Rookie Lures

[mchljrdn]

I've always been a live bait guy.  I've decided to try out lures but I don't know where to start.  I usually fish from a boat but I don't have a trolling motor set up so I generally park in an area then move on if the fish aren't biting.   I fish at Lake Keystone in Oklahoma which is fairly muddy and fed by the Arkansas River.  I really appreciate any advice.   If a guy had a 100 dollars in his pocket what lures do you recommend?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[jimmyjoe]

  Could you tell us what kind of rod and reel (size, brand, power, action, etc.) and which line you're using? Could make a big difference.   jj

[mchljrdn]

I use several different rods but they're mostly spinning.  Most of my poles have Pflueger President XT or Pflueger Supreme.   I use mainly Uglystick Elites & Gx2 I believe most are medium and between 6' & 7'.  If I need to grab something new I'm willing.  I try to stay under $200 (150 if i can) since I have a couple of little kids who can be rough - or knock poles in the water.

[papajoe222]

I suggest lures with built-in action. Hard baits like lipless cranks and Colorado bladed spinnerbaits can be fished with a chuck and wind approach, varying the retrieve speed looking for one that works. For soft plastics, ribbon tail worms, boot tail swim baits and RageTail craws, etc. that have that same built-in action are good for learning bottom contact presentations and can be fished anywhere in the water column if needed.

For muddy water, stick with dark or bright colors. Black soft plastics are a good place to start.

[jimmyjoe]

   OK .... which size reels. and what pound test line?     jj

[Bluebasser86]

Man, if you're trying to catch bass I'd start by going to a different lake. Just not a good population there and they're hard to catch.

 

Baits like wacky rigged Senkos, Ned rigs, curly tail grubs, small squarebills, inline spinners, small safety pin spinners, all catch fish and are pretty simple to fish.

[BrianMDTX]

5” wacky rig Senko is a great start. 

[mchljrdn]

58 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   OK .... which size reels. and what pound test line?     jj

I don't know the reel sizes.  I typically use KastKing 6 or 10lb.

[Bankc]

Keystone is a fairly deep lake by Oklahoma standards. It's also not the clearest.  As such, at this moment, I'm betting your best bets are gonna be topwater poppers in the shallows in the low light hours and deep diving crankbaits and lipless cranks during the sun.  Those are easy to fish.  You might have to troll the deep divers to get it down far enough (at lake Stanley Draper, which is similar in depth, water temperature, and clarity, the fish were suspending at around 25-35 feet yesterday).  And you'll want to let the lipless cranks sink before reeling it in.  The popper takes some practice, but you can see and hear it, so the instant feedback will make it easy to learn.  Once the water cools down a bit (which should be starting soon) and the fish come back to the shallows, I might look at some spinnerbaits and mid depth crankbaits.  

 

I'd look for lures that are either black and blue, or chartreuse.  I'd also look for lures that make noise, so the fish can locate the lures.  

EDIT:  Nevermind the color and noise recommendations.  I forgot how sandy it is up there and how much clearer the water is compared to the lakes in the OKC area.  They might still work, but your water is clearer than mine, so you have more options.

[jimmyjoe]

   With 10 lb. line, you should be able to reliably cast a 1/4 oz. spinnerbait. That's where I'd start. Get a chartreuse pair; one single Colorado blade, and one tandem Colorado/willow blade.

   1/2 oz. Rat-l-trap in silver-black back as well as one in orange craw.

   You might want to try a 1/4 or3/8 oz. buzzbait.

 

   From what @Bankc and @Bluebasser86 have said, this might not be the easiest lake to fish. You need to avail yourself of the best resource any fisherman can have; ask locals who fish it. You'll learn a lot that is specific to your location, which is really what you need most.

   Ask several and average the replies, because there are always a few people who will tell you everything except the truth.

   I wish you the best of luck!      jj

[mchljrdn]

17 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   OK .... which size reels. and what pound test line?     jj

Aren't there a fair amount of sand bass in Keystone?

[Luke Barnes]

19 hours ago, mchljrdn said:

I've always been a live bait guy.  I've decided to try out lures but I don't know where to start.  I usually fish from a boat but I don't have a trolling motor set up so I generally park in an area then move on if the fish aren't biting.   I fish at Lake Keystone in Oklahoma which is fairly muddy and fed by the Arkansas River.  I really appreciate any advice.   If a guy had a 100 dollars in his pocket what lures do you recommend?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

Bring me with you and you could try just about everything under the sun. I live in Tulsa and am admitted gear hoarder, I mean collector! Haha. 

 

But, ive fished the Pier 51 Marina area from the bank up in the coves and had luck with a spinnerbait and chatterbait along the rocky banks. A squarebill crankbait banged on the rocky banks works well too. Ive bank fished the Keystone Ramp as well and ita good squarebill territory. Also some shortbread jig heads and a plastic worm drug along the bottom for ones hugging the bottom has worked.  I use dark colors, black and blue, red and black. 

[roadwarrior]

Very nice offer. That's the way to learn about fishing lures!

 

[Luke Barnes]

6 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Very nice offer. That's the way to learn about fishing lures!

 

The ONLY lures I would be a little saddened by losing is my two jackhammers. Other than that anyone I fish with could use whatever I have. Ive got more than I can fit in my tackle bag two times over haha. Which im sure alot of people here do too. 

[soflabasser]

Soft plastic stick baits are one of easiest lures for beginners.

[BlakeMolone]

3 or 4 inch white grubs on a ball head jig would be a good start and will catch just about anything in that lake but like others have said I would go to a different lake. Ft Gibson, tenkiller, bixhoma, or skiatook

[Mobasser]

I would suggest learning to fish a light T rig plastic worm. It's not the easiest bait to learn, but if you can get good at a t rig, other cast and crank type baits will come easier.

[Spankey]

^^^^^ good advice ^^^^^

[Luke Barnes]

10 hours ago, BlakeMolone said:

3 or 4 inch white grubs on a ball head jig would be a good start and will catch just about anything in that lake but like others have said I would go to a different lake. Ft Gibson, tenkiller, bixhoma, or skiatook

ive fished Bixhoma from a boat and me and my step dad through everything we had at them and couldn't even get a nibble. But ive been successful from the bank at Keystone. Same with Skiatook. Slammed them from the bank. 

[soflabasser]

Another good lure for beginners is the Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm. 

[Cgolf]

For me the 2 easiest baits to fish are a 5" singe tail grub and a tube. They can imitate pretty much anything and will catch anything that will swim. I use slider heads, but the grub can go on a ball head and the tube can be rigged with an insert head or texas rigged.

 

Also a totally underrated bait is the yum crawbug in the 2.5" size. I have caught lots of nice bass on that bait. Again slider head or ball head and they are cheap and last a long time.