Angry John

This is the ticket along with three colors. Brown, black and green pumpkin. I added the last one as i love it but the gman my fishing hero only uses brown or black. Get plain skirted jigs and add the wow color and sparkle with the trailer. This is a cheap and great way to start. I love the arky because it also skips so well when you up your skill level. Swim jigs are a little different for me, I have serbert make swim jigs in ayu and a shad color to match the hatch. More color is not more fish in the boat and presentation of the three colors mentioned will catch fish or is not the correct presentation and you need to try something else.

I like to use the bobber and wet fly or small crappie jig. It lets them always do something as my boy has adhd and they continualy practice casting. The fly and small tube (1.75') catch everything from trout to bluegill and dont require a monster hookset. My son is a little older now so i have shifted him to a 4" wacky worm with a supper sharp owner thin wire hook. It may be a good way to go depending on how fast they pick up a hook set.

I find a technique that i want to try and then pick up a few things to figure it out. I think it beats going totally random. Dropshot is one that i continue to work on and finding the right hook, the weight for the conditions and the correct equipment can either be fun or drive you insane. An objective based approach to me makes the most sense, and it give you direction based on what you want to try or accomplish. The ned rig is very popular right now so that is another direction that may be beneficial to check out. The baits in a box are fun if you want to discover new tackle, but may not fit your fishing style. Might be fun during the winter to kill the cabin fever.

Did you find bob

Use a jig and a c-rig to drag the bottom while fishing to figure out the area your fishing. I think developing your skills this way will put you further ahead for when you do get the electronics or they brake on you.

The first crankbait i grab in very cold water is a rapala shad rap in 5 or 7. If no bites its jerkbait time.

I use 10 lb yhb for jerkbaits and get plenty of bites. On spinning I use 6 yhb. Flouro in cold water I believe gets more brittle and I am not a fan.

I've had a bag of solid toads for over two years and I have never used them. Guess I should try them one time.

Looked at HD today and the smallest they had were still way to big. Will have to check jansnetcraft.

I used the daiwa sliver cast on my sons second setup and the button was to high for him to use properly a 4. On top of that it was heavy. Best of intentions on my part but not a great idea...

I got a bunch of old lures from my grandfather and they have the old style screwed in hook hangers. I would like to remove the old and screw in an a single hook eye with split rings. Does anyone know of a mod video or an article for how to upgrade these older baits. I will mod them either way but if there were tips or tricks to not hurt the action best glue/epoxy to use I would be very interested.

Over the years I have left behind almost everything inportant. Bag with baits paddle pfd. The further I go the more I double check.

Many guys use simple green and put them in a small ultrasonic. I have good luck using starting fluid. It does not leave anything behind and i have yet to find an occasion where i melted any plastic with it. It dries very fast and is cheap. Lots a ways to skin this cat those are just two...

This is what i was going to recommend. I love mine

I find that most topwaters have a white bottom. I have several that the lure is painted but the bottom is white. I like to keep it simple and after i discovered this i only run a few different ones now. I have white, black, something clear like ghost minnow and one Megabass that looks very natural with green and an orange throat. I think there is to many options with action and sound already to get a lot of the same lure in just a different color for topwater.

Casting setup 12lb YHB for general purpose. Spinning 6 or 8 lb XL. Both lines are cheap and are proven time and again.

What? http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwaalphassv.html

The only reason I mention the pixy is they are selling for a lot less now. The alphas has way more spool options. Either that or a met.

So i am that one guy that makes fun of people for putting 4k worth of rims on a 500 car but turn around and put 5 dollars of owner hyperwire split rings and st-41 hooks on a 2 dollar bargin bin lure. My favorite lure was a bass pro popper that just seems to get more bites than any other top water i own. Some lures just have it and those i am willing to put the good hardware on. I have grown fond of the st-41 as they are 2x strong and sharp as hell. Some people dont like cutting points on topwater but this have never been an issue for me. The other way to go is to use lite wire hooks which will stick them good but will bend if you try and horse them in. The link is to the trebles i use on jerk baits and they are amazing. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiichi_Death_Trap_Round_Treble_Hook_5pk/descpage-DAIDTHK.html

This is the job of the alphas and the pixy. Why not get the right tool for the job to begin with instead of trying to make the wrong tool work. I am a huge alphas fan and given the spool options now it can do everything. On a side note the regular alphas has a lot of options where the 105 does not have all the same spool options. The alphas air is also in the same basket. Pick up a 103 version for max utility. The MB zonda is also an alphas, as is the sol.

I try to have one tackle bag, my 5 rods and a personal item normally my backpack. I have way more stuff and rods than this but at times even this becomes unmanageable. Your personal bag should fit your rain gear, jackets drinks and anything else like sunscreen that you may need. I use a 3700 tray empty to keep plastics that i may need on top of any puches in the bag. No reason to bring any thing close to all you have.

If you want a rod that long and you may, the flipping stick is more the rod your looking for. It would rate on the high end 1.5-2.5 oz max. I find that longer rods work well on open banks but if there is cover and you said that there is, it may be a lot of hassle. Using a low wind resistance bait like a jig may help you reach those other spots and should not really change the presentation a lot. If your working with a very soft bottom this may not work well but then i would look at a 5" paddle tail swimbait with a jig head with brush guard to keep you safe.

I fish serberrt jigs from 1/4 to 1/2. The 1/4 works with a 4" bass assassin or keitech easy shiner in a matching color, i like ayu and the shad color. They 3/8ths i use a 3.8 swing impact fat or bass pro in the same size. Again i use ayu or a shad color. the 1/2 i use a shad color and shad colors. I for some reason have not used the ayu but it most likely will work. With the bigger baits 4.8 size i use owner beast hooks. If i were in waters i knew had larger fish i might use the swim jig head on the 4.8. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Bass_Assassin_Elite_Shiner_Swimbait_8pk/descpage-BSASESH.html http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Swing_Impact_FAT/descpage-KSIF.html http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Easy_Shiner/descpage-KEIEZSH.html

the reason i dont like ugly sticks is because you can never get an action that is fast. They have one speed moderate. Now if your fishing crank baits then thats not a bad thing to go with. If your planning on using a weightless worm wacky then a fast is were its at. The custom is not the cheap route. In terms of value and improving the experience for you and your son then i feel its worth it. My son is currently fishing a fenwich bass 610mlxf.

you sound like a navy instructor. Been to training lately? Its how i trained many people must be because its a science that works!!!!