Sharkicane

Awesome good to know. I’ll probablyb pick one up soon. I really like the price point of the bass rod but that pro tournament for 30 more dollars has caught my eye. Seems like you might get a lot better rod for a relatively small investment.

I’ll keep looking around then, didn’t see any of the new KastKing rods in MH that were 7’. They were all like 7’5 or 7’6, I think one was a 6’8 crank bait.

Hey all, I ordered my first bait caster a KastKing Assassin. It has the dual brakes on it. I have gathered a lot of information via reading and watching videos on baitcasters. I am really just looking for confirmation that I’ve understood everything I’ve read and watched correctly. Initial set up is pin brakes, tension knob, then mag brakes. Once I get it set up going forward when switching to a different weight lures I just need to turn the mag brakes off, adjust the tension knob, tune mag brakes back up. Then I can leave the pin brakes set until I get more comfortable?

Which one of these would be recommended for a general rod? I’m just starting out and I’m just fishing from banks right now at local ponds and lakes. I’ve currently got a 6’5 MH Daiwa Alexa. So I’d like to get something longer that I would be better suited to different techniques.

With your suggestions along with previous suggestions, Can I use mono? I’ve got a big spool of xl casting 12lb. I’m on a budget and 40-50 dollars just for the line has me on the fence. Especially since I’m so new I feel like I’m going to lose a decent amount of lures and line till I get more experience.

I was watching some videos on it. I noticed the guy didn’t engage the reel immediately, I guess he put his thumb on the spook and would hop it once or twice, then engage the reel. Or if he felt a bite he would engage the reel, then reel down slowly before setting the hook. Is that done in both flipping and pitching? Waiting to engage the reel? He was using a creature bait with a weight not sure if that makes a difference or not.

I will give those a try. Is there anything I should be mindful of when buying a spinner bait? I know there are different type of blades and stuff.

Any recommendations on jigs? I’ve watched some videos on them but never used one. Also, are the trailers for jigs the same soft plastics you would use on the weightless plastic rig? Senkos are on my list of top things to get, any recommendation on flukes? Brand, color, size?

Hey all, I wanted to get some feedback on how to fish this lake I found close to me. I can say my fishing excursion earlier today at this lake was frustrating as well as very exciting. However it will probably be one of my all time favorite trips to date. So I am now determined to figure out how to reliably catch fish here. The excitement comes from 1 small and 1 large hits on a top water frog which I’ve never experienced before. The first one caught me by complete surprise. I was staring off into the sunset on the second one, it was so loud I jumped a little bit. Even though I missed both bites just the experience of it was awesome. Nothing quite like it to be honest. Now the frustration, I’m fishing off the bank in a lot of trees so I don’t have much room to cast. The water is pretty clear, and seems really deep. I could see fish and even a bass (of which I took a video of, figured if I couldn’t catch em I might as well record and photograph them lol) There is tons of grass, limbs, overhanging trees, rocks. What kind of techniques should I be using here? Where and how should I fish this? While the top water frog may be an option going forward I don’t really know how to use it. I am borrowing a friends tackle box so I’ll be building my own shortly so I’ll have to piece it together over time. Here are some pictures of the various obstacles I’m up against. Even through in some fish/bait pictures. https://imgur.com/a/TqELNGT

Were all these listed on a website somewhere? I also live in alvin and just started bass fishing so I would be nice to scout out some various spots. I have heard of a few you have listed but most of them I have not heard.

So the part about the cast being all in the wrist, As @WRB pointed out pretty much all the other casts are variations of the cast in the video. Is that why the overhead cast as shown in the video is so important to master first ? Do you use the standard overhead cast for anything technique specific? If so, was it hard to get down like others have mentioned when you are starting off on a side arm cast?

I have watched the beginner videos and read a few articles. I ordered a bait caster and in a few days I will be able to start practicing with it. I have a few questions on what to start with and when. There are so many different casts I have learned about in the past few days, the straight forward overhand cast, side arm cast, back hand cast, roll cast, pitching, and flipping. Most guides recommend starting with the overhand cast. It seems to me the overhand cast while seeming the easiest is also the loudest in terms of lure entry. Now I might and probably am wrong but it is just the conclusion I have drawn cause it seems crankbaits are about the only technique that really uses an overhand cast since distance is a big factor with them. Would it be more beneficial to practice a few different casts on a rotation since I am just starting out? For example to 5 overhand casts, 5 side arm, 5 back hand, and repeat. I am 29 years old, which to me is a pretty late start to get into bass fishing. I am just trying to maximize my time and be as efficient as possible with smarter practice. My hope is move from the back yard/pool to using my bait caster out on a pond or lake as soon as possible.

I’m afraid addiction might be the appropriate term lol. I just can’t seem to get enough. I’m listening to podcasts, watching videos, reading articles. Doing everything I can to learn during times I can’t be actually on the water. It’s all just so cool to me.

Hello All, So I’m brand new to bass fishing, there is a big pond at the front of a buddies sub division that I have been trying. I woke up early and got out there at first light a few hours before work. The weather is cool, lots of overcast about 70 degrees, and very windy. I have no tackle or gear yet(for freshwater) so I’ve been borrowing a friends for now. The water was stained I think is the right term. So I picked the brightest crankbait I could find(it was a little square bill) I was using a top water frog a few days ago until I realized there were no lily pads. I had no idea how to really use a cranking bait. First my rod tip was up then it was down, I really had no clue how to properly work the bait. In any case I managed to fumble around long enough to get a sense of If I kept my rod up and reeled at the right speed I could feel a wobble or vibration from the bait doing it’s thing. Thats when it happened. Caught my very first bass. After that I caught a few more but for some reason I didn’t hook them well enough to get them out. Every time I got them to the bank and got them out of the water they would break off with that initial thrash. Not sure how to correct that just yet. P.S. - I also caught the ever elusive, extremely rare...rock fish! See picture below.

Thanks. Also, what is your go to leader? I searched and found suffix, sunline, pline, Seaguar, and more. Seems to me there are a lot fewer options in brands when it comes specifically to fluorocarbon leader.

Thanks for the links. I might go with some leader just to simply save braid line as suggested. I imagine I’ll have several hang ups and reties starting off. Is Berkley vanish good? That’s what I’ve alwahs used in saltwater not sure if there are better options or not. also I’ve always used a swivel with it, what knot is recommended for line to line?

Hello all, So I’m brand new to bass fishing never done it. Still haven’t caught one lol. Ive fished saltwater all my life so I’m familiar with some things. My question is primarily about fishing line. Be gentle lol I’ve read several threads and watched videos and I’m afraid it’s information overload on the ins and outs of bass fishing. So for use with soft plastics and finesse type baits, Is it better to go with a high vis braid and flourocarbon leader, or a braid that’s supposedly invisible like spider wire or something? Below are my rod and potential reel feel free to offer advice on that as well I’m including it in case it impacts the line I use. Rod: Currently I have a 6’5 Daiwa Alexa MH Extra fast tip (it was on sale for 35 bucks, I didn’t know any better and I couldn’t resist) Reel: I’m looking at getting a Kastking royale (till I get good with a BC I figure I shouldn’t spend that much on one)