Advice for the new guys: tackle and lure brands

[mallard]

First of all, welcome to the hobby of bass fishing!

Surely, by now you've realized that there are a lot of brands out there for each product! And you've wondered, which ones should I buy?

Well, you have two options:

1. Empty your wallet to buy every kind of brand out there and experiment

2. Keep reading my post and get some tips

I base my recommendations on the following:

1. Effectiveness (after it all, it has to work!)
2. Hardiness (it should last a long time)
3. Value (it shouldn't be overpriced)
4. Simplicity (no worthless accessories)

So the next time you go to your favorite sporting goods store, and you're looking for a certain type of lure, pay special attention to these lures which I find good for beginning bass fisherman!

Plastic Worms:

1. Zoom- This is a very well-known brand, and it confirms to all 4 of my principles. For bass specifically, I recommend the "u-tale" worms. Cast these near some cover and let them fall, then slowly bring them up.

2. Riverside- This is also a very decent brand for plastic worms. These also hold up great in thick lilypads and such.

Plastic Lizards:

1. Zoom- Once again! Very similar to the Zoom worms, these things are durable and catch fish at a reasonable price!

Soft-plastic jerkbaits:

1. Slug-go - Lunker City made the soft-jerkbait first, and they made it best. These are very simple to use, just rig them weedless like a worm, and then twitch them in the water to imitate a wounded baitfish.
They can be fished at a quicker pace (let them sink a little, then twitch often) or slower (let them sink a longer time, then twitch once). I like how they sink quicker than a Senko (which is also less durable and more expensive!)

Let me also say, I regularly catch 5+ bass per slug-go. Durability!

Spoons:

1. Dardevle- Simple, simple, simple! It works like a spoon is supposed to work: you cast it out, reel it in, and fish strike at it. If the bite is a little slower, you can let it sink more and then reel it in.

2. Cabela's Lunker Spoon- Cabela's isn't known for being cheap, but this spoon is a good value. For $3, you get a quality spoon that lasts a long time, has a sharp hook, is rather weedless, and gets strikes from big bass!

Spinnerbaits:

1. Strike King- From here on down, focus on American-MADE products. Not foreign made and manufactured here... but actually MADE in America!

Strike King offers several types of spinnerbaits for different kinds of waters. To find out which works where, read some of the articles about spinnerbaits in the articles section of this site.

Also, while some fancy brands like Terminator tend to snap, I've never had a Strike King snap on me.

Buzzbaits:

1. Strike-King- Hey, buzzbaits are just about the same thing.

Crankbaits:

1. Cotton Cordell- These things apply to all 4 of my principles. They hold up, have nice hooks, and trigger strikes! I especially like their rattle lure (it has no lip on the front, but just sinks on its own and makes a rattle when moving.)

2. Rebel- Rebel may not be American, but they actually make good stuff. I especially prefer their topwater crankbaits.

3. Rapala- If you're willing to pay some extra money, these things trigger a lot of strikes for me. Even after the cheap paint job fades off, they keep getting strikes from their action.


TACKLE TIME:

Hooks:

1. Eagle Claw- Sharp, durable, hold soft plastics in place well, and a good price. Also, they are pretty rust resistant.

Line:

1. Trilene- Monofilament that works to catch fish. Casts well, tangle resistant, very snap resistant, and has great feel! Also comes in many varieties depending on the water you fish. For example, I usually fish heavy cover, so I buy the XT (extra tough) one.

Tip: If you're new, don't bother with any of the braid line. Monofilament will catch you fish just fine if you ask me.

Rods:

1. Shakespeare- Very simple and durable rods at a great price. Why pay an extra hundred dollars for some fancy shiny rod made of some pricier substance, when this will do just fine?

Ugly-Stik is very popular made by Shakespeare, especially for bass.

Reels: (TIP: If you're new, get spinning reels only. They are easy to operate.)

1. Shakespeare- Good value.

2. The older Shimanos- I don't like the new Shimanos at all. They remind me of an over-priced Subaru. However, if anyone offers you some old, used reels, take some Shimanos if you can. They are incredibly durable.



I know that I didn't cover everything, but hopefully I covered enough, and hopefully someone found it useful. Good fishing!