Umair Faizuddin

I always ask these couple of questions before I buy any lure in general: 1. What do I need the lure for? 2. What are the weather/water conditions? 3. What have others said about the lure? 4. When does it go on sale? I don't have money to spend like water like some other lucky people may have but when I buy something, I make sure it is durable and i will be able to use it without it wearing out. So to answer your question, if it's a "must have" and other people you know say it works good, then you can buy it. Don't let them steal your money by making professionals tricking you into using "the perfect lure". A lot of the time, a $3-4 lure will catch you your personal best! Take it from me, the other day I used a Zoom Super Fluke which was under $5 at Walmart on sale and comes in an 8 pack I believe (I can't remember the exact amount), and comes in a variety of colors. I caught an 8 pound Large Mouth Bass! Yes some of the expensive ones work, but there is no harm being a baller on a budget!

I finally bought my first baitcaster! I got the BPS Nitro Tournament Z for $60. It looks amazing and has awesome specs. I had to try it out so I attached it to my ugly stick spinning rod just for fun haha. Even though I was using the wrong rod (and probably looked like an idiot), it casts really smooth and far! I was looking at the tourney special and the sellus at BPS but I couldn't decide. Any other rods to keep in mind?

I'm going to BPS tomorrow to see if they have some sale going on. I think that the lightning rod is a good choice but I wanted to know your opinions on the BPS Tourney Special Trigger Rod. It's just around that $50 range like the lightning rod. What specs play a key factor into baitcasting rods? I'm probably going to use it for ponds. I'm still thinking about the reel... I want a good reel that is all rounded because I'm not going to buy a new rod or reel for a couple of years after I buy this.

Hey guys! As the snow and ice is melting, the ponds near me look great! I only fish in one or two ponds nearby me and I don't have anytime to go to a lake. I've been using a great spinning combo (Pfluger President spinning reel and a Shakespeare Ugly Stik). Over the past 2-3 years I've caught many fish in a private pond that i usually fish in. I've caught lm bass,sm bass, northern pike, and even a 20+ lb. carp! The pond I fish in was usually stocked yearly but i don't know if they have for the past year. The pond is about 3/4 the size of a football field and is around 6-7 ft deep. The water clarity is stained to slightly murky depending on the weather and there are a couple of fountains in the middle of it. Last year, I barely caught 4-5 fish with luck . I had tried every type of lure and technique on this pond and still couldn't catch much. My awesome combo is starting to get rusty but I can still use it. I was thinking of changing it up and finally buying a baitcasting rod and reel for the first time. I have done a lot of research and for my $80 budget for reels, I have set my eyes on the Browning Midas Black Bass Baitcast Reel at Bass Pro Shops for around $80 while it's on sale. I have done a lot of research on baitcast rods too but I don't know what to get! my rod budget is $40 so I was looking at the Berkley Lightning Rod. I don't think I'm new to baitcasting because I use my friend's baitcaster sometimes while we are on the pond. Any suggestions on rods under $40 for this reel while pond fishing would be greatly appreciated! If you guys have any suggestions on what types of lures to use for different times of the year that would be great! Thanks in advance and let's have another great year of fishing!

Hahhahahhahhaa so true!

I love this forum the best! I have been fishing for over 3 years now and I think I have the hang of things thanks to the forums on here! I also got into carp fishing from here and caught a 18 pound carp from a private pond! Thank you BassResource!!!

Hey everyone! I actually caught a pretty big fish! It was a carp that was around 18 pounds!!! I just used sweet corn and he fell for it! I'm so happy I finally caught a fish before everything freezes up. I also asked the owner of the private pond what the water clarity and depth was. The water is not as murky as I thought. It's actually stained because of all the dirt and guck inside of it. It has a cement bottom I think and is around 6 ft deep. Any tips on catching fish around this time of year? There are almost no trees surrounding it and its in the middle of apartment complexes. Over here it's kinda warm for fall and its warm enough that I can wear a T-shirt and shorts. Also, why do the carp in my pond jump out of the water randomly? Thanks!

Ok so I've been saving up for the BPS Pro Qualifier baitcast reel. Any good rods within $50 for it?

I'm thinking of fishing Bass Lake, IL from the shore. I don't really know how and where to fish on lakes. I also don't know how deep it is or what the water clarity is. I want to try and get there before it gets cold out. Any tips?

Thanks! I've tries Busse but I'm always skunked! I'll try the other ones you mentioned though.

Hoffman Estates and/or Roselle

Thanks a lot! I usually fish ponds that are around 6-10 ft deep and not much structure and no cover on top. There a some docks on the ponds and there is a lot of bluegill and bream near the shore.

Hi everyone! I was looking for an awsome baitcast combo (doest matter if its the matching rod and reel or not). I don't want to spend more than $120 on it but it's my first baitcaster. I probably won't get another fishing rod and reel for a long time after I buy this so if you guys can tell me some good quality ones that would be great! I mainly fish in ponds but I want this combo to be good with all lures (all rounded). I've been using a spinning rod and reel for almost 2 years so I wanted to try a baitcaster but I don't know what to choose! Thanks a lot!

Hi! I just moved into the NW suburbs of Chicago and was wondering if there were any good bass ponds nearby. I don't own a boat so lakes aren't really an option for me. Thanks!

Wow! Using chartreuse caught me a 30 inch pike today! Never knew color could make such a big difference! The hard part wasn't catching the fish this time, but taking the fish off the hook lol.

Wow Hatrix you must be lucky to have so many ponds available to you that have a lot of good fish in them! It rained extremely hard last night and I was thinking to go early in the morning to fish. What lure should I use and what color?

Yea I think the pond has been "overfished" and now none of the fish want to bite.

Thank you all very much. After reading these amazing posts, I now know what to do. By the way I have caught 1 or 2 pike from the pond around 30 inches each.I'm kinda limited to to this pond because my folks won't take me anywhere else . I'm the only one out of all my relatives that goes fishing. I will definitely use these great tips you all have given me and if I'm still not catching anything, I'll try to go somewhere else with my friends. Thanks again!

Hi! This is my first post so please don't judge me if I'm doing this wrong . Ive been fishing at this one private pond by my house in Hoffman Estates, IL for about 3 years. It's a slow pond (not much action) but I know the association stocks it yearly with LM bass, SM bass, pike, musky and carp. There is also perch and bluegill in there too. The pond is around 6 ft deep and its murky water and has no vegetation. I would say its almost the size of a football field. I'm more of a bass fisherman myself. So far I have only caught around 7-10 fish from that pond in my whole life. Pretty sad . I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't really know what type of lure I should be fishing and what color. I just ask my friends what they use but I haven't really had much progress. Ive only caught fish in this one small pocket by the corner of the pond. There used to be a couple of willoew trees there that provided shade. Recently, they cut the trees down and I've only caught one fish since. Can someone please tell me what I should be using and what I'm doing wrong? Specific lures would be nice but my budget per lure would be under $10. Thanks!