All,

 

New to this site, and hope that all who read this topic are doing well.

 

I have been fishing for about 12 years now, but over this past year I have started to fish bass heavily.  I am on a budget, and looking to expand my tackle.  My question is this:  What can I add to my tackle box to icrease the months of the year that I can catch bass, the number of bass I catch, and my skill set?

 

A little background on myself...  I live in western Pennsylvania, and typically fish shallow lakes and dams (3'-8').  ALL of my fishing is from the shore.  I'm using a 6'6 medium spinning rod with 10lb IronSilk.  Generally speaking, I fish soft plastics.  My go-to bait is a 5" Senko (or Yum Dinger, or whatever brand you prefer) on a 3/0 Gamakatsu, or a similar worm whacky rigged.  I am in search of baits that are appropriate for my rod/reel combo, and won't break the bank.  Any advice is appreciated, and I hope your answers can help others as well!

 

All the best,

 

RT

Welcome aboard. I would get some smaller 4-7" worms, good hooks and various bullet weights. 1/4 oz spinner baits. A few square bills like the 1.5 series. Tubes, trick worms, sluggos, hard jerkbaits, finesse jigs. There are endless baits to use but these should get you plenty of bites.

Trickworm on a shakyhead is a must. Ned rig is also one I'd get

1/4oz lipless cranks.

A couple of things that have been mentioned in prior posts that bear repeating.  One - you could upgrade your line.   A mid-grade fluorocarbon would be a better choice fro tx rigged or wacky rigged senko style baits.  Secondly, a set of hip waders will get you off the bank a little bit and make paralleling the bank MUCH simpler.  You've been bank fishing for a while, so you probably know the line between carrying gear that you need and carrying too much gear.   Long ago, when I was a bank fishing hippie meat fisherman, I had to constantly remind myself that everything that I carried down to the pond when I was fresh I would have to carry back to the car when I was tired - plus a stringer of fish.

Spinnerbaits and curly tails are easy to use, and virtually snag free. I would be weary of using crank baits from shore because in my experience I get hung up too often and lose baits.

Gambler EZ and Big Ez. Florida Five O is a good all around color that will catch fish anywhere. Very versatile bait. My favorite way to fish it is swimming it on top like a buzz frog. If you're fishing vegetation, I like to buzz it across the top. Then if I don't get any strikes, I'll buzz it across the top and let it drop in little pockets, it's an awesome bait.

4-5" Yamamoto grubs with 1/8 or 1/4 oz darterheads (or slider heads), smoke w/black flake in clear water, green pumpkin anytime