New to bass fishing. Looking for lures to start with

[ItsAllAboutWins]

Hi everyone. I’m 38 years old and just now coming to the party. I’ve just recently gotten into bass fishing and I’m looking to see what are the mainstay lures I should have in my tackle box. I fished last year with a friend on his boat a few times, and we mainly just used poppers in the spring then went to jigs and Texas rigs. That’s all my friend uses and I’m wanting to broaden my horizons. 
 

Over the winter I’ve acquired new poles after my wife generously closed all my rods up in the garage door and broke them in half. So I have a Megabass Orochi XXX Jerkbait special, Orochi Xx Flatside Special, Destroyer P5 X Bites and a Dobyns 765 flipping/pitching rod.  I have a small amount of baits, mainly just have top water and soft plastics.  What would be a good start on lures and colors that would compliment my rods? The lake I normally fish in is a Highland reservoir with little to no shallow areas, gin clear most of the days and no vegetation. I’m wanting to try a little bit of everything to see what I like and what I don’t like. 
 

thanks for your time 
 

[Glenn]

3 hours ago, ItsAllAboutWins said:

The lake I normally fish in is a Highland reservoir with little to no shallow areas, gin clear most of the days and no vegetation.

 

That has "finesse" written all over it.  I'd get some green pumpkin tubes with1/8oz tube jigs, Yamamoto color #176 twin tail hula jigs with 3/8oz football jigheads, and a dropshot setup with Berkley Powerbait Flat Worms.

[CrashVector]

Powerbait pit boss.  Catches them in spring, summer, fall, winter, sunshine, rain, etc 

[MN Fisher]

22 minutes ago, CrashVector said:

Powerbait pit boss.  Catches them in spring, summer, fall, winter, sunshine, rain, etc 

The first plastic I turn to...caught a number of bass using it.

[jbsoonerfan]

Sounds like money is not an option. Therefore, I would buy a ton of stuff.

[ItsAllAboutWins]

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

 

That has "finesse" written all over it.  I'd get some green pumpkin tubes with1/8oz tube jigs, Yamamoto color #176 twin tail hula jigs with 3/8oz football jigheads, and a dropshot setup with Berkley Powerbait Flat Worms.

Where would I want to start with the mentioned baits? Points? Beginning of cover? Shorelines? Any certain things I’m looking for on structure? 
 

1 hour ago, CrashVector said:

Powerbait pit boss.  Catches them in spring, summer, fall, winter, sunshine, rain, etc 

Any colors for the pit boss? Texas rig it? 

1 hour ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Sounds like money is not an option. Therefore, I would buy a ton of stuff.

I wish that was the case. Haha. I buy all my stuff on Klarna with the 4 payment plan thing. 92 bucks every 2 weeks for an Orochi isnt to bad. 

[QED]

A reliable starter kit should include 4" green pumpkin senkos and at least one black and one chartreuse spinnerbait.

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Sounds like money is not an option. Therefore, I would buy a ton of stuff.

Congratulations!!! You just made the nice list!!! Santa Monkey loves you!!! 

[Capriceragtop]

Take this with a grain of salt, because I'm great at catching drinks. My PB is maybe 3.5lbs., and it was the first bass I got. Next best ones were maybe 2-2.5lbs.

 

I love using Zoom trick worms. Weightless Texas rig on a 4-0 ewg gamakatsu hook. It's what I caught my best on, and it still produces.

 

I've tried lipless cranks, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, wakebaits, shakeyhead, jigs, etc. All of them have caught me fish. My go-tos on rough days are Trick worms or Whopper Ploppers, at least when the water warms.

 

Cold water, and I have some luck with drop shot.

[Lottabass]

Don't forget the important part, learning how to fish!

[MickD]

Buy a few Rapala DT's in the depth numbers that match the depths you most likely will be fishing.  If there are bluegills in the lake, get that color.  The best all around color I've found is the Ike's custom color "Smash,"  works for everything.  

[scaleface]

Clear water is not my forte . When I do encounter it   , tubes have played a large part of my success .

[LrgmouthShad]

11 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Clear water is not my forte

Me either. As you can tell by my profile pic ?. I was thinking as OP described his lake that I would be looking for other waters to fish. Not to say that this isn't a good lake. I'm just not good at fishing waters like this so don't have a lot to offer.

[MickD]

No mention of Ned rig yet, should be part of your arsenal.  For LMB I like Junebug, for SMB Canada Craw.  For smallies be sure to have  some green in everything you buy.

[Bankc]

I'd get some crankbaits.  Maybe a few squarebills and deeper divers.  Ones in natural colors at various depths.  They're pretty easy to fish if you're not super experienced, and it'll give you something different from what you're already throwing.  
 

The Rapala DT series and Strike King KVD at good places to start.  

[LrgmouthShad]

1 minute ago, MickD said:

some green in everything you buy

Why green? Just curious

[Glenn]

9 hours ago, ItsAllAboutWins said:

Where would I want to start with the mentioned baits? Points? Beginning of cover? Shorelines? Any certain things I’m looking for on structure?

Depends on time of year and current fishing conditions.

 

Here's a few videos that explain it in more detail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jigfishn10]

Gin? Did someone mention Gin?  

 

I like the drop shot idea. Up here in gin clear lakes, going to smaller size lures still works great. @Glenn mentioned some really good ones that I still use on the right coast, maybe tie on some 3 or 4" grubs on a ball head jig and smaller compact spinnerbaits. I'd try to fish more low light conditions and find as much structure as you can.

 

Good luck.

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                         

[geo g]

I would start with weightless Senko, and zoom fluke Texas rigged and the key is fish slow.  Throw out, count it down, and then two or three short jerks and let it sit still.  Has worked for me from Maine to Florida.  Watermelon red is a good color.  When you think your fishing slow, slow down some more.

[Gera]

If I learned anything from my experience on tackle purchases, is useless to ask for specific starting baits when we all know that you will keep buying more and more and nothing will stop you now. 

 

To make my point, if you bought those nice rods without even thinking first what baits you were going to use them with means that the monkey has you forever.

 

Now I'm really not judging you, I'm the same. 

 

Lipless crankbaits. great for the season, easy to fish and you already have the tools for them.

 

Welcome!!!

[MickD]

6 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Why green? Just curious

Green just seems to be a very effective smallie color-watermelon/red tubes and Ned, watermelon/candy tubes, Ikes Smash DT's, olive wooly buggers, one of the best smallie flies ever, I always find green works well on smallies.

[KP Duty]

Some clear water baits that come to mind...Zara spooks/Lucky Craft sammies, jerkbaits, spro rock crawlers/wiggle warts, finesse jigs, and charlie brewer slider worms/grubs.

[Darren.]

Good advice above, so I'll just welcome you aboard!

[CrashVector]

18 hours ago, ItsAllAboutWins said:

Where would I want to start with the mentioned baits? Points? Beginning of cover? Shorelines? Any certain things I’m looking for on structure? 
 

Any colors for the pit boss? Texas rig it? 

I wish that was the case. Haha. I buy all my stuff on Klarna with the 4 payment plan thing. 92 bucks every 2 weeks for an Orochi isnt to bad. 

 

 

The two colors I use are green pumpkin and bama bug.  Texas rigged with a 1/8 or 3/16 oz tungsten weight pegged right above the lure.