Need help, just getting started!!!

[LovesomeBass]

I just started bass fishing here in Va about two days ago and just caught my first Bass tonight about 11:00 . Caught it on a Rebel Crickett Popper. About a 10 inch large mouth not too big, but a my first bass none the less. I can rig up a Texas and a Carolina rig, but don't know how to fish with spinners or buzz baits. Any help would be sweet! Thanks

[NCYankee]

Check out these tips.
bassresource.com/fish/tipsindex.html

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

Here is another good site:

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

[WTL]

Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits at their most basic, well you throw them and reel them in. They will catch fish with just a steady retrieve. Some people call them "dummy" baits because in that sense it takes no real skill to use them. My advise is to go out and throw them, eventually you will get bit. It is that simple.

Now I know there are some old salts on the board who know that spinnerbaits and buzzbaits can be even more effective if fished certain ways, and thats true...there are some tricks that will get you more bites. For instance try bumping cover, try burning a spinnerbait really fast so it almost breaks the surface...or the opposite...very slow so it is just off the bottom. Some of those things you learn with experience, with any lure you get a feel for its capabilities only by throwing it.

[LovesomeBass]

Hey guys thanks you have been a great help. I would like to know how to choose your plastic baits. What color, size etc... Thanks, hope to hear from you soon.

[WTL]

With colors and plastics, people just tend to have their own favorites and they don't really switch them up too much, maybe a little depending on water clarity. I like to throw junebug or red shad worms, as far as I'm concerned the two colors are pretty close to being interchangeable, with green pumpkin, motor oil or watermelonseed being colors I will throw sometimes in very clear water or on carolina rigs.

The size depends a good bit on how active the fish are and if you have the potential to catch very large fish where you are. On Guntersville or in Florida very large worms, some 10 or 11 inches long are popular because of the old law "big lures catch big fish". Wheras some people prefer to go after numbers so they stick to 4 inch worms.

[Rebbasser]

Choosing plastics is really not that hard. I have about every color of the rainbow and then some, but if you stick to the basics you will be off to a good start. Natural colors like Watermelon seed, pumpkin, green pumpkin and watermelon red flake will catch fish in just about any body of water. There are a thousand different styles-I've probably bought most of them at one time or another . Worms, creature baits like a Zoom Brush Hog and stickbaits like a Wave Worm Tiki Stick or a Yum dinger are good baits to have as are soft jerkbaits like a Zoom Super Fluke in Smokin' Shad color. My advice would be to go get a few bags of soft plastics in the colors I mentioned, rig them up and start throwing them. There is another thread titled Fav baits/rigs that has pictures of my two favorite rigs, and the second one works for any soft plastic. Take a look at those, grab your rod and start throwing. God Luck!

[Tnbasser]

The Mighty Plastic Worm by Charles Graves

Since it's inception in 1951, it is safe to say that no other lure has caught as many Bass, and comes in as many different styles, sizes and colors, as the plastic worm.These, and the nearly unlimited varieties of other soft plastic baits,are baits that anglers carry in large quantities, often by the pound.
Big, small, ribbed, straight tail, hook tail, or action tail, the choices seem to be endless. But, once you fish one of these unassuming peices of plastic, the reason for their success will become very, very clear. These baits catch fish. And lots of them. But with all these colors, sizes, and styles available, the choices can be overwhelming. Where does the average angler even begin to make the right choices. First, you need to know the differances in the styles of worms. I will try to explain the differances here.

Straight Tail:
The Original Plastic Worm. This is the one that Nick Creme started way back in 51 to get the explosion going. These are straight, tapering peices of plastic that resemble a nightcrawler.
They range from 4" to 12".
These are usually best in clear water, and are fished much more slowly than the action worms. The Creme Scoundrel, Mann's Jelly Worm, and Berkley Powercrawler belong in this catagory. These worms are ideal for jighead, carolina rigging, or stitching. Also, my first choice for weeds, as the straight tail comes through them better than the ripple tail worms.

Finesse:
4" to 6" straight tail worms, very thin and small in shape. Best use when you need a very subtle, natural presentation, such as the Dropshot rig, or Doodeling. The Original Fish Formula Finesse Worm, and the Hand Poured Western Wienie Worm are good examples of this type of bait.

Hooktail/Sickle Tail:
A 4" to 8" worm with a simple curl, or hook, tail. While this was the most common type of worm a decade ago, they are not as common now, having been replaced by the action tail, and finesse worms. Mostly used with the Texas Rig. Fish with 6" to 8" hops, or drag it across the bottom. Mister Twister's Phenom is an example of this type.

Action/Ribbon/Rippletail:
By and large the most common worm available today.These worms have very active, ribbon like tails that may be half the body length or more, that flow and undulate on retrieve. These are my go to worms when fish are active. I like the Original Fish Formula 7" Scented Rippletail worm for fishing around docks and rocks. This bait has a very lifelike look,supersoft feel and incredible action, and comes pre-scented with the Original Fish Formula. This attracts the bass, as well as makes the bass hold on longer.
I will texas rig this most of the time, and fish it with 8" to 12" hops, or I will swim it around docks.
Examples would be the Fish Formula Rippletail, Culprit, and Berkley Powerworm.

Ribbed:
Worms with raised ribs, or rings, around thier bodies. These ribs produce bubbles by releasing trapped air during the retrieve.Excellent for the Carolina rig. These baits are available in sixe from 4"( Original Fish Formula Scented Ribbed Worm), all the way up to 9"(Zoom).

Floating Worms:
Straight tailed, highly bouyant worms used on or just below the surface for bedding or shallow bass, These come in a variety of loud, gaudy colors, such as charteuse or bubblegum. I seldom use these.

Now that I have explained the different types of worms, I will go into the different rigs and retrieves for worms.

Texas Rig:
This is the standard, simple rig that involves the bait, a 1/0 to 4/0 straight shank or offset worm hook, and a bullet sinker.Wile this rig can be used with any worm, it works best with the ribbed, hook, or action tail worms, because of the action impatrted during the retrieve.
Fish this rig by lifting the rod tip 8 to 12 inches and hopping the worm across the bottom, or by stitching the worm. Stitching is a technique in which the worm is dragged very, Very, slowly across the bottom.
You van also ped the slip sinker and flip or pitch with this rig.
A common mistake with t-rigging is not useing enough weight, especially if dragging it. You need to maintain good feel and contact with the bottom. If I am fishing in 6" of water or less, I never use more than 3/16oz., unless heavy currant is present. I have used as much as 3/4oz., if fishing very deep.

Carolina Rig:
Works best with straight tailed or ribbed worms, but any will work.Fish it fast or slow by sweeping the rod parallel to the water, makeing sure to keep the weight in constant contact with the bottom. Also use this same motion for the hookset with this rig.

SplitShot:
2 small splitshot attached 12" to 16" above a small light wire hook and finesse worm. Lighter rods and light line are a must for this technique. Fish it similar to either the t-rig, but with much shorter hops, or the C-rig, only much slower. Best in clear water.

Jighead:
1/16oz. to 1/4oz. Jighead with a straight tail worm, fish on very light line, with a series of small hops.I use this alot on heavily pressured water.

DropShot:
First, attach a short shank hook 18" to 36" above the end of the line, then tie a weight on the end of the line. Nose hook a small Finesse worm, such as the Original Fish Formula 6" Finesse worm.
You basically fish this rig with small twiches, making the worm wiggle and dance. Very subtle, very natural. Again, this is a light line technique.Again, I also use this on pressured waters or clear water.

Doodleing:
A texas rigged finesse worm, with the addition of a bead between the hook and weight, fished totally stationary, by simply shaking the rod tip. There should be very little, if any, forward movement with this technique. You simply want to shake the worm in place, causeing the weigth and bead to clack together.
An extremly productive winter time technique.Use anytime the bite is very slow. Can produce some very big fish.


Color:
Now to color. If there is any area in which there is too much of a good thing, this is it. There are WAY more colors of soft plastics than are needed.

Do not go and buy every color of every worm that is out there. You would need a seperate house to to keep them. Buy a few basic colors, a bottle or two of worm dye, and go fish. I use ONLY the following colors, and have found no need for any other.

Junebug(my favorite), black, blue, purple, red shad. pumpkin, and watermelonseed. I carry a bottle of Chartreuse, and a bottle of blue dye, should I need it.

Equipment:
Some equipment suggestions:

Rod:
For the last 30 years or so, the gold standard has been a heavy action rod because of the extremly hard hookset needed for worms. However, this is no longer the case. Because of the invention of super sharp hooks, and braided lines, a eye crossing hookset is no longer needed. I use the 6'6"MH Herm Special, made by falcon. This has a very good action for worms, and a very good, even, parabolic bend.More like an M action than a MH.This is an ideal rod for T-Rigging, or for C-Rigging.
I use the Falcon LR 6'6" M Open Hook Special spinning rod for all my finesse presentations.
Whatever you choose, understand that no other presentation relies more on a good sensitive rod that plastics.


Reel:
I like a medium ratio baitcasting reels for Texas or carolina rigging . I get more cranking power with these, and they are better at winching big fish out of heavy cover, because they will not bind up as easily.
I prefer the Pflueger Trion Machined reel.
For finesse fishing I use the Pflueger Trion Spinning reel.

Line:
While this is personal choice, understand that this is the link between you and the bass. Even if you skimp on other tackle, but the best line you can get. I use PowerPro for my texas and carolina rigging, as it provides unbelievable strength and sensitivity, with no stretch, and I use PowerPro for my finesse rigs. However, if I am fishing in SUPER clear water, i will use the lightest flourocarbon i can get away with, for all my techniques.

Hooks:
Super Sharp hooks MUST be used when fishing with worms.I use Daiichi, the worlds sharpest. Any good quality hook will work though.

Fishing with worms around:

Rocks:
Crawl the bait over the bottom by holding the rod at 10 O'clock and slowly turning the reel handle.

Weeds:
Hop them, or swim them through the weeds.You can also flip or pitch these.

Docks:
Swim worms around and between docks, or flip/pitch/skip them.

Stumps/Trees/Brush:
Swim them through, and crawl them over, the tree limbs, or pitch/flip the stumps/brush.

Hope this gives a little insight to the vast world of plastic worms and how best to fish them.Do not be overwhelmed or perplexed by all the selection you have. Stick with the basics. They have been working for half a century.

Good Fishing,
Charles Graves

[Tnbasser]

Spinnerbait Basics By Charles Graves

Spinnerbaits, or "Blades" as they are commonly called among circuit fishermen, are, without a doubt,
one of the most versatile lures a fisherman can have in thier arsenal.
They can be fished from just below the surface, all the way down to the bottom.
They can be burned back, or they can be slow rolled.

I love crankbaits, but if I had only one lure to pick to fish with on a givin day, it would be a spinnerbait.

The three keys to a good spinnerbait is wire diameter, blades, and balance.

1: The best spinnerbaits have a ultra thin wire for maximum vibration.
I prefer the spinnerbaits made by Retriever Lures, because they have a super thin 0.031 Daimeter wire.
This really kicks up a fuss and vibration.

2: Blades are the second thing you must consider when choosing a good spinnerbait.

Let’s look at the many different blade types that are available and what the differences are for each type.
There are Colorado blades, Willow Leaf blades,and Indiana blades.
The Colorado blade is a blade that is meant to be used in dingy to dirty colored water due to the fact that it gives off the most vibration of all the blades currently on the market.
The Colorado blade comes in sizes 00 to 7, 7 being the biggest. Colorado blades are also available in numerous color variations.
Next is the Indiana blade which is between a Willow Leaf and a Colorado blade. This is my first choice of blades
The Indiana blade gives off a little less vibration than the Colorado but it gives off a little more flash than the Colorado blade. The Indiana blades also come in sizes from 00 to 7 and they are also available in some colors.
The Willow Leaf is next. It is one of the more popular blades currently on the market today and its shape resembles that of a baitfish. This blade gives off less vibration than any other blade, but it gives off the most flash than all the other blades. These blades are available in sizes from 3 to 7 and they are available in more colors than any of the others.
3: Balance is also sometimes overlooked. In order to be snag resistant, and appealing too fish /the spinnerbait must run upright. If it rolls over it is not properly balanced, and a new bait should be used.

Trailers and trailer hooks. Should they be used?
In my opinion, Yes.While this is a matter of personal choice, I always use trailers, and trailer hooks.
Trailers come in a variety of styles, including straight tail, split tail, and curl tail. My favorite is a 4" Screw Grub, made by The Original Fish Formula. It is a straight tail grub.
My Trailer hook of choice is made by Daiichi, and is Bleeding Bait Red. Super Sharp.
Trailer hooks turn short strikes into caught fish.
Skirt Material and color.

Skirts are made of either rubber or silicone.I prefer the silicone. Lively action, but does not stick together as rubber tends to do.
Color is only as important as your confidence.
Fishing a Spinnerbait.

When fishing a spinnerbait, there are many different ways to fish them.
There is a method called "slow rolling." This method can be done with baits ranging from ¼-oz to 2-oz baits.
The bait is thrown out and allowed to sink, you would then turn the handle slow enough so that the blades on the bait barely turn. This gives the bait the look of a dying or wounded baitfish.
Another method is when you throw out the bait and you reel the lure very fast to where the lure is making a wake on the surface, you can also allow the lure to blow out of the water occasionally making it look like a baitfish is running away and leaping out of the water. This method is called "burning" a spinnerbait.
Another method is where you just reel at a normal speed and pump the rod. This method makes the skirt pulsate and allows the bait to come to life.
While you are reeling if the lure gets hung up in the grass, just twitch the rod tip pulling the lure free, just don’t pull too hard or the lure will move too fast. When the lure is pulled free from the cover, you have the opportunity to get a reaction strike from the fish.
Spinnerbaits can be fished on line from 10-lb to 25-lb depending on the cover that you are fishing around. There are some braids on the market that you should also give a try. The braids are thinner in diameter and they provide such sensitivity that you will be amazed at what you can feel. Fishing with a braid, you will know when your blades quit turning either from a fish or from weeds stopping the rotation of the blades. I fish all my spinnerbaits on PowerPro.
I use a 6'4" MH Falcon LR Spinnerbait Special Rod. It has an action specifically designed for casting and controlling spinnerbaits.
I macth it up with a Pflueger Trion LP 6.3:1 Reel for the ultimate spinnerbait combo.


Good Fishing,

Charles