Michael Yi Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 Hello guys, i want to get into this hobby after recently my friend took me fishing for the first time in over 10 years. I have no clue about fishing so i am asking you guys for advice, what stuff should i start out with? I was thinking about the gx2 combo or the elite ugly stix combo. I live in NC and will fish in the fresh water i have no clue what else i need to get. 1
CTBassin860 Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 Something cheap until you figure out if you really want to get into this hobby.Start off with a spinning combo.The ugly stick isn't a bad place to start.I'd say 7' Medium Fast or Medium heavy fast for an all around setup. 3
Super User A-Jay Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 Hello Michael and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ There's some basic's you might want to read about in advance of spending your $$$. The Bass Resource Articles section has a ton of info & some specific stuff for the beginner. http://www.bassresource.com/how-to-fish/ Check it out. A-Jay 4
CTBassin860 Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 Yes and welcome to Bass Resource.There is a lot to take in so you've come to the right place!
Michael Yi Posted January 8, 2017 Author Posted January 8, 2017 3 hours ago, MassBassin508 said: Something cheap until you figure out if you really want to get into this hobby.Start off with a spinning combo.The ugly stick isn't a bad place to start.I'd say 7' Medium Fast or Medium heavy fast for an all around setup. i found a gx2 6,6 for $40 at walmart. You think thats good enough? 1
Super User fishnkamp Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 MY best suggestion is to get a 6'6" to 7 foot medium action spinning rod. It is your most versatile rod to begin with. Match it up with a nice moderate priced reel. I really do not suggest ever buying "beginner" gear. Buying that means you will be upgrading too soon. I prefer to suggest moderate priced gear that will last for years of service. When you purchase your next combo you are not replacing but rather adding to your fishing arsenal. The price of the Ugly stick combos range somewhere around $50. If your budget allows it let's add a little more and get you a better setup. For a reel look at a Pflueger President 6930. Spool it with 10 pound Stren mono. That is going to cost $60 but will last a decade or more. Some of mine are that old. Now look at a rod like a Berkley Lightning Shock rod. They are $49.99 at Bass Pro but can often be found online for less. They are both available through Dicks sporting Goods online also. Now lets ask some questions. If you look around your part of the state do you have some small rivers, lakes or ponds that you will be able to shore fish or in the case of a small stream or river perhaps you can wade? The type of water will help you decide on some tackle to go with that starter setup. 5
Michael Yi Posted January 8, 2017 Author Posted January 8, 2017 27 minutes ago, fishnkamp said: MY best suggestion is to get a 6'6" to 7 foot medium action spinning rod. It is your most versatile rod to begin with. Match it up with a nice moderate priced reel. I really do not suggest ever buying "beginner" gear. Buying that means you will be upgrading too soon. I prefer to suggest moderate priced gear that will last for years of service. When you purchase your next combo you are not replacing but rather adding to your fishing arsenal. The price of the Ugly stick combos range somewhere around $50. If your budget allows it let's add a little more and get you a better setup. For a reel look at a Pflueger President 6930. Spool it with 10 pound Stren mono. That is going to cost $60 but will last a decade or more. Some of mine are that old. Now look at a rod like a Berkley Lightning Shock rod. They are $49.99 at Bass Pro but can often be found online for less. They are both available through Dicks sporting Goods online also. Now lets ask some questions. If you look around your part of the state do you have some small rivers, lakes or ponds that you will be able to shore fish or in the case of a small stream or river perhaps you can wade? The type of water will help you decide on some tackle to go with that starter setup. Thanks man i will look into, there are 2 lakes i know of that alot of people fish in and 1 small river. I think 1 of the lakes i saw some people were fishing catfish. 1
Super User fishnkamp Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 Catfish can be a lot of fun, it requires a much stiffer setup than what we use for bass generally.
Super User new2BC4bass Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 to the forum. Tons of excellent information here. I believe fishnkamp meant a 6'6" to 7' MF spinning rod. If not, my apologies fishnkamp. OP, in case you aren't aware yet M=medium power, F= fast action. What would be considered a medium action...AFAIK...is labeled either Moderate or Medium-Fast (or in the case of Daiwa's newer rods...Regular). So 7' MM for medium power, moderate action, 7' M-MF for medium power, medium-fast action. I only mention this as you said you were clueless. Not as an insult to your intelligence of which you have plenty since you found this forum.
Caliyak Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 3 hours ago, Michael Yi said: Hello guys, i want to get into this hobby after recently my friend took me fishing for the first time in over 10 years. I have no clue about fishing so i am asking you guys for advice, what stuff should i start out with? I was thinking about the gx2 combo or the elite ugly stix combo. I live in NC and will fish in the fresh water i have no clue what else i need to get. That combo will work for you. When I started, the advise I got was; start with the plastic worm. Master it. Move on to crankbaits then to spinnerbaits and so on. Don't try to do everything at once. So learn the different ways to fish a worm; Texas rig, Carolina rig. Learn how and when. Learn the different types of worms. Learn what reels and rods work best for those rigs. Collect your tackle for those rigs. Once mastered, that tool is in your arsenal forever. Then move on to something else. Last thing and most important, if you are not having fun, you are doing something wrong. Having fun and enjoying it is everything. Dude, welcome to the Madness.
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 6 hours ago, fishnkamp said: MY best suggestion is to get a 6'6" to 7 foot medium action spinning rod. It is your most versatile rod to begin with. Match it up with a nice moderate priced reel. I really do not suggest ever buying "beginner" gear. Buying that means you will be upgrading too soon. I prefer to suggest moderate priced gear that will last for years of service. When you purchase your next combo you are not replacing but rather adding to your fishing arsenal. 1
Airman4754 Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 Buy a fishing video game, save yourself some money.
Super User Darren. Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 Welcome aboard, Michael! Some good advice above to get you reading and started on the water. Good luck!
Super User fishnkamp Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 new2BC4bass You were correct I left out the fast in my description, although the Lightning shock is kinda in between medium and fast action. It is a decent rod for the money. Another good choice is an Abu Garcia Veritas 7 foot medium and they have that rod on sale for $47.89 plus $9 shipping on Amazon. That is a $99 rod. MY wife and I fish both of these rods as well as some rods that cost over $300 each, so I am suggesting gear that you will keep using. For a starter setup, I would get myself one of the tackle bags that holds 3 or 6 plano boxes. It makes it easy to organise your tackle and if you go bass fishing one day and catfishing another day, you can easily swap out which boxes you carry that day. For all around use I would set one box up with some different hooks, some small hooks for panfish and bait and some larger hooks like we use for fishing grubs and worms. If you decide to go catfishing, I would get some larger hooks for that. Add a couple of bobbers to fish minnows and nightcrawlers. Some of the largest bass are caught down in Florida with either a big bobber or balloon and a large minnow or bluegill. Get some different weights, a pack of small pinch on weights, some rubber core sinkers, and some worm weights in 1/8 1/4 and 3/8 to begin with. Look at Kalin Lunker 5 inch grubs ( Bass Pro is a great place to go because they have people to help you). Pick up a bag of bluegill colored and a bag of watermelon seed red flake grubs. If you fish really off colored water than add a june bug or chartreuse instead. Bass pro has these hooks called Perfect finesse worm hooks that I like because they have a weight and a hook together. That is a great way to fish grubs and worms Just match up the sixe hooks to the bait/ They do come in different hook sizes and weights. Next go pick out some worms. Gary Yamamoto, Zoom, Berkley all make great stuff, so does a ton of other people. Look at Berkley Powerbait Power worms in 4 inch. Pick up a pack or two of these colors to begin with. First Blue Fleck, Black chartreuse tail, and watermelon red see. Later try some 6 or 7 inch worms, but for now start with some 4 inchers. Next go look at Gary Yamamoto Sencos. They come in all colors and sizes. To make it easy choose the 5 inch and god all of the colors work, but let's start with say a pack of each of the following colors Black Blue Flake, watermelon red green flake, and maybe smoke blue pearl silver purple. That should give you a mix of baits in different colors. The Sencos can be rigged different ways and present totally different presentations. With a very little effort you can find a ton of videos online that teach you how to rig them texas style, wacky style and as miny finesse carolina rigs etc. Make sure to pick up an O ring tool with O rings and some small hooks to use with them. Lastly, take a look at a hollow bodied swimbaits like a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Swim'n Caffeine Shad. These baits look like a minnow swimming and then one dying when you stop reeling them. Depending on if you texas rig them, use a belly weighted swimbait hook or use a heavier jig head, they can cover shallow to deeper water. All of the baits I suggested will catch bass and lots of other fish as well. My wife and I use these baits all over MD, PA, VA, TN, KY, and MO. They work in clear water and stained water. We will just change colors to find out what the fish want but they all work well. Notice I am not trying to spend all of your money at once! I say get a pack or two of something. Go fish that technique, catch some fish and learn what works in your area, and water conditions. And most of all as others have said enjoy yourself. If you let us know what part of your state you are in we probably have some members that live near you. There is always that chance to meet up and learn first hand. 5
Super User WRB Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 13 hours ago, Michael Yi said: Hello guys, i want to get into this hobby after recently my friend took me fishing for the first time in over 10 years. I have no clue about fishing so i am asking you guys for advice, what stuff should i start out with? I was thinking about the gx2 combo or the elite ugly stix combo. I live in NC and will fish in the fresh water i have no clue what else i need to get. Welcome to the site and to fishing as a hobby. The type of rod and reel depends on the what types of fish you plan on catching. What did your friend suggest that you should get? Basic knowledge about what type of fish you want to catch is always a good starting point, but be aware too much input can get confushing fast. Spinning tackle is a lot easier to learn to cast with than bait casting and less expensive. My advice is get the highest quality that you can afford and there are lots of choices. Tom
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 8, 2017 Super User Posted January 8, 2017 Rods: Now, a few suggestions from top to bottom. Top: Pop-R, Zara Spook, LC Sammy, Jitterbug, Whoppwe-Popper, Cavitron Buzzbait and Rage Toad Shallow: Booya or Siebert Outdoors spinnerbaits (white), Norman Fat Boy, KDV 1.5 & 2.5, Rapala DT6 and GYCB Kreature Mid depth: Red Eye Shad, Silver Buddy and Rage Swimmer Bottom or off-bottom: Rage Tail Structure Bug, Cut-R, Menace and Thumper; Rage Blade or Siebert Foggy; GYCB Senko, Fat Ika and Kut-Tail; Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad.
Michael Yi Posted January 8, 2017 Author Posted January 8, 2017 14 hours ago, new2BC4bass said: to the forum. Tons of excellent information here. I believe fishnkamp meant a 6'6" to 7' MF spinning rod. If not, my apologies fishnkamp. OP, in case you aren't aware yet M=medium power, F= fast action. What would be considered a medium action...AFAIK...is labeled either Moderate or Medium-Fast (or in the case of Daiwa's newer rods...Regular). So 7' MM for medium power, moderate action, 7' M-MF for medium power, medium-fast action. I only mention this as you said you were clueless. Not as an insult to your intelligence of which you have plenty since you found this forum. We were all noobs once when we first started lol
CTBassin860 Posted January 8, 2017 Posted January 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, Michael Yi said: We were all noobs once when we first started lol Been at this 5 years and STILL feel like a noob.Never stop learning my man.Can't stop won't stop. 1
Super User soflabasser Posted January 9, 2017 Super User Posted January 9, 2017 19 hours ago, Michael Yi said: Hello guys, i want to get into this hobby after recently my friend took me fishing for the first time in over 10 years. I have no clue about fishing so i am asking you guys for advice, what stuff should i start out with? I was thinking about the gx2 combo or the elite ugly stix combo. I live in NC and will fish in the fresh water i have no clue what else i need to get. Ugly Stiks are great rods for a good price and take much more abuse than most rods in the market. The following lures should get you started in bass fishing, with time you can get more lures if want; Hollow body frog Topwater popper Spinnerbait Jerkbait Crankbait Fluke Trick worm Senko Take your time to learn how to fish these lures well and you will most likely be very successful in bass fishing .Make having fun your #1 priority in bass fishing and you will enjoy this sport much more.
RMax Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 18 hours ago, Michael Yi said: Thanks man i will look into, there are 2 lakes i know of that alot of people fish in and 1 small river. I think 1 of the lakes i saw some people were fishing catfish. Sometimes, finding the lakes that people don't fish are much better than the ones most people fish. I think ugly stiks are okay but really aren't sensitive. If you get an ugly stik, then make sure you use braid (probably 30#). The lures you should first pick up are Pit Boss's (black and blue if you have murky water, green pumpkin if you have clear water), Gary Yamamoto Senko's, a popper, a buzzbait, and a crankbait. For throwing senko's and Pit Boss's, get some 4/0 EWG hooks and some 1/4 oz lead texas rigged weights.
hunterPRO1 Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 ugly stick is a good starter rod that is tough to break but it has little sensitivity. for a cheap rod with better feel the abu garcia vengeance is a good choice, really it depdns what is more important to you. to start id recommend a 6'6 medium power,fast action, spinning rod. the abu garcia black max is a good reel for cheap as well if you dont buy a combo. for line 10lb mono is a good low cost line. baits start out buying some 4/0 ewg hooks, the h20 xpress one from academy will do fine. 3 baits that will go far are the yum dinger in green pumpkin, the zoom super fluke in baby bass, and the stanley ribbit frog. couple of others are the culprit 7.5 inch worm and zoom trick worm. start with 2 or 3 and LEARN THOSE BAITS.
Super User new2BC4bass Posted January 9, 2017 Super User Posted January 9, 2017 Wow. Some very good suggestions. Fishnkamp, I thought I wrote long replies, but you beat me on this one. Lots of good information, too. Thanks. Although I prefer 7 foot and longer casting rods, I prefer a spinning rod in the 6' to 6'6" range. hunterPRO1 suggested a Black Max, but I was only aware of Black Max low profile and round reels....no spinning. However, a search did turn up a Back Max spinning reel. Learn something new every day. Pflueger makes good low cost spinning reels. Most suggest the President or above, but I have read good reviews on the Trion as well. However, I am only passing on what I have read. My only Pflueger spinning reel is the President XT and it is an older model (which I think looks better than the new model and thus probably catches more fish ).
Super User Angry John Posted January 9, 2017 Super User Posted January 9, 2017 I would recommend you you look used as there are a ton of good deals out there and you can amplify your buying power for a much better setup for a lot less money. Beginner setup has been covered by all those before me but i may have a different view. If you look at all the post about best item for under xx dollars you will get a good idea of what people like and recommend. If i could drive you to look into a setup that would allow you to fish dropshot then you will learn a bunch and have one technique that works year round and catches a buch of fish. I would recomend a 2000 size reel, 15 or 20 lb power pro line and borrow some line from your buddy for leaders. A rod that has a carbon blank will work to begin even if the guides suck and then find out if fishing is your thing. if you want specific parts then i would go with a pfluger president, an abu garcia veritas 7' medium spinning and the power pro as stated. This is decent gear and will stay with you as you grow or can be offed if you decide its not for you. 2
Super User fishnkamp Posted January 9, 2017 Super User Posted January 9, 2017 new2BC4bass it is funny my boat is 17 1/2 foot long and carries almost as much gear as my 20 footer did. I bet if you put all of my lures on a scale it weighs well over 100 pounds. If you look at the rods my wife and I fish most, I bet you will find a grub on a perfect finesse worm hook, a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, some type of a 4 to 6 inch worm, and a jig on the deck at almost all times. The Senco is a newer bait to me, for years it was always a Berkely Ring worm on a little slider head. Don't get me wrong I fish all types of jerkbaits, topwaters, cranks, traps and square bills, but I catch more fish on the first group of baits. The other thing is I am now primarily fishing tidal water here at home. When I travel I am fishing deep clear lakes. So I have to be ready for all sorts of conditions.
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