therealnutmeg Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I've got a couple hundred dollars of christmas money to upgrade my tackle selection. I'm good on rods and reels but am looking for 2 things mostly. 1. a fishing backpack that i wont have to carry by hand, and will hold multiple boxes 2. a bunch of lures, cranks, plastics, spinners, you name it. A "big" bass in my area is 3-4+ lbs so no massive swimbaits or 14 inch worms, but what are some good baits you guys think I should buy. I believe in quality over quantity but no $23 squarebills please Thanks for any recommendations. Again, basically any bait you really like works. Quote
Brnnoser6983 Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I guess it is preference. But sometimes to get your quality you need to pay a little more, but that isn't always the rule. I could also go on for pages and list lures and makers until I can't type anymore. There are so many factors, such as what do you have, what is your style, and where are you using it? So I guess the simplest answer is do research, and find out what do you want to try. I know this year I have spent the most I have ever spent since I got back into fishing. 90% of it was things I have heard people talk about, and seen on unboxing videos. I plan on trying it all out and just having fun. Don't rule out expensive baits either. You might find something that peeks your interest. I know this happened to me when I got into swim baits. I said I would never spend $20 on a lure....... I was wrong... dead wrong. So keep an open mind. Quote
Super User smalljaw67 Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 It is tough to just recommend baits without knowing what kind of waters you're fishing, like shallow rivers or deep impoundments and the same goes for forage species. If I were you I'd Google the waters that I was going to fish and see what kind of forage is in them and see if I could find some kind of local fishing report and look to find out what has been working and go from there. There are some basics that you should have no matter where you are or what kind of water you fish, and that is lipless cranks and square bills for the hard bait side and Senkos and Sweet Beavers on the soft plastic side. When you find out forage along with water clarity of the places you fish and even the species, that information will help you pick colors and patterns for the baits you are going to buy, for example if I was fishing clear or lightly stained water with only largemouth then I know I wouldn't include really loud colors except for a fire tiger pattern crank but in the same water clarity with smallmouth present, well then I'll have clown pattern baits and chartreuse models. If the water gets dirty a lot then chartreuse/black back is excellent for all species but it has been my experience that smallmouth react to bright colors more often than their green cousins, so do some research and see what you come up with, I find those types of searches very rewarding and informative. 3 Quote
Super User Sam Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 Check out all of the Forum's sponsors and note what products they are offering. These baits work so give 'em a try. Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 This time of year my water is cold, and I'm off of the bank, so I will be using shallow running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, 1/4 ounce lipless cranks, and finesse jigs. For plastics I usually use small finesse worms and tubes. Quote
flipin4bass Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Compile your wish list and wait for the Memorial Day sales...would have been nice to have spent that money on TW gift cards when they were offering them at 10% off, then you could have really made a good haul come May. Quote
Super User Senko lover Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 Backpacks: Any book bag will do, but the Bass Pro Stalker and XPS bags are pretty cool, as well as the Tackle Warehouse bag. Lures: Any major lure company makes good baits. Find a company with products you like and use them. . Quote
Super User scaleface Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 Are you fishing from bank or wading or are you fishing from boat ? My selection for wade fishing is different than from a boat. Quote
cyclops2 Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I use the same rod, reel, line of 4# test braided & lure for bank, wading or from a boat. A hungy fish does not give a hoot about it. That said at 77. Rapala & Rebel small floaters with rattles seem most effective. I even toss the 1.5" short NON rattles in up to 2' deep water. Great sight to see a V shaped wave coming at the lure. I have 2 of them with NO HOOKS. It is a Blast to watch the multiple Vs keep coming at it & making short runs before letting go. No injury to the fish. But I count each tug as a boated fish. Getting the strike is what separates the abilities of different people. Using TOUGH stretchy rubber types with the hook snapped off, is a sure fire way to almost get them to the boat, before they let go. I fooled you fishy, is the real challenge. Quote
Super User scaleface Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 I use the same rod, reel, line of 4# test braided & lure for bank, wading or from a boat. A hungy fish does not give a hoot about it. That said at 77. Rapala & Rebel small floaters with rattles seem most effective. I even toss the 1.5" short NON rattles in up to 2' deep water. Great sight to see a V shaped wave coming at the lure. I have 2 of them with NO HOOKS. It is a Blast to watch the multiple Vs keep coming at it & making short runs before letting go. No injury to the fish. But I count each tug as a boated fish. Getting the strike is what separates the abilities of different people. Using TOUGH stretchy rubber types with the hook snapped off, is a sure fire way to almost get them to the boat, before they let go. I fooled you fishy, is the real challenge. I dont use deep diving crankbaits, jigging spoons , little George's ... when wade fishing a small river but do in boats. I'm also limited in how much tackle I can take when wading, so the selections are different than when fishing from a boat .. Quote
Super User HoosierHawgs Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 BPS crankbait 5 packs run around $15 and will cover a lot of bases. Buy a pack of Squarebills, crankbait assortment,topwater and lipless baits, and one of jerkbaits. A few of each type of jigs (football, flipping, structure, swim, shakey head) and a few types of plastic trailer (chunk, swimbait, swimming craw). Some plastics are a good idea, I would go with stick worms and finesse worms. Also, a few different spinnerbaits are good too. Booyah offers good options. Get some in shad hues and blacks, and mix up blade combinations. That should about cover it.. For a bag... I would look at the XPS Backpack.. They sell them w/or w/out boxes and they hold a lot of stuff. Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 Something worth trying would be a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper rigged on a 4/0 keel weighted hook. It's one of those baits that'll work all year all over the place. Yum Dingers would be another great option. A good selection of Eco Pro Tungsten weights would be high on my list as well as Xcalibur square bills. Quote
Super User HoosierHawgs Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 Something worth trying would be a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper rigged on a 4/0 keel weighted hook. It's one of those baits that'll work all year all over the place. Yum Dingers would be another great option. A good selection of Eco Pro Tungsten weights would be high on my list as well as Xcalibur square bills.Xcalibur and BBB are my personal favorites. They are both worth a try. Quote
Super User fishballer06 Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 The Rapala lineup of baits can really get you started. Husky jerks, DT's, Rippin Raps, Skitter Pops, are all good lures and they don't break the bank. Other than that, check out some of the Strike King stuff as well. Their 1.5/2.5 squarebills, and then the standard cranks as well ( 3, 3XD, 5, 5XD, 6, 6XD). Quote
fisherrw Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Can't go wrong with SK cranks and roboworms. Quote
Super User Fishes in trees Posted January 20, 2015 Super User Posted January 20, 2015 If you want anything better than a generic answer, knowing the neighborhood you fish in would be nice. Knowing what kind of fishing you do now, and what kind of fishing you aspire to would also get a more detailed response. That being said, in my opinion, a 1/4 oz Brewer Slider head and a 4" straight tail worm or a 5" paddle tail worm works nearly anywhere. Quote
therealnutmeg Posted January 20, 2015 Author Posted January 20, 2015 Got a huge haul from my local Dick's with a bit of everything. Tried to tie in everything you guys recommended. Apart from the Zoom Finesse worms, everything was an EXTRA 50% off clearance prices. Super cheap! Came out to $42 for all. Most things cost me 1.25 to 1.75 Quite a haul since I don't have a job and the high school tournament is coming up KVD Sexy Frog Green Pumpkin/Pearl Bottom - $3! KVD Sexy Frog Watermelon Green - $3! KVD Series 1 Shallow Crank Sexy Shad $1.50 KVD Series 1 Shallow Crank Sexy Shad $1.50 (for my fishin buddy) (Good Looking) Knock-Off of KVD Crank Sexy Shad - $1 Zman Micro Series ChatterFrog Green (just for fun) Zman Micro Series ChatterFrog White (just for fun) Cotton Cordell Lipless Crank Red Cotton Cordell Lipless Crank Black/White VMC Wide Gap 1/0 - $1.50 VMC Wide Gap 1/0 - $1.50 VMC Wide Gap 3/0 - $1.50 VMC Trailer Hooks 2/0 - $1.50 12lb Trilene XT 12lb Lo-Vis Green 300yd - $3.50 Scum Frog Booyah Top Secret Jig Gunner Craw Booyah Top Secret Jig Black/Blue/Purple Booyah Top Secret Jig PB&J Strike King Spinner White Burke Fishing Lures "Original Lifelikes" Frog (just for fun) Zoom unsalted Finesse 20pkg Tell me what you think. I know Cotton Cordell isn't the greatest but they didn't have any lipless besides that and for a buck why not. Some stuff I just got to try for fun and challenge myself. For the KVD Frogs, my heaviest setup at the moment is my Medium Heavy baitcaster with 12lb trilene. Do you think that I'll be okay with them on there. They were only $3 after all. We have some lighter weed cover but no 2ft mats of hydrilla or anything crazy. Biggest bass realistically are gonna be around 3lbs. Should I give it a go? I'm only in high school and don't want to invest in a setup just for froggin' at the moment and I want to keep braid off it because for now it's my go-to setup for my big spinners, big topwater, all the heavy stuff that's not friends with braid Thanks guys! Quote
BaitMonkey1984 Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 So many lures, so little space on a 20 ft bass boat. I am a firm believer of plastic worms and crank baits, throw them the majority of time. Storms new Arashi crank baits run true and look good doing it and are a steal for the $8.00 piece average, the KVD line by strike king is good too, esp. the sexy shad rattling cranks. I would load up on colors and depth range then get some plastics for those tougher days. My local pond doesn't hold a bunch of big fish either but have still caught plenty on a bigger worm 7-10'. I would recommend the zoom magnum finesse/trick or the old monster they kill in the grass. Quote
Brocephus Fishing Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 A little more information on the area you're fishing would be useful in terms of lure selection. However, like most, I could provide a massive list of lure selections so I'll leave that to personal preference. If you're still looking for a bag that will hold a ton of tackle, although it isn't a backpack and has a shoulder strap, the Cabela's Advanced Anglers Tackle Bag is pretty awesome. Quote
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