dtruesdell24

Clear- green pumpkin or watermelon Dirty- black Night time- pink yamamotos work unbelievably

Bubblegum 5" Senkos get bites almost every few casts for me at night.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-RLS-Fly-Combo/1555116.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Drls%2Bcombo%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=rls+combo&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products This is a great combo. You'll want an 8wt. Its a great rod and its on sale from $320 to $160. With the extra money you can buy yourself some flies, and a few fly boxes. This combo also comes with a rod tube.

I want to take advantage of the Bass Pro Spring sale. But before I do, I want to know how long do soft plastics stay good? Like keep their scent and not rip easier than they already do. Or will it not matter?

Bass Pro has a lot of lures on sale right now including Yamamotos and Zoom if you need to stock up

Bass Pro Shops stick-os are a good alternative to Yamamoto senkos. They cost a few dollars less and you get 2x as much. You also can go wrong with Zoom stuff. I also like Berkeley Havoc craws and pit chunks. They cost $2.99 a pack and work well. I can't say much else about the other Havoc series lures though.

In NJ, the water is in the 40-50 range. Maybe a little colder. Air temperature is in the 50s.

I've only fished a few times throwing jigs and weightless flukes but i've had no luck. I'm relatively new to these baits so I probably don't trigger as many strikes. But what baits are you having success with at this time?

I have Cabelas fish eagle 50 rods which I like. I got mine for $45 down from $90. This way you would be able to spend more on a reel which is probably more important to spend money on.

Wacky rigged bubble gum senkos always seem to work for me.

I tie a lighter leader for lake trout. I just cannot afford multiple setups.

So what would you say is the best all around for smallmouth? I guess my MH with 30lb braid and H with 50lb braid are useless for smallmouth fishing. They'll have to stick to largemouth, pike and lake trout.

I want to start fishing for smallmouth this year in addition to largemouth. Is there much of a difference in equipment like rod strength, line, lures and stuff like that. Do you throw mainly the same lures or will a smallmouth not take some of the big lures you throw a largemouth like a frog?

I got a 5 wt. I will use it for bass because where i'm going to use it the bass won't be bigger than 4 or 5 pounds. In Florida though you might want a heavier one. For now with trout i'd get a 5wt. Its your best bet for trout and it can handle bass. But as mentioned above, the flies are usually bigger but the bass flies I am just about to order will be fine with my 5wt.

If you have a Cabelas nearby, or you could or one online, they have the RLS combo on sale for $160 from $320. I would buy this. They also have a WInd River combo for $90 from 120. I got that recently and it seems very good for beginners. I will eventually get the RLS combo maybe next year. I was just buying other stuff and didnt want to spend the extra money. Other things you need: Forceps, fly storage, a vest is nice to have, tippet and leader material, fly floatant, and a net. If you can get that as a start then you will be fine.