Not sure what bait I should be getting.

[VABassFish]

recently got a new rod and looking to fish more. Right now I only have a spinnerbait and soft artificial worms. What should I be looking out for? Im a newbie to begin with so.

 

I am mostly fishing in neighborhood lakes/ponds from the shore.

 

From what I have researched. Spinners and rigs are good for general use? Jerkbait for colder water and crankbait for warmer water?

[Dorado]

Do you fish mostly from a boat or from shore? Ponds, streams, or lakes?

[VABassFish]

5 minutes ago, Dorado said:

Do you fish mostly from a boat or from shore? Ponds, streams, or lakes?

from shore, Ponds and lakes

[SWVABass]

Lots of options. What power and action rods do you have? Might help to narrow it down a little.

[VABassFish]

1 hour ago, Swbass15 said:

Lots of options. What power and action rods do you have? Might help to narrow it down a little.

Medium power, fast action

[Dorado]

I know you said you already have artificial worms but they are not all created the same. These are some classics that I strongly believe in

 

-Zoom Trick Worm (Candy Bug) with a 3/0 Gamma G-Lock Hook TX-rigged weightless 

-Berkley Power Worm (Purple) TX-rigged on a 4/0 Gamma G-Lock Hook with 1/8 oz Tungsten worm weight. 

- Mister Twister Sassy Shad (black and silver) 1/8 oz Roadrunner Jig (Chartreuse)

-Strike King Red Eye Shad 1/4 oz (Chrome with Blue Back)

-1/4 oz Chatterbait (Shad) with Zoom Fluke Jr trailer (White Ice) in the spring and fall gets the trailer swapped for a Reaction Innovation Little Dipper (Pearl Blue Shad)

[Can't Catch Bass]

I think you already eluded to it, you need to fish a jig. You're seriously missing out if you're incapable of imitating a crawfish.

 

I'd recommend checking out seibert outdoors, they have high quality and affordable jigs. I'd send Mike an email, tell him where you're located, order a dredge jig pack or two and let him pick the colors. 

 

I would also recommend considering picking up some of the following...

 

-Fogy's

-Strike king menace grubs and/or rage craws (for jig/fogy trailers)

-morel jig heads (these are cheap... if you're on this forum and if you Google "ned rig" you'll at least want to try these out).

[VABassFish]

25 minutes ago, Can't Catch Bass said:

I think you already eluded to it, you need to fish a jig. You're seriously missing out if you're incapable of imitating a crawfish.

 

I'd recommend checking out seibert outdoors, they have high quality and affordable jigs. I'd send Mike an email, tell him where you're located, order a dredge jig pack or two and let him pick the colors. 

 

I would also recommend considering picking up some of the following...

 

-Fogy's

-Strike king menace grubs and/or rage craws (for jig/fogy trailers)

-morel jig heads (these are cheap... if you're on this forum and if you Google "ned rig" you'll at least want to try these out).

i"ll definately watch some vids on jigs!

[SWVABass]

pick up some tubes and tube jigs. Bass pro makes some really good and cheap ones. Mardi Gras and roadkill colors

[I/MBasser]

I’m a newbie this year as well.   I bought a little of everything and figured out what I enjoyed the most. Turns out I love soft plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits and a couple others.   So I loaded up on those.   If I ever want to try something different (poppers, blitz blade, spinners, etc) I now have a few in my arsenal.  

[deep]

Topwaters.

[burrows]

Shad rap crank and pause crank and pause.  

[VABassFish]

6 hours ago, Burro said:

Shad rap crank and pause crank and pause.  

 

6 hours ago, deep said:

Topwaters.

 

10 hours ago, Swbass15 said:

pick up some tubes and tube jigs. Bass pro makes some really good and cheap ones. Mardi Gras and roadkill colors

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/f/hardbaits

 

So DSG has a buy 4 get 2 free right now and there is some crazy amount of choices, would yall be able to help me out and make a shopping list for me? Right now I have a Rapala silver shadow rap and a yellow/blue/orange Rapala X-rap. Also got a brown/tan and blue/black jig.

[VAFreshFishing]

Had to make a new account, forgot my password to the other account, Im the OP

[Ben Miller]

Nobody mentioned Senko's.  I have so much other stuff in baits, but Senko's would be my only one if I had one bait to choose from!

[VAFreshFishing]

1 hour ago, Ben Miller said:

Nobody mentioned Senko's.  I have so much other stuff in baits, but Senko's would be my only one if I had one bait to choose from!

soft bait?

[Ben Miller]

8 minutes ago, VAFreshFishing said:

soft bait?

Yep, I've caught some big one's on worms.  Biggest on a Culprit 12" Curley tail.  Next on a Target Live Lure Mouse "suppose to be a top water"  with weights and treble hooks.  But if I want to eat and catch fish, Senko is my go too!

 

[deep]

15 hours ago, VABassFish said:

 

 

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/f/hardbaits

 

So DSG has a buy 4 get 2 free right now and there is some crazy amount of choices, would yall be able to help me out and make a shopping list for me? 

 

Get a popper (popmax/ yellow magic/ splash it/.../ rebel popper they all work) and a walking bait (I like the sammy 100 the best, but even a spook is okay) to start. Or an LC gunfish if it's on the list. Probably my favorite bass-sized topwater.

 

Maybe a buzzbait too (I like the boogerman racket buzz the best but you can get a cavitron) and a waking bait like the Roumba.

 

A floating minnow like the original rapala would be good too. I personally find the smaller sizes hard to cast on casting gear, so I use shallow jerkbaits like the 110 silent riser/ 110 high float instead. I messed around with an 110 flashminnow to make it a slow-mid floater and that thing works lights out too.

 

A frog if you have mats/ weeds/ etc. RI swamp donkey or the forum's popular solution the booyah frog.

 

That should cover most bases. I don't think your rod is heavy (as in powerful) enough to fish stuff like ploppers and pompadours etc.

 

As far as jerkbaits are concerned, I probably have over 25 different models. But to keep it simple, you want a shallow-ish bait like a slender pointer/ pointer, a mid-range one like an 110+1, a deep one like a staysee v2/ kvd deepdiver. I also fish a pointer 100XD which gets down even deeper. Not sure how deep your ponds are, plus fishing deeper diving jerkbaits from the shore might get expensive.