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I just caught a frog, with a frog. Weird.

Hopefully the photo comes through. First cast. I couldn't believe it. Anyone else ever experience this happening?

Has anyone ever been to Sandy River Reservoir in Prince Edward County, Virginia? I am primarily interested in whether one can easily bank fish there, as I do not currently have a boat or kayak. Thanks!

So, my wife and I are celebrating 8 years today. I'm very new to fishing (about a month) and she got me the following lures (pictured) as a gift. 8 years is bronze, so you'll see a bronze colored theme! Can anyone tell me anything about these lures? In my reading and learning, I've seen "spook," and Rapala's "scatter rap." I've enjoyed great success using crank baits, spinner baits, and grubs, but that's about all I've used as I'm building my tackle kit. Thanks!

This is good advice. We've got a fairly small river here that I fish often. When I first started fishing, I thought there was no way there were bass in there. Then I started to research how to find bass in the rivers. I started looking for deep pools where the water slows down, eddies, bends, etc. I started fishing those, primarily with a shallow crank bait because a friend had some success with it. It wasn't too long before I started catching some smallies. I just caught two tonight using a spinner bait for the first time. We had big rain the past two days and the water was really high, really fast, and really muddy. I've yet to catch a bass using a soft plastic (I just started this summer, too). I'm hesitant to try plastics on the river because of current, rocks, etc. I would use what WRB suggested. Keep at it, and you're sure to start catching some bass.

Thanks for the detailed advice! I greatly appreciate it!

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and purchased the Pflueger combo. I'm so excited and can't wait for it to arrive. I know you addressed line above. Just so I'm understanding correctly - I should purchase some cheap mono and put that on first (from what I can gather, this is so that the braid doesn't slip on the spool). Then add my favorite braid or fluorocarbon. This is where I need a little direction. Since I just started, I don't really have a favorite. I'm also not very knowledgeable on what lb test to use and why. I'm going to "add" one line to another by using a double uni knot, right? Any help/direction you all can give me with regards to what kind of line to use and why will be much appreciated. I plan to use this rod for finesse style fishing - drop shot, mojo, etc.

Thanks so much, fishnkamp. Very, very helpful. You've got me sold on the Pflueger President. The Berkley rod and Pflueger reel bring me up to $105, which is a bit more than I'd like to spend (not saying it is out of the question). What do you think of this outfit? https://www.amazon.com/Pflueger-President-Medium-Spinning-6-Feet/dp/B005Q4YTWA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1470318215&sr=8-6&keywords=pflueger+president+6935 I know I'd be sacrificing for the rod, but this doesn't look half bad. However, spending an extra $25 for the Berkley rod as opposed to the one combined in the outfit pasted above doesn't seem so bad. Would love your honest opinion.

Thanks! It's on Amazon for $50 with free shipping. That, coupled with the Ugly Stik GX2 brings my total to $88 - definitely in my budget! Do you think those two will fit nicely together? Is there a way to tell?

Thanks everyone. Like I said, I'm new...and didn't know the difference between a spincast and a spinning model. That said - what do you all think of the Abu Garcia Cardinal S60 spinning reel? It's gotten pretty good reviews, is about $35 (which fits nicely with my budget), and seems like a good beginner reel. My main question has to do with matching a reel to a rod. Is there a way to tell whether or not it will be a good match? Again, I'm likely ordering off of Amazon because of my gift cards...so I can't be sure that they'll be "compatible," can I? I'm very much considering the Pflueger President spinning reel. Would 145yd - 6lb test be a good size option?

I'm very new to bass fishing and have been getting by using a cheap Zebco baitcasting rod and reel combo. I like the baitcasters and will likely be purchasing an Abu Garcia Sliver Max combo in the near future. However, I've decided to make my first major purchase a spincast set up. I have some Amazon gift cards that I've saved and am looking to use. Thus, I'm limited to what I can purchase on Amazon. I've been looking to pair a good rod and reel. I've settled on an Ugly Stik GX2 and an Abu Garcia Cardinal S60, but am open to changing my mind so long as I can stay in the $50-$90 price range. Here is my question - how do I know this will be a good pairing? Can any spincast reel be paired with any spincast rod? I imagine that there are some good and bad matches/pairings. Unfortunately, because I'm ordering from Amazon, I can't really try it out before deciding to purchase. Any help is much appreciated. Does anyone have any experience with this specific set up?

Thanks, Glenn! I've definitely watched that video and it was really helpful. I was just so frustrated when those two trebles hooked together with themselves, while hooking the fish at the same time. I couldn't release one hook without pulling the other further in. All this with pliers mind you. I just need to make sure those two trebles can't hook together anymore!

Thanks for the advice everyone. Seems like I'll just get more proficient at removing those suckers as I gain more experience.

Creme shallow crank bait and a popper (only .75 cents!). I know, they're cheap...but the bass have been hitting them hard. They do tangle though, which just doesn't seem like good manufacturing to me. I might use pliers to bend the hooks slightly, unless someone tells me that that isn't a good idea.

So, I am very new to fishing (three weeks or so). I must say that since I've invested time in the evenings watching videos and reading articles, I've really started to catch more bass. It's been a lot of fun and I look forward to learning more and improving. That said, I really have a disdain for treble hooks. The problem is, all my favorite lures that have proven to be successful (crank baits and poppers) have them. Whenever I land a bass, the hooks end up setting in different parts of the fish, which makes de-hooking pretty frustrating at times. Have you ever had two sets of treble hooks hook together? As if that isn't frustrating enough, it happened to me today at the same time that I hooked a LMB. Every time I tried to take one hook out, it pulled on the other hook and lodged it deeper into the lip. The two sets of treble hooks were literally hooked together with different parts of the hooks in the fish's lip. I eventually freed it, but it was horrible. Is there a way to avoid this kind of thing? Can one modify those lures with treble hooks to make it a little easier? Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

Hey everyone. My name is Jeremy and I just started taking up bass fishing. I live in Salem, Virginia, which is a small city right outside of Roanoke. Aside from several small ponds in the area, I am walking distance from the Roanoke River, 15 minutes from Carvins Cove Reservoir, 25 minutes from the James River, and 45 minutes from Smith Mountain Lake. My PB is only about a 2lb so far. I look forward to that number increasing! I've caught several Largemouth in some of the area ponds and several Smallies in the Roanoke River. Since I just started out, I don't have a whole lot of equipment. Currently, I have a cheap Zebco spincast. I'm researching rod and reel combos and will likely make a purchase in the next week or two. There are three main reasons for why I've taken up this hobby. First, we've got some great spots in this beautiful part of the country. The river is literally just a few blocks away. I can wake up early and get an hour of fishing in before getting ready for work. Likewise, in the evening, I can put my kids to bed and still get out during the summer months for about an hour and a half. Secondly, I absolutely love being outdoors. As I mentioned, this is a beautiful part of Virginia and I just love the landscape, particularly around the river. Finally, I've got two boys. The thought of introducing them to fishing and all the potential fishing trips we can go on together gets me very excited. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to spend some quality time together on the water. I look forward to interacting with you all and learning everything I can about this wonderful recreational activity. Thanks!