You Don't Need Money To Catch Bass

[everythingthatswims]

I have some interesting info for you guys about our National Championship 2nd place finish...

The rod that I threw the spinnerbait on, which caught 75% of the fish we brought to the scales, is a BPS Extreme, that my uncle gave to me many years ago. I'm pretty sure the rod is older than I am, it is balanced differently than rods nowadays, I think the reels back then were way heavier. The tip on that rod is a replacement, as well as the last 3 guides, including one that I had to replace a second time with a little glue and sewing thread. The reel I was using on that rod, is a Lews Lazer MG (their most inexpensive reel 79.99), that I actually snagged this winter while jigging a blade bait in 35 feet of water. It was all gunked up but I took it apart and with a little grease, oil, and love, she was ready to go!

And the spinning rod that I used to fish a drop shot, is a rod that used to be a baitcaster. A member from this forum contacted me a while back to see if I wanted it (thanks again, by the way!). He said he wasn't impressed with the rod as a baitcaster and decided to replace the first two guides with spinning guides, shave down the pistol grip, and chop off part of the cork to make it balance better. The problem you run into then, is a bass-ackwards spined rod that is supposed to load for a cast the way it now loads on a hookset, and vice-versa. Tell that to the 5lber I caught with it on the final day. The reel on that rod is a Shimano Sienna 2500 (29.99) that has been used so much, that the bail is actually starting to wear out and sometimes when you flip it, the wire is the only thing moving, not the rest of the reel that should move with it (you can still cast it like that though ).

[buzzed bait]

well done man, you're absolutely right!

although, i like to dropshot with money...  I usually start with $1 bills and if the bite is tough, just keep stepping up the denominations until they start biting!!! 

[roadwarrior]

I suspect you will get a few offers from several companies to sponsor their gear. If there is a brand you are particularly interested in, strike while the iron is hot!

[buzzfrog]

Confused on this post.  On another forum I hardly frequent anymore there is alway it seems a post about "you don't need money" always turns into a war, this probably will to.

[Josh Smith]

4 minutes ago, buzzfrog said:

Confused on this post.  On another forum I hardly frequent anymore there is alway it seems a post about "you don't need money" always turns into a war, this probably will to.

Why?

[Goose52]

Well, congratulations on your tournament placement. Indeed, bass can be caught on value equipment...or in your case, older/repaired equipment.

As has been often said here, you get in where you fit in regarding equipment. The point is to have fun.

Regarding "low cost of entry" for bass fishing, when I was growing up in South Florida (more than 50 years ago), some of the most successful bass anglers only used a cane pole with 20 pound mono strung from the butt of the rod, up to the tip and tied off there, and then the line continued off the tip for a length as long as the cane pole. THEN, on the end of that line.........................................................was a hook with a big honkin' shiner on it...

[.ghoti.]

If it turns into a war, it won't be a long one.

[Master Bait'r]

It's true! 

Doesn't make nice stuff any less awesome though 

 

On August 8, 2016 at 11:50 AM, roadwarrior said:

I suspect you will get a few offers from several companies to sponsor their gear. If there is a brand you are particularly interested in, strike while the iron is hot!

 

I'd pick a bigger favorite and go knocking.  Put together a good resumeé and be as politely enthusiastic as you can.  Show them what you did with what you had and see where you can take it!  

[Molay1292]

Tournament fees, gasoline, insurance, boat, oil, hotel rooms, tackle, food on the road.   Expense it not limited to rod and reels.

[iabass8]

Neat..where's the interesting part?

[new2BC4bass]

Gee.  I think most of us that started at a young age can claim to catch fish on low (very low) cost gear.  My first pole (yes..pole...not rod) was a cane pole with a few feet of mono.  My first...and only for many years...rod was a cheap spinning rod from K-Mart.  My father did get me a good reel for it, tho.  A Mitchell 300.  The combo caught bullheads, catfish, sunfish, bluegills, perch, carp, pickerel, suckerfish, eels, rock bass, crappies and, yes, even the occasional smallmouth and largemouth bass.  I don't think fishing tournaments were in existence in those days.  If they were, we never heard of them.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

13 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

Gee.  I think most of us that started at a young age can claim to catch fish on low (very low) cost gear.  My first pole (yes..pole...not rod) was a cane pole with a few feet of mono.  My first...and only for many years...rod was a cheap spinning rod from K-Mart.  My father did get me a good reel for it, tho.  A Mitchell 300.  The combo caught bullheads, catfish, sunfish, bluegills, perch, carp, pickerel, suckerfish, eels, rock bass, crappies and, yes, even the occasional smallmouth and largemouth bass.  I don't think fishing tournaments were in existence in those days.  If they were, we never heard of them.

More about food....  tourneys nope never heard of them till i was 16 

[MassYak85]

The actual cost to start out and dabble in a few techniques and be successful is not much at all. It's all the new techniques, brands that we "have to" try out, slight differences that we feel give us an edge, and variety within a certain lure style, and variety within rods/reels that add up to a lot of money....and of course a boat will put a dent in the old bank account!  Once you get past the initial investment of getting a few lures that will cover most conditions at most times, knowledge is really the thing that will have the biggest impact on success.

[Jeff H]

It's a good subject.  He's making a point based based on recent,personal experience and encouraging others to get out there and make do with what you have.  I started my tournament fishing with several original Lightning rods and Shimano Black Magnum and Spirex reels in early 90's.  My gear was all budget stuff and I did well with it then and I could still get the job done with it today if I had to!

[Molay1292]

When I was youger, my Brother and I would fish all day at the river catching mostly carp but the occasional catfish or turtle would fall prey also.  Some of these catches were very large for the Zebco 202 combos we had at the time.   We burned the gears out of and returned so many of the 202 reels that the Manager of the local TG&Y department store politely told us not to come back.   Some how we ended up with much nicer Zebco 33 reels that I used until I was just about out of High School.    I caught hundreds of fish on those reels, did I miss bites because of the mono line, the glass rods and the very slow retrieval rate of the reels,   who knows.   What I will say is that once I had the means to upgrade my equipment I did so, and either the fish started biting a lot better, or the better equipment made a lot of difference.   

As said before, Get In Where You Fit In

 

[soflabasser]

Great topic!The OP has given a good example of how expensive gear is not truly needed to catch some quality sized bass.I myself use bass rods that are mostly under $100 each(except 1 rod) and I have caught many big bass this way.One needs to focus more on learning how to read a body of water and how to fish several types of lures well than spending excess money on rods that don't guarantee success.

[Montanaro]

Its like hunting.

 

You can kill a deer with a 700 year old long bow.  Its about putting yourself in position to do so.

[Bluebasser86]

My first tournament when I was 16 I fished in an adult club. It was at Table Rock and I ended up in 4th place. I was using a 6' light Cabela's Fish Eagle II that I found in the bargain cave with a broken tip. I put a new tip on and slapped on a TX1000 with some 4lb Pline fluoroclear that I tied to a 1/8oz ballhead with a bronze hook from Wal-Mart with a 4 or 6 inch purple Mann's Jelly worm threaded on. The fish were spawning and I believe the light line and different looking bait was the difference. 

I enjoy my nice equipment I have now. Buying nice, new gear is half the fun of this sport, but it's certainly not required to be effective. 

Woo Daves used a Zebco 33 to catch some of his fish that helped him win a little derby called the Bassmaster Classic. It doesn't get much cheaper than that. 

[Sam]

Nolan, I agree with your premise. I also like my BPS cranking stick better than my G. Loomis crankbait rod. Go figure?

My previous tournament partner (who moved to Ohio) used low end rods and reels. If they broke or wore out he would throw they away and get another "low end" product to replace it.

And Dave can out fish anyone you put him up against!

Now, your statement that you don't need high quality equipment applies to bass fishing. Once you graduate college; start your career; and begin dating those movie actresses you will need some good equipment. I mean like a car, high quality clothes, lots of American Express credit cards, a high fashion decorated apartment,  a private jet, a full time rental in the Bahamas to take your friends to for a relaxing weekend, and a king size bed, etc.

What equipment were you thinking about?

 

[Catt]

The #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.  

[Airman4754]

I won a big bass tournament on a $70 baitcasting combo I bought at Walmart right before it started back when I was a broke college kid. 

Would I ever go back to lower end equipment? Not a chance, but it can be done. 

[kickerfish1]

The title of this thread is somewhat misleading. Should say something like "You don't have to have a lot of money to catch fish"

You do have to be able to afford the gas to get to the lakes and back, licenses, park permit fees, live bait or artificials, fishing line, tackle boxes, terminal tackle, etc. So you do have to have some "play money" just to be able to participate in the sport.

If you are talking about not needing $15 hardbaits and $200 rod and reels then yes I agree.

[Caliyak]

On 8/8/2016 at 6:39 AM, everythingthatswims said:

I have some interesting info for you guys about our National Championship 2nd place finish...

The rod that I threw the spinnerbait on, which caught 75% of the fish we brought to the scales, is a BPS Extreme, that my uncle gave to me many years ago. I'm pretty sure the rod is older than I am, it is balanced differently than rods nowadays, I think the reels back then were way heavier. The tip on that rod is a replacement, as well as the last 3 guides, including one that I had to replace a second time with a little glue and sewing thread. The reel I was using on that rod, is a Lews Lazer MG (their most inexpensive reel 79.99), that I actually snagged this winter while jigging a blade bait in 35 feet of water. It was all gunked up but I took it apart and with a little grease, oil, and love, she was ready to go!

And the spinning rod that I used to fish a drop shot, is a rod that used to be a baitcaster. A member from this forum contacted me a while back to see if I wanted it (thanks again, by the way!). He said he wasn't impressed with the rod as a baitcaster and decided to replace the first two guides with spinning guides, shave down the pistol grip, and chop off part of the cork to make it balance better. The problem you run into then, is a bass-ackwards spined rod that is supposed to load for a cast the way it now loads on a hookset, and vice-versa. Tell that to the 5lber I caught with it on the final day. The reel on that rod is a Shimano Sienna 2500 (29.99) that has been used so much, that the bail is actually starting to wear out and sometimes when you flip it, the wire is the only thing moving, not the rest of the reel that should move with it (you can still cast it like that though ).

Good job dude. 

 

[scaleface]

I have one of those heavy BPS Extrene Rods  , I bought in a combo . That is my least favorite rod . 

[Jeff H]

1 hour ago, kickerfish1 said:

If you are talking about not needing $15 hardbaits and $200 rod and reels then yes I agree.

I think that's where he was going with this.