make them jerk through the water. Its a whole lot easier to do once you see it. Throw in a pause at the end of the retrieve, then make your next cast.
Crankbaits: Same thing as the spinnerbait, and don't be afraid to throw it into wood, as long as you start reeling before the lure hits the water. A few twitches during the retrieve doesn't hurt.
Plastics:
Ribbit Frogs- Texas Rig these weightless and fish 'em right on top of the water. Reel just fast enough to keep the lure on top of the water and kickin', and fish it around any cover you want.
Dingers, ect.- Texas Rig weightless and toss around any cover you want. Let it fall all the way to the bottom, making sure to set the hook at any odd line movement. If nothing grabs it on the way down, let it set for 5 seconds, then tighten your line by raising resistance. If there is any resistance, set the hook.
Everything Else- Texas Rig with one of the weights, depending on the depth of the water, then toss 'em near anything and everything and fish them reel slow with twitches and drags. Anything natural looking.
Swimbaits: Toss the floating version around any shallow cover and just let it set. A lot of the time the fish will hit hit when its just setting there, and the lure will disappear in a small gentle swirl, and you line will start moving out. If nothing grabs the bait after a minute or so, give it a twitch and start reeling it in slowly, so it makes a wake on top of the water. Fish the slow-sinking one like a crankbait, but not in the wood.
The only thing I will say about the terminal tackle is get the hook hone..... You'll need it. Hope this helps some. Good Luck
