The Brim Reaper

This is great! I live in Olympia, so it won't be too far from me. There's a bunch of stuff I've been eyeing on the Bass Pro website, too.

I'm in Thurston County. What do the Largemouth and Smallmouth feed on in the lakes of this area? What time of season do they feed on these things? What are the best colors for soft plastics, crankbaits, chuggers and poppers, spinnerbaits, spoons, etc? Also, what kind of water will I be dealing with mostly? Clear, stained, or muddy?

What are the laws regarding this in Washington state, and what does it even mean? Are you only allowed to fish with so many rods AT ONCE, or are you only allowed to carry so many with you PERIOD?

Thanks, Glenn!

Thanks for your response. May I ask what the length, power, and tip action of your spinning rods are?

I just moved to the Evergreen state, and I'm new to Smallmouth fishing. What size line should I use?

Alright, thanks guys!

Medium-fast (or moderate-fast) rods. What techniques are they suitable for?

Great! Thanks! This is nice to hear. My brother had me thinking the fishing isn't so good. I figured he just isn't familiar enough with the area. Thanks for all of this information. Heaviest thing I have right now is medium-lights. I'm gonna have to buy some heavier rods. Now I know what to look for. You all wouldn't happen to know what the panfishing situation is, would you? What species can you catch and how good is the fishing for them?

Thanks, Darren. I'm taking note of this in my little fishing journal.

You can never know too much! You mentioned gold flakes. That adds contrast to the lure, right? How should I go about choosing flake color?

Well, I don't want a boat, but I have it in mind to learn how to paddle and buy a fishing kayak.

Thanks for the answers, guys. I hadn't thought of clear, gold, and silver.

So natural colors work best for really clear water. But which colors are considered natural colors? I think of colors like greens, browns, and black. What else? I'm new to artificial lures, so I'm working out how to choose colors.

I hear that. I don't fish because I'm hungry. I have a blast just catching them.

Rods: St. Croix Triumph: http://www.basspro.c...OSSSELL_PRODUCT St. Croix Premier: http://www.basspro.c.../product/74392/ Falcon Original: http://www.basspro.c.../product/22369/ Reels: Pflueger Trion GX-7: http://www.basspro.c...OSSSELL_PRODUCT Pflueger President: http://www.basspro.c...OSSSELL_PRODUCT The St. Croix Triumph is made somewhere in Mexico. If you'd prefer to buy American, you can spend a little more and get the Premier. The Falcon Original is American-made as well. Good luck putting together your setup!

Looks like I'll be needing some new rods then. All I own at the moment is a couple of medium-lights for Crappie and Bream. What size line do you suggest? You wouldn't happen to know what the fishing's like in the Olympia area, would you? That's most likely where I'm moving to.

Largemouth and Smallmouth alike. How big do you commonly catch 'em? Will a medium light rod with 20lb braid suffice? I ask because I expect to move to Western Washington in the near future.

Redfish, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, and Flounder.

I'm just getting into artificial baits. Once I get used to it, I'll probably fish live bait very little.

I'll keep this idea in mind. Thanks!

I bought a small Plano utility box thinking it would be great for small Panfish hooks, but the hooks slip into other compartments. My hooks are size 6, 8, and 10, and the shank lengths vary. I'm thinking about just buying a fly box to store them in. Something like this: I'm open to other ideas, though. So how do you guys store your small hooks?

Thanks for all your responses.

Has anyone used any of the Berkley Gulp baits on panfish? I'm thinking about buying some of the Mini Earthworm baits. How long do the artificial worms last compared to live worms?

I'll be using shrimp and perhaps pinfish as bait. I'm not after the "bull" size fish, either. What style hook and size do you recommend?