Starting over. What gear to start over with?

[Hafgrimm]

I grew up fishing.  Being from the south - that entailed worms and minnows.  Then I got into BASS and life changed.

Unfortunately, last summer a fishing trip in Canada went bad and the boat went down.  Almost every piece of gear I owned - just gone forever.

My question is thus.  You have to start over with tackle.  Where do you begin?  I know it should be simple.  But wow... Years of buying worms here, lizards there, lures of soo many shapes and sizes....  All gone.  Every length and color gone in one disastrous instant.

Any and all suggestions appreciated!

[GobbleDog]

1. Freshwater fishing license

[Shadcranker]

Try to keep in simple. Try to limit your color choices as much as possible to have the basics covered, such as one dark and one light color for plastics (light for clear, dark for stained):

What I would get if I had to start over:

Cranks/ spinnerbaits, etc.:

(4) #5 shad raps (2 gold, 2 shad)

(4) # 7 shad raps

(4) bandit 200's (2 craw and 2 shad pattern)

(4) 300 bandits (2 craw and 2 shad)

(4) 10-12 ft cranks (Strike King series 5 or similar- 2 shad pattern / 2 chart and blue)

(4) DD22 cranks (same colors as above)

(6) spinnerbaits (3/8 and 1/2 oz in white and chart /white)

(4) Cavitron buzzbaits (white and chart)/white

(4) Rattlin Rogues (2 suspending models and 2 floaters- shad and gold)

(4) Rattle traps (2 red and 2 chrome and blue)

(2) Pop R's (shad or bone color)

(2) Spittin Image or Zara Spooks (shad / bone/ clear)

Plastics (buy one light and one dark color of most- light go with watermelon pepper; dark go with junebug or black and blue):

2 bags each:

5 " grubs

finesse tubes (3")

Flippin tubes

flukes (just get pearl color- works 95% of time)

Senkos

Craws

Shaky worms

Floating or trick worms

7 or 8" plastic worms

6" Zoom lizards

Sweet beavers or Creature bait

You could buy all of this for around $300.

Then you'll need terminal tackle (hooks, weights, jigs, skirts, swivels, etc,).

Buy the worm hooks, etc in bulk to get a better deal. Buy weights, tackle bags / boxes, etc at WalMart. Shop around for deals on hardbaits and plastics (on-line or at big box sporting goods stores like Academy, BPS, or Dick's).

Things I left out are chatterbaits, jigs, swimbaits, and probably a few others.

That said, you could restock pretty well for less than $500. Just don't get carried away with the colors, or the bait monkey will own you.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

If I were starting over, I wouldn't buy much up front. I would be very selective and only buy top quality equipment, mostly on sale.

If you were brand new, I suggest one rod only, but we all NEED three!

#1 6 1/2" or 7" spinning combination: MF with a firm tip.

#2 6 1/2" "all-around" baitcaster: MM or MF with a soft tip.

#3 7' Baitcasting jig rod/ big lure rod: HF with a firm tip.

Splurge and buy something much better than you "need." My rods would be G.Loomis and my reels would be Shimano.

Lures

Well, I would only buy the lures/ baits that I used successfully last year, not everything I "might need".

Soft plastics: (GYCB) 6" Senko, Fat Ika, Kut-tail and Laminated Lizard; Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube

Jerkbaits: Two Lucky Craft Pointer 100, two Rapala X-Raps, Slug-Go

Topwater: Sammy, Zara Spook

Crankbait: Yo-Zuri RatlN' Vibe, Norman Fat Boy, Bagledy BII

Jigs & trailers: 1/2 oz Micro Munch Tackle (black & blue) jigs/ GYCB Fat Baby Craw (black with blue flakes)

Line & terminal tackle

Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #6 for spinning tackle, #12 for baitcasting

Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks

Weights & black beads

[Grey Wolf]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you had insurance.

[Redlinerobert]

Yes, if you had insurance wouldnt they cover it?

[FishTank]

Wow.......Sorry to here about your gear.

If it were me, I would put a hard figure down and stay with in my budget.  With that said, go for quality over quantity.  Start with a general purpose spinning rod and reel and then a general purpose baitcaster set up.  

My choices would be:

6'6'' St.Croix MF Avid with a Shimano Stradic 2500 or a Quantum Energy Pti 20

7'  G. Loomis MBR844 and either a Shimano Curado 200 or a Daiwa Zillion

Fishing line would be P-Line Floroclear 8lb and 15lb

Lures:

1)Rapala DT's 4, 6 and 10 Silver, Bass and Bluegill

2)Lucky Craft Pointer SP 100 Aurora Black, Tennesse Shad, and American Shad and Rapala X-Raps    Silver and Green

3)Top Water>Lucky Craft Sammy any color and Zara Spook in Bass

4)Mann's Baby Bass -1 and a Lucky Craft Moonslaught SSR in Ghost Minnow

5)XCalibur XR 50 Rattle, any color

6)Soft Plastic> GYCB 5'' Senkos, Kreatures and Fat Ikas, any dark color, Zoom Lizards 6'' in Black blue tip, Yum Dinger Junebug, and maybe Reaction Inovations Sweet Beavers.  I like Gamakatsu hooks 4/0 EWG.

7)Mepps spinning lures 1/8oz

There are probably a lot of things I am missing but these are just personal choices.  I hope it helps.

In any case, I have a feeling the Bait Monkey is going to be banging down your door .

[Stringjam]

There are a lot of variables here.....it would be helpful to know

1. your budget

2.  the type of waters you fish and the types of bass you'll spend most of your time going after

3. the techniques you prefer /specialize in

[skillet]

 The folks before me gave some great starting points. I'll just say  WELCOME

                                            As Ever,

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