The Only Baits Any Beginner Needs to Catch Fish

[JustJames]

First I will say thanks to OP since Im going/trying to introduce my wife and kids into bass fishing next year.

I already have plan for them on what gear and lure to use. You guess what? It is a spinning gear? and what lure? A senko, either wacky/texas rig.

Why? It is easy enough for them to cast and dont require a lot of movement for them to get too tired before catching fish.

I am new to bass fishing myself and you know what, I only caught ONE fish so far with spinner bait, none on lipless and Crankbait. All I want to say is most of the time a beginner would fish from bank not from boat. From bank of course they would have to walk around to find fish but boat with all the tech/experience you drive the boat to where fish at and just cast the lures.

Lipless and crankbait might be good if you know fish is in the area and at depth you are presenting the lure. Now tell me how many lure / color / depth level, I have to have in order to catch 1 fish. Maybe I will let her use my deep diving and I think in no time she would say "my arm and my wrist hurt let go home"

 I rememer a few years back, when ppl tell me lipless is alway catching fish. I got a few of those walking around big lake, small lake, pond trying to catch just one fish. I'd been doing that for a few months with nothing in return, almost give up fishing altogether.

Top water, this one great more fun but I think it need other like time/weather to successfully catch fish. I dont think my wife would want to wake up 5:00 in the morning or go outside when it forcast to rain for top water action with me.

I have witness many times that bass bite senko even when it sit still. In this case I will have my wife cast it out shake a little bit or do nothing when she gets too tired. At first she would get to learn how to detech the bite / watch the line movement and hopefully get to learn how to reel the fish in. It is also very cost effective just 2 bag of senko shad and blue with a pack of 4/0 worm hooks and call it good.

[Raul]

16 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Interesting how some think you are limited in bass fishing when using a spinning reel.I use all the lures mentioned above with spinning reels and have a high success rate with spinning tackle.I even throw big spinnerbaits and buzzbaits on spinning gear which is supposedly "incorrect" to do as well(yet I somehow manage to catch bass this way).It all boils down to personal preference and there are plenty of fishermen that do well with spinning reels just like fishermen do well with baitcaster reels for bass.

Exacty, OP don´t know Fish Chris.

["hamma"]

I started my 3 daughters with a jerkbait, Off the boat is one reason, but in reality you can fish them year round ,. your'e not sliding them up a single hook, replacing them every other fish, and its visual for them to see. They all caught fish first time, and want to go again.

 Now if we were to fish off shore??? I'd go with a texas rig, not only for the same reasons Catt explained. But that weedless ability offers less tree hanging of lures, more "tight" to shore presentations, and it would force them to "feel" the hit.

 As for spinning vs casting gear?

 For many years all my bass fishing was done via spinning gear, I did buy a baitcaster and after three years of aggrevation I gave up as I had no one to teach me how to cast it correctly. When I joined a bass club, I now had teachers, and I did learn. I use baitcasting and spinning in unisin. The right lure for the right gear mentality. Spinnerbaits and casting/flippin jigs, med. and deep diving cranks, most jerkbaits  and heavier weighted worms get baitcasting. Anything thats even kinda light for baitcasting gets a spinning rod as the clear waters up here dictate long casts. I could use baitcasters for some of the lures I toss with spinning, but its a distance driven thought. I can also skip with both but prefer spinning. Casting with a flipping rod I came up with a modified sidearmed pitch/skip thats deadly, that I use from time to time. But most skipping is done with a spinning rod. Grubs, topwaters, 4" worms, and anything weighting a 1/4 oz. or under ,...All spinning gear.

Now,..that being said.

Although many lures are "proprely" fished with spinning or casting, You can use either as long as your comfortable with it. Your success rate may differ a bit, but if your just beginning who cares. That discussion comes more into play "if" your tourney fishing.

example #1: I can skip a jig and pig on both spinning or casting, and I do so fishing mono exclusively. If I were to get back into tourney fishing? Id fish braid on the spinning gear, just because I get further skips with spinning.

Example #2: as of now I fish topwaters with a old under 6 foot spinning rod and mono,..my favorite rod, If back in tournies? id still use it, but just for "lighter" tops, and heavier ones would get a 6'6" or 7' baitcaster.

 Reasons for this is,...when tourney fishing my determination and falling into the thoughts of "having the right stuff", really kicks in. Im going to give my best shot at it. When funfishing its more for my enjoyment and I'm not so gungho! 

Can you fish everything with a spinning rod? of course,.. but, in some instances that heavy lure with stout hooks will fish better, suited to a casting rod. 

Whether you fish spinning, or casting, or both,..I respect your choice, and applaud however you catch your fish. 

Keep ya line wet!

[JustJames]

I think I miss OP's intentionally for this post. Are we talking about beginner or yourself?

I consider myself a beginner for bass fishing too, so I do agree with OP and WRB. I just recently start using other like crank/chatterbait or even differnent topwater lure.

Remember beginner, minimum tackle, easiest way to catch fish.

 

 

[WRB]

2 hours ago, Raul said:

Exacty, OP don´t know Fish Chris.

Fish Chris used spinning tackle 4# test to fly line tail hook night crawlers, perfect outfit for that presentation. Chris also used heavy swimbait tackle when using swimbaits, right tackle for the application. Chris is a Lght line angler and caught some giant fish using it.

The only thing bad about spinning tackle is line twist, every spinning reel will twist line using crank baits and spinnerbaits, If line twist is OK, use it!

Tom

 

[Drew03cmc]

The Ned Rig is not a Senko or even a derivative of one. The material is different, it floats and it is durable, unlike a Senko. Also, you can use any number of small baits on the Ned Rig. 

[redbirdsfan44]

I'm glad my post had gotten a lot of attention. I merely picked only four lures for a entry level angler to have success on that I believe to cover most of the water column. I chose only four lures because as a beginner there's going to be a lot of guessing and if you limit the options to four you can eliminate a lot of the guess work. There's definitely an incredibly long list of lures that anglers can go out with and easily catch many fish, but I simply just tried to give 4 options that most bass anglers all have and have proven to repeatedly catch fish. Again this was solely based on opinion and you know what they say about opinions. 

I know there's a lot of experienced anglers on the forum, many of whom have twice the years of experience as I've lived. I'm very passionate about the sport of bass fishing which allows me to teach what I know to others. If this post helps only one person then great. It's awesome to see how much others want to help out the new guys. I haven't been a member of the forum for a terribly long time but I always tell people about it because it's truly a great place to learn and share knowledge 

[jr231]

Before WRB even replies.  A 15lb largemouth is very impressive and bass anglers (in the north) would trade alot of things for even a 10lb largemouth. 

He gave his reasons for why he believes spinning reels are not as effective in some applications. Me and many others obviously disagree. But that's ok ! Everyone here has their own opinion.. take them for what it's worth. 

I disagreed with his post as well. But didn't come at him personally. I don't see why you couldn't just chime in about your success with spinning tackle and leave the bashing out of it. It's childish. And unnecessary. 

I was enjoying this thread.. and if it escalates further it's going to be on lock. 

LAME

[soflabasser]

7 hours ago, Raul said:

Exacty, OP don´t know Fish Chris.

Yes Mr. Wolfgram is well known for catching big bass on spinning reels and he proves that these types of reels are more than adequate enough for bass fishing. 

13 hours ago, Catt said:

Once the beginner master the Texas Rig all other techniques are easy to learn.

Proof's in the pudding!

Your grandson looks like he is having a lot of fun catching these big bass and at the end of the day that's what matters most in all types of fishing. 

[WRB]

2 hours ago, Sharkyak420 said:

Well  WRB, im new to freshwater bass fishing but i can tell you that supposed 15 lb lmb doesnt impress me in the least. Im a long time surfcaster and use nothing but V.S. spinning reels for everyone of my thousand plugs in rough surf with ZERO problems.

Who are you to shoot down that mans great advice to much welcomed newcomers to our beloved sport and passion. Looks to me that you are a bully with probably minimal success so you need to knock down others to feel good. Im not surprised your one of those Westcoast  weenies. I hope you change your negative attitude 

Wow, talk about negative!

You walk into Redbirds shop and he sells you a square bill, spinnerbait and Senko for you surf spinning outfit and your a happy camper.

What I am saying is before you advise a new angler what lures yo use, learn what entry level tackle they have to fish with first.

Tom 

[NorcalBassin]

2 hours ago, Sharkyak420 said:

Well  WRB, im new to freshwater bass fishing but i can tell you that supposed 15 lb lmb doesnt impress me in the least. Im a long time surfcaster and use nothing but V.S. spinning reels for everyone of my thousand plugs in rough surf with ZERO problems.

Who are you to shoot down that mans great advice to much welcomed newcomers to our beloved sport and passion. Looks to me that you are a bully with probably minimal success so you need to knock down others to feel good. Im not surprised your one of those Westcoast  weenies. I hope you change your negative attitude 

Looks like the warden arrived in less than 5 posts and your trolling about the bass in his avatar not being impressive excludes you from being taken seriously. WRB hardly shot it down... just pointed out certain equipment is better suited for certain tackle. You can tow a 24' travel trailer with a Tacoma and get the job done, but given the option a 3/4 or 1 ton will get the job done more efficiently. That shouldn't be offensive to anyone with a Tacoma.

[roadwarrior]

Back on topic please.

-Kent

[primetime]

I have found the best way to get a friend hooked on fishing, is to take him to a pond that holds a good amount of 2-4lb bass that are usually active, and I like to give him a topwater because even a 15" Bass blowing up on a topwater, is exciting. If that does not get you excited, then throwing a wacky rig will be tough. 

I find most friends I take fishing when they see the pond or even a lake and a weedless swimbait or toad, they are thinking bluegills I think. When they see a 17" 3lb bass slam a bait, then they wait, set the hook and it jumps, you will hear claims of 7-10lbs for guys who do a decent amount of saltwater fishing because Bass catch people off guard as to how big a 5lb fish really is. 5lb bass even here in Florida are impressive, I still get excited if I hook into a 4lb bass, and really there is no right or wrong answer, any lure will work if used in the right place and has hooks. 

I actually learn more from new anglers since they do not have pre-conceived notions on lures or colors, so when they grab a lure I have never caught fish on I just say "Awesome choice" Don't lose it, and more times than not they catch fish with it because at the end of the day.....If fish are feeding, they are feeding.

[soflabasser]

I agree with you 100% that topwaters are a excellent lure to use for beginners.Topwaters are very easy to use and as everyone knows a topwater strike can't be beat, especially the explosive ones.A 5 pound bass in Florida is relatively common and usually measures 20-22" in length with the occasional skinny bass barely weighing 5 pounds at 24".A 8-10 pound bass is considered a trophy bass in Florida and usually measures 24-28" in length and looks more like a freshwater grouper than a regular bass.The state of Florida awards anglers who release trophy bass  that are 8 pounds and bigger(all these bass have to be approved by biologist to deserve the recognition from the state).And yes the specific lure used and how it's fished is far more important than the color of the lure. 

2 hours ago, primetime said:

I have found the best way to get a friend hooked on fishing, is to take him to a pond that holds a good amount of 2-4lb bass that are usually active, and I like to give him a topwater because even a 15" Bass blowing up on a topwater, is exciting. If that does not get you excited, then throwing a wacky rig will be tough. 

I find most friends I take fishing when they see the pond or even a lake and a weedless swimbait or toad, they are thinking bluegills I think. When they see a 17" 3lb bass slam a bait, then they wait, set the hook and it jumps, you will hear claims of 7-10lbs for guys who do a decent amount of saltwater fishing because Bass catch people off guard as to how big a 5lb fish really is. 5lb bass even here in Florida are impressive, I still get excited if I hook into a 4lb bass, and really there is no right or wrong answer, any lure will work if used in the right place and has hooks. 

I actually learn more from new anglers since they do not have pre-conceived notions on lures or colors, so when they grab a lure I have never caught fish on I just say "Awesome choice" Don't lose it, and more times than not they catch fish with it because at the end of the day.....If fish are feeding, they are feeding.

 

[EvanT123]

Fluke, grub, tube, spinnerbait/Beatle spin and topwater. That's what I'd start as my 5 in the body of water I fish. Never caught a cold on a lipless crank. Have thrown all those on spinning and casting equipment. 

[Catt]

I find the reason most anglers avoid teaching youngsters the Texas Rig first is they lack confidence themselves in the technique.

What's always missing from these discussions is the individual being taught. As a teacher, coach, mentor I must first evaluate the individual I'm working with. I need to understand what are the expectations of the student, below is my grandson Evan Trace he thinks he should get bit on every cast, while Aiden Paul (pictured above) understands there is a certain amount of fishing required before you catch.

[fishwizzard]

I have never caught a single fish that I can remember with a "Worm and weight" t-rig.  Caught a ton with other t-rigged plastics, weighted and weightless, but never caught a fish on a 6" worm.  Some day I am going to start leaving everything else at home until I get one on a worm. 

I have had good results with starting people on a small weedless inline spinner, something like this:

I think the tactile feedback from the thump of the blade is helpful in understanding how retrieval speed relates to lure speed and the lures are easy to cast, steer, and retrieve from trees.  They also, if you make up some tiny ones, will catch the heck out of panfish and small bass.  

I then introduce a weightless fluke, which also provides some tactile feedback and is a good intro in "working" a retrieve.  It also helps that flukes are effective over a wide range of retrieve styles and speeds, so hopefully a good amount of hooksetting practice will happen as well.  

[Sharkyak420]

On Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 11:35 PM, Yeajray231 said:

Before WRB even replies.  A 15lb largemouth is very impressive and bass anglers (in the north) would trade alot of things for even a 10lb largemouth. 

He gave his reasons for why he believes spinning reels are not as effective in some applications. Me and many others obviously disagree. But that's ok ! Everyone here has their own opinion.. take them for what it's worth. 

I disagreed with his post as well. But didn't come at him personally. I don't see why you couldn't just chime in about your success with spinning tackle and leave the bashing out of it. It's childish. And unnecessary. 

I was enjoying this thread.. and if it escalates further it's going to be on lock. 

LAME

Yeah, you and others agree. I didnt get personal. If you dis agree then tell him. Dont kiss his ass. 

[jr231]

@Sharkyak420 you did get personal. I did tell him; if you could read well enough to glance through this thread you'd know that.  I'm not kissing anything. I could care less about him . Nobody needs your attitude Mr tough guy . Grow up. 

[MIbassyaker]

I don't know what it is, but there is something about the texas rig that just teaches you about bass. I was fishing long before I got into bass. But before I learned how to fish a texas rigged worm, I really could not shake the feeling that most of the bass I caught were by accident. I believe they probably were.  But once I got used to using a texas rig, I stopped getting skunked so often. It taught me how to observe, how to watch and feel. I started looking at cover and depth and clarity and conditions much more closely. I started being able to tell much more clearly the difference between a strike and bumping or hanging in cover.  I started being able to anticipate better where and when I'd be most likely to get bit. And It taught me how to properly set the hook. I'm definitely not a bass fishing expert, but if there is any single thing that has made me a more successful and more confident angler, it has been learning how to use a texas rig, no question.

[soflabasser]

On 9/28/2016 at 9:26 AM, scaleface said:

Wait . no Beelte spin ? I thought all Bass fishermen cut their teeth on these things .

The Beetle spin is a good lure for beginners to use and even a seasoned bass fisherman can have lots of fun catching fish on this lure.

[primetime]

I learned how to fish with a weightless 6" Culprit and Mister Twister phenom tail in Ponds growing up, I still try to use weightless plastics as much as possible, that is still a "Texas Rig" Right?

I find using a bullet weight is a harder skill to learn, kind of like learning how to fish a Jig which is the hardest skill to learn imo, I still would rather use a Soft bait since fish seem to hold it longer and it comes through weeds better imo.

I use Casting gear for 5 out of my 7 rods I usually carry, but if I have an open rod, and it is a spinning rod, I have no issue tying on a Chatterbait or spinnerbait even if I know it is not the right tool. I do prefer spinning rods for fishing Jerkbaits and smaller finesse techniques, but I always use a spinning rod when fishing in tight spots where I have to skip, I just use braid and a good quality rod but I have to agree that a casting rod even with a weightless worm feels more natural to me. Down here you need heavy line in many places, and anything thicker than 10lb test diameter on a spinning rod is tough, I don't want to ruin my nice spinning reels with 40lb braid burning out the gears. My saltwater spinning set up is heavy enough to bass fish with but I rarely use it unless I know it may be super windy on a lake.