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Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:05 pm
by Pil9rotten
Coming back into the sport after a hellacious marriage and eager to return to the water. It's been a little while and need to come up to speed on the latest and greatest baits and gear. If you were starting over after a hiatus, what baits and tackle would you buy as the your primary kit. Looking for a solid shopping list.
Spinner baits
Top water
Buzz baits
Cranks
Jigs
Soft plastics
etc...

The silver bullet has been restored, tuned up, given a new 24 volt trolling motor and will be ready for an amazing spring.

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:20 am
by 185vsfrog
Congrats on making it through and getting out with your sanity! A lot of us have been through divorces and know how the grass is truly greener when finally freed from the insanity. Bass fishing will always be there and it will calm your soul. What area are you going to be fishing? That would play a lot into what to purchase. Can’t go wrong buying some senkos. Maybe a spinnerbait or two. Double willows chart/white. Maybe a buzzbait too in either white or black. A couple squarebills one in craw and one in shad and some beavers/ super hogs to flip in green pumpkin. A couple jigs in brown and black/blue and you’re pretty set. You can get finessey and buy some roboworms in margarita mutilator and maybe a shad color for drop shifting but that’s really all you need. Get back out there and have fun!

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:22 am
by Pat
In the last couple years I have done something similar, not related to marriage rather changes of interest and burnout from tournament fishing took me away for quite a few years. I am now back to fishing regularly just for fun and have even got a boat again. Here is what I experienced. The baits and methods you used to use still will work! I am catching fish on tackle and baits that are 15-20 years old. The fish don't seem to care, the old reliables still work. One of my frustrations is that some of the baits that were my go-to stuff are no longer made! I guess when I quit buying them the makers saw a big drop in sales, :lol:

I suggest that you go with the things that you had confidence in before and not be too concerned about the latest thing. Then as you get back into it more often, and fish with other folks and see what they are doing, you can pick and choose some of the "new stuff" that seems to be working. That way you won't end up with a bunch of tackle that you may never use. Good luck!

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 9:27 am
by Whoopbass
Heck if I was getting back into fishing and just wanted to catch fish and not worry about tournaments I would go buy a pack of senkos and wacky rig em with o-rings. I have caught up to 10 fish per bait. Put two o-rings on and they last even longer. My biggest last year was 9# on a 5" senko.

Drop shot a zoom trick worm. I usually use a zoom trick worm in watermelon red or CA 420. You can drop shot in 1' of water down to any depth. I use the same hooks drop shotting as I do in wacky rigging a senko. Buy the larger cylindrical weights and cut em down to size if you just want to buy one size. My biggest bass last year on this rig was 10#.

Keitech impact fat swimbait with a 1/4 oz lead head with a 1/0 hook. Actually I use the generic version of the Keitech's like an Eco Pro tungsten swing shad because they hold up so much better. I mainly use the sexy shad color. The cheap lead heads I use seem to catch more fish then the pricey fancy fitted painted heads. I haven't caught any big fish off them but tons of fish up to 5 lbs.

Shakey heads and darter heads rigged with a worm whack em too.

Those techniques right there will catch you hundreds of bass in a year and you could buy everything needed for well under $100.

Everything mentioned above works in the all of the lakes and the delta.

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 9:47 am
by monte300
You can never ever go wrong with a few lipless crankbaits, aka Rattletraps in your tackle box. I believe they get numbers of bites right up there with the very best baits. Welcome home brother.

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:47 am
by GW
I was just thinking about you the other day after seeing another 'Silver Bullet.

"God Save the Queen"

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:32 am
by ash
Hmmm ya know there is always the latest and greatest, but the tried and trues never really change, like the TnT Wadda Jig 8) or a pack of Senkos.

So for me here are a few key baits that have been added over the last 3ish years. Whopper Plopper has become a must have topwater bait, Kietech Swimbaits -ball head, underspin, whatever but its a vacuum. Grass Burner on the Delta and Clear Lake. S-Waver for a glide bait.

Other then that it's business as usual and you may find that some of your "dated" tatics will be a fresh look for some of these fish as we tend to move in trends as bassfisherman. Welcome back!

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:40 am
by medfish
Top 5 no order for delta come back no order

1 senko

2Punch set up. Weight skirt jig hook

3 swimbait paddle tail as mentioned above Both jig hook and belly weedless

4 jig. Tried and true black and blue. (swim them to)

5 reaction stuff. Chatterbait spinnerbait lipless and square bill

KISS method first then move to glide baits and such


O yeah do yourself a favor and get yourself a whopper plopper.

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:25 pm
by monte300
I'm pretty hung up on red and black and I haven't had much luck with my large sized Whopper Plopper. My brother slays them with the bone white version on the Delta

Re: Returning to Bass Fishing

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:23 pm
by Pil9rotten
Yo GW!! Good see an old friend on here. Sent the Silver Bullet to Boatmasters for a 7 year post storage tune up and full fuel line replacement.

Just before I stopped fishing, I converted the trolling motor from 12 volt to 24 volt and it hasn't even touched water yet! Looking forward to hitting the tules, rocks and islands again.