Non-Boating.

[Passion]

OK, I just picked up a few bassing mags and have been looking at the forums and watching some on ESPN. I have come to the conclusion that I am totally clueless and a total novice.

I dont have a boat so i am stuck on the shore. I plan on fishing Texas Rigged and nothing else to get me started. My rod is a Cabela's IM7 Tourney Trail 6ft. My reel is a Mitchell 308X Gold.I got these as a gift last year.  I'm using 12lb supermono SpiderWire. I just bought some 2/0 worm hooks and bullet sinkers. Now I am wondering about which worms or lizards to rig up.

Also since I am fishing from shore on lakes and rock quarries, I can't really see what lies ahead. Any way to tell where the bass will be hiding? I live in MN and it's still iced over, but I want to get some things down and get the knowledge so as Spring comes I can try it out and maybe catch a Lunker for the first time.

[BD]

Bass hide in weeds, and in cover (stumps in the water, fallen trees, under tree over hangs etc).

Also if you know where the channels underneath the water are, or where possibly the lake feeds another body of water (same with streams) you can find them there too.

I don't have a boat either, and I catch alot of fish. Boats only allow you access to some spots, otherwise unaccessable to you. (can you imagine trying to walk around a 5,000 acre lake? lol)

Good luck man!

[Nick_Barr]

Strike King Ribbontail worms

Yum Crawdads

Zoom Brush Hog

Yamamoto kreature

Zoom Lizard

Yamamoto senko

Good Luck

[Aaron_S]

Black Yamamoto Senko wacky rigged with a 3/0 to 4/0 hook.

[Big_Bass_Rich]

Buy a Kastmaster jigging spoon, and throw traditional bass knowledge away. Catching big bass on a quarry is like jigging for walleye. Fish deep with spoons, grubs or tubes or topwater in the early morning.

[Passion]

Well coming into this I have. 25 Lazer EWG 2/0 hooks (clearance), 20 1/4oz. bullet weights (clearance), a pack of ZOOM Brush Hogs-watermelon seed (clearance), and a pack of Yamamoto 5" Senkos- Watermelon/red green flake.

Will this do me ok? I will fish the senkos weightless but do I need a bigger hook?

[Mike H.]

That setup sounds pretty good. The watermelon/red flake was my best color last year. The 2/0 hook should be ok, but if you start missing fish, you might try a bigger hook. Some days if Im missing fish, I might try a 5/0.    Make sure to check this website for tips on Senkos and other stuff. I find that dragging the Senkos over lily pads(if you have any) works pretty well. Im not going to get into the Brush Hogs, because I havnt fished them, alough Im guessing you'd fish them like you would a worm. Let us know how it turns out!

Mike

[Passion]

Well now all I have to wait for is the ice to melt and I may actually catch a bass!

[loco_local]

Passion-

I too am from MN, and would be happy to answer any questions you have about tackle, getting started, etc...

Minnesota fish are a little different  in that, our forage is different that other parts of the country, so certain color patterns and type of baits work better that others.  Some good ones were mentioned earlier, but

Email me anytime...erikjacobs03 at yahoo *.

[Passion]

Well I am looking into a BassHunter mini boat as we speak, not too sure though.

[Marty]

Just my personal opinion that which specific plastics you use is not nearly as important as finding fish. I don't know anything about quarries. But for regular lakes and ponds I would say to thoroughly work any visible cover/structure that you can target. Otherwise, move around and cover a lot of water until you learn by trial and error about that particular body of water.

In many bodies of water, you're better off casting parallel to or at angles to the shore rather than heaving your lure way out there. But don't rule that out if close to shore is not producing.

Good luck.