Must Have Tackle For An Amateur Angler

[hookyou]

I've always loved fishing, but I took a six year break from it since I began my first semester of college in Los Angeles. I'm starting back up again and I feel completely lost. When I go to a tackle or sporting good store, I'm overwhelmed. It feels like the employee is trying to sell me something I don't need the majority of the time. Currently, I've gone back to what I know about fishing. I have a couple packs of gary yamamoto senkos, roboworms, flukes, two football jigs, two jointed lures, and three jerkbaits. I feel my knowledge about fishing may be too old. So what would be some 'must have things' for my starter kit?

[gulfcaptain]

first off, I'd ask where you're fishing (lakes/rivers/ponds), then where you're located regionally to get a better idea.

[hookyou]

first off, I'd ask where you're fishing (lakes/rivers/ponds), then where you're located regionally to get a better idea.

I'll be fishing the southern California region. The lakes out here have some great fishing, but are at least a hour's drive without traffic, so ponds and private lakes are where I'll be spending most of my days.

[Mike L]

Use what you have.

Sometimes "knowledge about fishing may be too old" is all you need.

Get youself a quality combo of your choice and just go fishin.

Don't over think it.

Mike

[gulfcaptain]

Fat Ikas, Senkos, Chatterbaits, and dropshot are probably the most productive when it come to what I see people using and fishing.  I started back into bass fishing 4 years ago and dropshotted 98% of the time.  Then went to wakebaits and shallow cranks the other 2%.  Now, I fish mutiple lures and techniques.  S.Cal is a tough place to fish especially if you're fishing the city parks.  Summer when the weeds get up a frog is a good bet.  So here is what I would start with.

 

4" Fat Ika's

4-5" Senkos

2- Chatterbaits (one white, one green pumpkin)

couple squarebill cranks

3 1/2-4" jerkbaits

4 1/2" roboworms (dropshot)

couple rattletrap style baits.

 

I'd fish your football jigs with a paca chunk (3")

 

Send me a personal message about where you fish and if I've fished there before I may be able to give you a bit more info.  Do a lot of city park fishing in the OC/LA area.

[Catch and Grease]

I'd get a few square bills like the KVD 1.5 or Bomber square A... They are great lures

[Tony L.]

What you have is all you need to catch fish provided that you also have the right hook for your soft plastics.

Maybe read an article or two on how to fish each lure, and you are good to go.

As far as your "old knowledge" goes, all i can say is this... The field may have evolved quite a bit in the last 6 years, but promise you that the fish most certainly haven't. If you knew how to catch them before, you'll catch them again. For us, trends come and go. The inhabitants of the underwater world are completely oblivious to what goes on topside and they simply do not have the mental capacity to care.

More important than your lure, because they all catch fish (just some more than others at any given time) is confidence in yourself to know where they are and put something, sometimes anything, right in front of them.

[Comfortably Numb]

Ya. 1.5 Squarebill, 3/8 spinnerbait, Jitterbug are great in ponds

[aavery2]

A pair of good sunglasses and a pair of good pliers.

[hookyou]

Used a Strike King KVD Spinnerbait to catch this little guy at Heartwell Park in Long Beach, CA this morning.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/a93c8e9f9ee4531046af01055fa591ce/tumblr_nee4damMJT1u2cl63o1_400.jpg