New angler advice. Tackle box essentials.. 2025
Speed reply :
Hello. Sorry if these questions sound stupid and have been asked before. I'm new to the sport of bass fishing(And fishing in general).
What are the essential items I will need in my tackle box? I'm not gonna discriminate so much on what kind of fish I want to catch early on because anything would be successful for me at this point going from coming with 0 knowledge of fishing . I'm willing to catch mostly everything(Bass, Trout, Panfish, Catfish, maybe carp), but ideally I'd want to narrow it down to just mostly Bass and Panfish. For a sport that can be as expensive as you want it to be, it's an impressive amount of information to take in even after watching hours of tutorial vids.
The tools I know I will need are a knife, pliers, line, variety of weights, swivels, bobbers.
What size hooks to get for most casual fishing situations I'd run in to?
I will be using a 7ft. Veritas 2.0 Medium rod with a Pfleuger President 6935 spinning reel. Will spool with with 12lb test.
What lures should I always have?
I've heard universally good things about Soft plastic worms, Jigs,, Spinnerbaits, Spoons, Surfacebait, and some kind of Deep Diver/Crankbait.
It looks like the Texas Rig will be what I'm most likely using upon doing research, but what else should I knew. I'm fishing a river/creek. It can be anywhere from 2-10 feet I read, but the current is calm. I know everything changes(Maybe it rains and it's deeper than usual, or it's windy and the current isn't as calm, etc...), but assuming that the water stayed as it normally does how should I approach the situation.
Writeups about my spot, Bubbly Creek if it helps. It was a source of infamy in Chicago many years ago when meat packing plants in the area dumped all of their waste in the nearby river and ruined it. Many years later it's a miracle that you can actually fish it lol.
Thanks!
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-05-10/sports/9805100017_1_chicago-river-fish-chicago-sanitary
http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Portals/36/docs/projects/bubblycreek/Bubbly_Creek_NEPA public comment report_14 Apr 2015.pdf
riverbasser reply :
Well since this is a bass forum let's try to help you catch them. One of the favorite plastic worms is going to be senkos. Followed by ribbon tail and trick worms. Any of these three will catch bass. Pick up some EWG hooks. 4/0 is average size for different size plastics. You will also need some bullet weights. 1/4 ounce is a good all around weight. This will make your basic Texas rig and any plastic can be rigged this way with success. Pitch this rig all around any cover you can see and drag it back to you or bounce along the bottom.
Now the next hardest part of this is detecting a bass bite on these plastics. I will try to explain buy you will have to learn on the water by feel. The easiest strike feels like a tic-tic on the rod tip. The other is when you go to move the worm it feels a little heavy like you picked up some grass. And other times you might feel nothing. If anything is off or you think you felt something set the hook. Once you catch a few you will get better and will be able to distinguish between a stump and a fish, although we all make the mistake of setting the hook into a stump from time to time.
Good luck and always check the articles on here. There Is a ton of info
Dave A reply :
X2 on the Senkos.
There are endless other baits that are effective, but the senko is tops in my book.
Dave
frosty reply :
X3 on the sencos
ill add add this to bite detection, and it might not be applicable to flowing water, but keep an eye on your line for an unusual bump or for it to start swimming away on its own.
Speed reply :
Alright definitely grabbing some Senko's. Colors should be the Yellows, Browns, and Greens right? Normal colors that a fish would see?
frosty reply :
On 6/27/2016 at 6:33 AM, Speed said:Alright definitely grabbing some Senko's. Colors should be the Yellows, Browns, and Greens right? Normal colors that a fish would see?
I tore them up with red shad laminate today, but some days color is less important than others. Try to have a variety on hand so if you don't get bites you can try different colors to see if it's the color or fish.
Smallieseeker reply :
On 6/27/2016 at 6:33 AM, Speed said:Alright definitely grabbing some Senko's. Colors should be the Yellows, Browns, and Greens right? Normal colors that a fish would see?
The 2 colors I use most for senkos is watermelon red flake and green pumpkin chartreuse but I do use black blue flake as well from time to time. Those 3 colors work almost every time
Angry John reply :
Kvd 1.5 silent square bill in bluegill.
Oklahoma Mike reply :
Senkos and square bills already covered above.
Add some spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and lipless crankbaits, and you pretty much have the staples covered.
AustinHellickson reply :
Welcome! For 2-10ft. I would use square bill crankbait, shad color for clear water or black for dark water. Try some 5" green pumpkin Yamamoto senkos either Texas rigged ( 3/0 ewg hook) maybe try wacky
Bobby from West Ga reply :
I've got a "grab box" that I grab when i know I might swing by the lake on the way to or from work and I keep my basics in it...
hooks 4/0 and 5/0 wide gap
bullet weights
shallow crankbait and 10ft crankbait
Bag of senkos
1 spinner bait (double 6-inline)
2 jigs and extra trailers
bag of ribbit frogs
pumpkin-chart lizards
1 jerkbait
1 Chatterbait
pair of pliers and scissors
I keep it all in a camo backpack that I can just grab and go and if I'm bank fishing I can carry it on my back while fishing and have it with me at all times... This setup has worked great for me because it's got a little of all the main things I use on the boat when I take all my tackle, and these lures in the backpack cover all depths
jitterbug127 reply :
I love a good top water too. Get a super spook jr in bone...it's my favorite lure.
A good popper is always a must too, plus tubes are great lures
Speed reply :
Wow thanks for all of the advice fellas. Better than I was expecting.
jitterbug127 reply :
Speed,
I can throw a nice box together for you for a good price. Just pm me. I've got tons of gear I'd love to pass on
"hamma" reply :
fishing a river/creek?
get some 4" black with chartreuse tailed worms, texas rigged with a 1/8 oz bullet screwlock weights, and a 1/0 or 2/0 offset hook. And red shad 6" ribbon tailed worm with a 1/4 oz or 3/8 bullet screwlock weights, and a 3/0 or 4/0 offset shank hook.,... green pumpkin senkos as for hook? idk i dont use senkos but they are popular and work well
a couple topwaters, I like rebel pop-r's with white belly, heddons zara spook jr, and a silver heddons torpedo., and a couple frogs for over pads...
a couple jerkbaits, my preference, a 1/4 oz original floating rapala in perch pattern, bombers long -a with gold foil inside,...
crankbaits? a bluegill patterned squarebill, a rapala dt10 in crawfish pattern.,..
spinnerbaits? a 1/2 0z white double bladed stanley vibrashaft, 3/8 oz. and a white /chartreuse manns classic,... and two inlines, a 1/4 oz mepps aglia and a 1/4 oz blue fox silver or gold vibrax
jigs? some 1/4 oz, and 3/8 oz black/blue rubber skirted bassjigs and zooms salty chunk jr black/blue trailers, (smother these with real craw scent)... and a few 1/4 oz jigheads with white, smoke, green pumpkin 3" and 4" grubs.,...
as for spoons? a silver 3/8 johnsons weedless spoon, (tipped with white grub), a 3/8 oz silver kastmaster,. and maybe a red/white 3/8 oz daredevil.
This I would consider the ultimate starter box., It should cover just about any condition you will encounter, as for using these lures? I cant take up to much time to type out a novel, so look up what you don't know how to use.
Some basics of fishing a spinning rod,.. never reel while the fish is pulling drag, always wear polorized sunglasses and a hat, get a spare spool if possible, I use a snap for easy lure changing, if your line jumps off the spool by itself you most likely have line twist (not good) on a river id cut the lure off, let longer than a casts line out behind the boat while slowly moving, this will eliminate the twist from your line in a short period of time. Dont ever apply or keep bug spray/ sunscreen around your tacklebox or rod, keep these seperate. Apply a scent on all lures after tying on, your skins oils are actually "offensive" to fish. Fingernail clippers are great for snipping line near the knot. KEEP QUIET, and be stealthy, if you see the fish they most likely see you.., Always have a small first aid kit with you... learn the polomar knot and use it, just make sure you moisten the line with spit before you cinch it tight, if you dont the line will heat up and the knot will fail,.
this is what i can think of right now, as for info and tips I can offer a "new angler",..I hope this helps some and good luck
fishballer06 reply :
3/0 and 4/0 worm hooks are the most common size. As for your plastics, green pumpkin, watermelon, and black/blue are the go to colors.
As for cranks, I'm guessing you're fishing from shore. A deep diving crankbait is just going to run too deep for the water you're fishing and you'll just get lots of weeds/algae/leaves/etc. Nothing more than a simple squarebill or lipless cranks is all you need to start out.
I'd also recommend spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. These are very popular lures for all fishermen.
Speed reply :
On 6/27/2016 at 9:52 PM, fishballer06 said:3/0 and 4/0 worm hooks are the most common size. As for your plastics, green pumpkin, watermelon, and black/blue are the go to colors.
As for cranks, I'm guessing you're fishing from shore. A deep diving crankbait is just going to run too deep for the water you're fishing and you'll just get lots of weeds/algae/leaves/etc. Nothing more than a simple squarebill or lipless cranks is all you need to start out.
I'd also recommend spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. These are very popular lures for all fishermen.
Yeah I'm fishing from solid ground. Which place would you guess to be the better bass cover? The spot farther to the north labeled Canalport Riverwalk or the spot to the East labeled Canal Origins Park with the trees? I would think Bass like more Shade?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Canalport+Riverwalk,+Chicago,+IL+60608/@41.8442436,-87.6673961,300m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x880e2dba72aa7721:0x6c4eb4c224df0434!2sCanalport+Riverwalk,+Chicago,+IL+60608!3b1!8m2!3d41.8437753!4d-87.6694336!3m4!1s0x880e2dba72aa7721:0x6c4eb4c224df0434!8m2!3d41.8437753!4d-87.6694336
fishballer06 reply :
Looks like you're right in downtown Chicago in the river. I don't fish rivers much at all, especially in urban environments. I know I live in Pittsburgh, but I avoid the rivers and down town whenever it comes to fishing around here.
From what I know though, largemouth don't really care for current, so try to find a spot that breaks up the current. Whether it be a big rock in the water, a little pocket, or behind a bridge pillar. Smallmouth however do great in current. Look for area's where there might be a deeper channel and it comes up shallower, or areas where it's very rocky. If you're able to, fish around docks and docked boats. During the summer, fish will relate to those for cover. Remember, fish can't wear sunglasses like us, so whenever the sun is overhead and bright, they need to beat the heat somehow.
Edit: Maybe you should check out this nearby park, if it has fish in it.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Garfield+Park+Public+Pool/@41.8834146,-87.7173805,560m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa8dcf2d1cdf6a48!8m2!3d41.8827215!4d-87.7166844
bigbassin' reply :
Without reading what everyone else has posted, I'd recommend:
1 pack of straight tail worms
1 pack of yum dingers
1 pack ribbon tail worms
1 pack of zoom flukes
1 pack of brush hogs
1 pack of paddletail swimbaits
1 chrome and blue rattle trap
1 black spinnerbait
1 rebel pop-r
4/0 ewg gamakatsu hooks
1/4 ounce lead bullet weights
$40 at Walmart and that will give you a pretty good variety to start with. General rule of thumb on colors for the soft plastics is watermelon for clear water, green pumpkin for 2-5 visibility, black and blue/junebug for anything with less visibility. With that being said, the straight tail worms are pretty effective worked near the surface and colors such as pink, white, yellow, etc are common so you can watch the worm as you work it back to you.
Speed reply :
Do bass get easily unsettled by stuff being in their space? Are they naturally curious?
WRB reply :
Welcome to bass fishing.
Based on medium spinning tackle the first item I would change is the line it's a little too heavy for your outfit. 8 lb premium mono like P-Line CXX is strong and allows you to target multiple species and use it for finesse presentations and smaller size hooks.
I will get back to this a little later with some detailed info.
Tom
Fishin' Fool reply :
On 6/27/2016 at 5:25 AM, Speed said:Hello. Sorry if these questions sound stupid and have been asked before. I'm new to the sport of bass fishing(And fishing in general).
What are the essential items I will need in my tackle box? I'm not gonna discriminate so much on what kind of fish I want to catch early on because anything would be successful for me at this point going from coming with 0 knowledge of fishing . I'm willing to catch mostly everything(Bass, Trout, Panfish, Catfish, maybe carp), but ideally I'd want to narrow it down to just mostly Bass and Panfish. For a sport that can be as expensive as you want it to be, it's an impressive amount of information to take in even after watching hours of tutorial vids.
The tools I know I will need are a knife, pliers, line, variety of weights, swivels, bobbers.
What size hooks to get for most casual fishing situations I'd run in to?
I will be using a 7ft. Veritas 2.0 Medium rod with a Pfleuger President 6935 spinning reel. Will spool with with 12lb test.
What lures should I always have?
I've heard universally good things about Soft plastic worms, Jigs,, Spinnerbaits, Spoons, Surfacebait, and some kind of Deep Diver/Crankbait.
It looks like the Texas Rig will be what I'm most likely using upon doing research, but what else should I knew. I'm fishing a river/creek. It can be anywhere from 2-10 feet I read, but the current is calm. I know everything changes(Maybe it rains and it's deeper than usual, or it's windy and the current isn't as calm, etc...), but assuming that the water stayed as it normally does how should I approach the situation.
Writeups about my spot, Bubbly Creek if it helps. It was a source of infamy in Chicago many years ago when meat packing plants in the area dumped all of their waste in the nearby river and ruined it. Many years later it's a miracle that you can actually fish it lol.
Thanks!http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-05-10/sports/9805100017_1_chicago-river-fish-chicago-sanitary
http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Portals/36/docs/projects/bubblycreek/Bubbly_Creek_NEPA public comment report_14 Apr 2015.pdf
You are in the perfect situation to join either Mystery Tackle box or Lucky Tackle Box (or whatever it's called) and get a nice assortment of lures. I just signed up for Mystery Tackle box Pro version and will be getting 3 boxes for just over $60. There is a save $10 on your first order promo code out there. This will be a helpful way to fill your tackle box at a discount and you can figure out what you like. And both our sponsors on Bass resource.
thirtysixit reply :
On 6/27/2016 at 11:28 PM, Speed said:Do bass get easily unsettled by stuff being in their space? Are they naturally curious?
The more "stuff" in their space the better. Fallen trees, rocks, tires, grass, lily pads, boat wrecks, etc. These things are known as "cover". Bass naturally relate to it and use it to hide so they can ambush prey as it passes by.
As far as getting started... You have picked a great time to get into the sport. There is a world of resources available to you online to learn what ever technique interests you. This website has great articles and an active forum population to help you. Also, get on youtube and search around. I always recommend Bassresource's channel to anybody getting started.
When I was getting started my first confidence bait was a Texas rigged ribbon tail worm. Junebug and green pumpkin with a 3/16 oz bullet weight. You can throw it just about anywhere in cover and let it drop to the bottom through its crevices to attract a good bite. I also recommend getting a few spinnerbaits and experimenting with your first "reaction" bait.
and yes. bass are territorial and curious. That's why they are the gamest fish that swims. Good luck and tight lines!
WRB reply :
Just starting out I would avoid buy too much stuff and focus on the basics that's appropriate for you spinning tackle.
Plano makes some very good tackle boxes, the 3600 will hold lots of terminal tackle and a variety of soft plastics and lures.
Terminal tackle includes hooks, weights, swivels and clips you may need.
If bass are a goal, keep it simple and suggest using finesse presentation that can also use live night crawlers.
Split shot, drop shot, mojo rig or finesse C-rig all work good with spinning tackle.
Hooks; Size 4 and size 1 drop shot hooks, size 1/0 weedless wacky hook, size 1/0 & 3/0 off set worm hooks. Suggest using premium hooks like Mustad, Owner, Gamakatsu or VMC brands.
Weights; size 3/16 oz bullet weight, 1/8 oz mojo weight, 3/16 & 1/4 oz drop shot weights, assortment of split shot sizes.
Clips and swivels; small sizes 1& 3, you don't need swivel clips, use them separately; clip for changing lures, swivels for preventing line twist when needed.
Soft plastics; Robo worms 5" curl tails in Aaron's magic and oxblood red flake. Yamamoto 5" Senko in watermelon or green pumpkin red flake.
Lures; Rapala F11 minnow 4 1/2" floating silver black back. 1/2 oz &1/4 oz Bill Lewis Rat'l Trap in fire tiger and chrome blue back.
Learn to use those few lures and presentation over the next 3 months and come back with more questions.
Tom
Fishinthefish reply :
Depending on where you are located the river or creek might give you a better shot at small mouth than large mouth. So just to be safe I'd also keep 2 inch and 3 inch twister tail grubs in a few colors in your bag with 1/8th jig heads with a calm current. I'd also get some 3/0 ewg hooks to rig them texas style if you have a lot of weeds in the water with 1/8th or 1/4 bullet sinkers. I'd also recommend 1/16 to 1/4 size inline spinners. These are the catch all in the river world. You will hit bass, pike, walleye, musky, blue cats, flat heads, all species of bass etc. Add a swivel and a leader to your in line apinner to avoid line twist and breakage issues.
Outdoor Zack reply :
For lures that will catch a lot of fish, including bluegill, perch, sunfish, and, of course, bass, look at the Rebel miniature series. A Rebel-Wee-R is awesome for beginners and you're pretty much guaranteed to catch something on it. Also look for the Pop'N Frog and or Wee Craw
blckshirt98 reply :
If you're just starting out I'd keep it really simple and try not to over-complicate things by getting tackle for multiple rigs and all sorts of different baits. If you only have spinning gear and you're fishing from the shore, what I would recommend to someone just starting out -
Boomerang Snip Tool (to cut line)
Long Reach Needle Nose Pliers (avoid pliers with a "fat head" because it can be hard to maneuver in a small fish's mouth)
Spinning Rod/Reel
15# PowerPro Braid mainline
10# fluoro leader
KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits (Natural Shad or Sexy Shad)
5" Senkos (Baby Bass)
Size 1/0 Octopus Hooks (for the senkos)
Dropshot Plastics - 5" KVD Dreamshots (anything green), 4" Jackall Crosstail Shads (Morning Dawn)
Size 2 Octopus/Dropshot Hooks (for nose hooking dropshot plastics)
3/16 oz Dropshot Weights
(optional) 1/8 oz Owner Shaky Type Ultrahead
The squarebills should cover the depth you need from shore for a reaction bite, the wacky and dropshot rigs will cover your finesse fishing from the shore. The Shaky Type Ultrahead would be for the 5" senkos if you want to fish off of the bottom. 3 rigs, with an optional 4th, and you should be able to catch fish.
AustinHellickson reply :
On 6/29/2016 at 1:32 AM, blckshirt98 said:If you're just starting out I'd keep it really simple and try not to over-complicate things by getting tackle for multiple rigs and all sorts of different baits. If you only have spinning gear and you're fishing from the shore, what I would recommend to someone just starting out -
Boomerang Snip Tool (to cut line)
Long Reach Needle Nose Pliers (avoid pliers with a "fat head" because it can be hard to maneuver in a small fish's mouth)
Spinning Rod/Reel
15# PowerPro Braid mainline
10# fluoro leader
KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits (Natural Shad or Sexy Shad)
5" Senkos (Baby Bass)
Size 1/0 Octopus Hooks (for the senkos)
Dropshot Plastics - 5" KVD Dreamshots (anything green), 4" Jackall Crosstail Shads (Morning Dawn)
Size 2 Octopus/Dropshot Hooks (for nose hooking dropshot plastics)
3/16 oz Dropshot Weights
(optional) 1/8 oz Owner Shaky Type UltraheadThe squarebills should cover the depth you need from shore for a reaction bite, the wacky and dropshot rigs will cover your finesse fishing from the shore. The Shaky Type Ultrahead would be for the 5" senkos if you want to fish off of the bottom. 3 rigs, with an optional 4th, and you should be able to catch fish.
Perfect, thanks!
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