Building My Tackle

[CrustyMono]

Now that I have most of the rods that I need for bass fishing, I am going to invest into building my tackle. It is pretty weak in the techniques I am not good at. As you will be able to see, the techniques I am more proficient with are better stocked.

 

I have about:

• 8 spinnerbaits
• 1 buzzbait
• 3 chatterbaits
• 15 swim jigs (all strike king tour grade)
• 15 football jigs 
• 15 flipping/skipping jigs
• 5 grass jigs
• 2 finnesse jigs
• 10 jerkbaits (mid to high level)
• 2 walking baits (both ima)
• 2 poppers (cheap)
• 8 frogs (3 nice, 5 cheap)
• 12 Squarebills (mid level)
• 12 med divers (lower quality)
• 1 deep diver (pretty nice)
• pretty set on terminal tackle, but low on some stuff
• need tungsten and drop shot weights
• 25 packs of soft swimbaits (keitech)
• 15 packs of non GYB senkos, only i don't use 12 of them
• 5 packs of flipping baits (pit boss)
• 2 lizard packs
• 5 packs of drop shot worms

 

This is pretty much all the tackle I own. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I have. Most of it is in the middle of the quality spectrum. not cheap but not super high end stuff. Only a fews exceptions here and there.

 

I was looking around online, and found some bulk retailers. One offer was 48 packs of net bait stuff for 48$. you can't choose the stuff, but it seems like a steal at 1$ each. Might ask for this for my birthday in february. Any thoughts? Also I've heard good things about bps stick os. Might buy those in bulk too. BPS also has a sexy shad kit. that color works well for me. There is also a deal on Owner twist lock hooks (5 packs of all 5 x/0 sizes). Then there is the 12 packs of brush hogs and lizards for 25$ each. They are in 12 different colors, which may serve me well. I plan on getting tungsten weights too. 

 

What do you think of these things? I really want to focus on fishing a lot of techniques this year, even if that means less fish caught this year. I am willing to do that, because it will help in the long run. Can you think of anything else? By the way, I buy most of this stuff with gift cards and when its on sale.

[bigturtle]

So after opening quite a few rod threads, which rod(s) did you buy?

[ethan-333]

i would say maybe only try 1 or 2 new techniquea at a time. it can be overwhelming and not if youre not catching fish while trying them it can be discouraging

as for baits. i try and keep it simple black and blue and green pumpkin. mainly natural colors on my crankbaits. a few wild ones here and there

 

 

[Spankey]

* Most time there is not enough hours in a days fishing to fish everything you have.

 

*Admittedly after fishing many, many years with artificial lures I have a lot of room for improvement in areas and certainly  every one of my baits is not a confidence bait.

 

*Quality products on the market will catch fish. A lot if it is to catch fisherman. But, it's great we have so many choices.

 

*When you really want to work on a technique or type of bait that you just don't pick up to use enough or you set it down  quickly and don't give it a chance. A confidence or mind issue with. You have to leave your tackle at home and bring just  that  bait(s) and go at it. Now you're forced to fish it. Unless you want a short day on the water. I'm not implying taking a  single jig and a solo daredevil spoon. More like a class of baits.

 

*Looking at the amount of stuff I have is a lifetime of accumulation. You have your whole life. Rome wasn't built in a day  type thing.

 

*My lure colors are naturals as in minnow,shads and bluegill perch types, bolder firetigers and chartreuses types for stained  conditions and what I assume to be bottom dwellers blacks, blues, browns, purples. But all these fill in colors I filled in  over time. Some I rarely use but I bought them because I thought I could catch a bass on them and have.

 

*The world of soft plastics is never ending. They are fun and cheap.

 

*Maybe set up your rods for a couple of techniques and a general type rod. Set ups are another thing you can build up from  year to year. Before you know it you'll have more rods and reel than you need and wish you didn't have so many. 

[thebillsman]

You need way way more tackle, you'll never make it out there with only 15 football jigs.

[collards]

I agree about limiting what you take to a couple of classes. Of course if you are not catching any, I understand wanting to go by an old standby. I usually take one class at a time one day a week or maybe 2. The other days I take more. Every week or week and a half, I use live bait. I love pulling one out after about every cast, but I get a thrill when I catch one on a new lure or new style.

[kickerfish1]

Maybe stock up on more plastics. It tends to be what I and many others have lots of. So many types for different types of situations like there are hardbaits. From finesse worms to curly tails to craws to beavers to swimbaits and grubs.

 

I also fish waters full of snags so I am constantly losing baits especially on a few lakes I frequent. Best advice would be to figure out what kinds of baits work the best in YOUR waters and stock up on those. You can try new techniques and baits as you would like but not all will work at a high success rate where you live.

[MassYak85]

Seems to me like your top water arsenal is the most lacking. Maybe try a few wake baits. 

[S. Sass]

Personally I do not buy the "Bulk" baits. To me a craw in one brand vs another is not the same. And this can be said for any creature bait or worm or any soft plastic for that matter. I really like NetBait Paca Craws (big fan actually) but not so much some of their other baits so a $50 pile of their baits may not be but $10 of stuff id actually like/use. Each brand offers different actions, rigging options, feel etc. Ask some of the senko loving guys.  

There are several other reasons "bulk" to me is not a good idea like the condition of them when you get them? I have seen some YouTube videos and they weren't all packaged with the condition of the bait in mind. The fact you have no clue what colors you get. Sure you get a lot of colors but the colors that turn out productive may or may not be the majority. With my luck it would be the exact opposite I would end up with a lot of a color I detested and a handful of ones I liked. 

 

I think you have a decent start of baits already. If you consider the numerous ways each bait can be fished times the number of baits you have you might try them all in about 3 or 4 years fishing every day.  

But like kickerfish1 said and I agree

59 minutes ago, kickerfish1 said:

Best advice would be to figure out what kinds of baits work the best in YOUR waters and stock up on those. You can try new techniques and baits as you would like but not all will work at a high success rate where you live.

There are reasons experienced anglers get their certain selections of brands on certain types of baits. Generally it's because they work in their area for them and their style of fishing.  

 

[bagofdonuts]

What kinda water do you fish most highland res., shallow weedy lakes, rivers?

[Raul]

20 hours ago, CrustyMono said:

Now that I have most of the rods that I need for bass fishing, I am going to invest into building my tackle. It is pretty weak in the techniques I am not good at. As you will be able to see, the techniques I am more proficient with are better stocked.

 

I have about:

• 8 spinnerbaits
• 1 buzzbait
• 3 chatterbaits
• 15 swim jigs (all strike king tour grade)
• 15 football jigs 
• 15 flipping/skipping jigs
• 5 grass jigs
• 2 finnesse jigs
• 10 jerkbaits (mid to high level)
• 2 walking baits (both ima)
• 2 poppers (cheap)
• 8 frogs (3 nice, 5 cheap)
• 12 Squarebills (mid level)
• 12 med divers (lower quality)
• 1 deep diver (pretty nice)
• pretty set on terminal tackle, but low on some stuff
• need tungsten and drop shot weights
• 25 packs of soft swimbaits (keitech)
• 15 packs of non GYB senkos, only i don't use 12 of them
• 5 packs of flipping baits (pit boss)
• 2 lizard packs
• 5 packs of drop shot worms

 

This is pretty much all the tackle I own. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I have. Most of it is in the middle of the quality spectrum. not cheap but not super high end stuff. Only a fews exceptions here and there.

 

I was looking around online, and found some bulk retailers. One offer was 48 packs of net bait stuff for 48$. you can't choose the stuff, but it seems like a steal at 1$ each. Might ask for this for my birthday in february. Any thoughts? Also I've heard good things about bps stick os. Might buy those in bulk too. BPS also has a sexy shad kit. that color works well for me. There is also a deal on Owner twist lock hooks (5 packs of all 5 x/0 sizes). Then there is the 12 packs of brush hogs and lizards for 25$ each. They are in 12 different colors, which may serve me well. I plan on getting tungsten weights too. 

 

What do you think of these things? I really want to focus on fishing a lot of techniques this year, even if that means less fish caught this year. I am willing to do that, because it will help in the long run. Can you think of anything else? By the way, I buy most of this stuff with gift cards and when its on sale.

 

15 jigs, man those won't last me a couple of hours.

[S. Sass]

36 minutes ago, Raul said:

 

15 jigs, man those won't last me a couple of hours.

What did you do forget to tie the knot? 

[mwh33]

I would look into some swimbaits in varying sizes, soft and hard ones. Maybe a whopper plopper. Some kind of wake bait, bbz-1 rat is a good entry one. A range of different colors, sizes, and types of plastics (T-Rigs, trailers). Maybe some Shakey head gear and ned rig gear.

[Raul]

46 minutes ago, S. Sass said:

What did you do forget to tie the knot? 

 

Nope, gotta throw them where they are and they are in those tuff submerged mesquite trees and over them rockpiles and potreros ( loose rock walls ).

[Outdoor Zack]

21 hours ago, CrustyMono said:

There is also a deal on Owner twist lock hooks (5 packs of all 5 x/0 sizes). Then there is the 12 packs of brush hogs and lizards for 25$ each. They are in 12 different colors, which may serve me well. I plan on getting tungsten weights too. 

 

 

Can I ask where these kits are at?  I'd like to take a look