Hi to all,

 

This is my first post here. I've only been bass fishing two times and that was in the last month or so. I didnt catch anything. I have trout fished in the past, but Bass fishing has so many different variables including lines, rods, reels, lures.

 

I have (2) of the Zebco 202 1 open face spinner that a friend gave me. I  bought one pack of Yum stick bait. It is dark green with I think red flakes on it. It measures about 4" in length. I have tried Wacky with a EWG 2/0 offset hook and with that same hook, I tried a weightless Texas Rig. I also bought a Rapala lure RSP 09 Black and Silver color. My main fishing tackle place would be either Walmart or Dicks Sporting Goods. Can you please give me some advice on what size/lb line to use. Also, I've read that if you use fluorocarbon line, there is a difference in FLC to use as your main line spooled onto the reel vs FLC to use as a leader.

 

I also tried to tie a Seaguar knot with 4 pound test FLC with whatever is coming off of my Zebco 202. The knot kept on breaking on me. Maybe the diameter of the line was not compatible. Im not sure. It seems like an easy knot to tie.

 

For now I will only be able to fish from the banks in NC. I just found a lake (I call it a river, but large area within a river I guess). Im looking forward to fishing there, but I noticed alot of rocks in a certain area, so the Texas Rig looks like a better set up there (I think).

 

Sorry so many questions.

Bass fishing does not have to be difficult.  Unless you are fishing ultra clear water, fluorocarbon line is not necessary. Anglers have been catching bass with mono line for over 50 years.   A Zebco 202 is an entry level reel.  That does not mean it won't work for you.  I would start with 10 pound clear mono.  Make sure the drag works so you don't break off a big fish.  Try Zoom Trick worms.  Bass of all sizes will eat them.  I use Gamakatsu #58413 3/0 wide gap hooks with Trick Worms.  Adjust the weight to the depth you are fishing, 1/16 oz. for shallow water and 1/8 for deeper.  Small Rapalas are great lures for you.  So are Heddon Tiny torpedoes.  You may also want to try small spinnerbaits and 1/4 oz. Rattle Traps.  The best knot for 10 pound mono is the Jimmy Houston Knot. 

   Go to the top left corner and click the "menu". When "fishing articles" comes up, click on that. The info contained therein is wide-ranging, detailed to a degree, and very reliable. The videos will let you see things as well as hear about them, and sometimes that helps immeasurably.

   The reason I'm telling you this is that we, as a community, don't have any way of knowing exactly what it is that you don't know. And right now, maybe you don't, either. But as you read those articles, you'll get a much better idea of what applies to you and what doesn't.

   After that, you can pick and choose the details you want to ask us, and you can be sure that we'll be here to help you.    ?

 

   Good luck!    jj

7 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   Go to the top left corner and click the "menu". When "fishing articles" comes up, click on that. The info contained therein is wide-ranging, detailed to a degree, and very reliable. The videos will let you see things as well as hear about them, and sometimes that helps immeasurably.

   The reason I'm telling you this is that we, as a community, don't have any way of knowing exactly what it is that you don't know. And right now, maybe you don't, either. But as you read those articles, you'll get a much better idea of what applies to you and what doesn't.

   After that, you can pick and choose the details you want to ask us, and you can be sure that we'll be here to help you.    ?

 

   Good luck!    jj

 

I've caught larger fish on 8# mono than any Largemouth or Smallmouth will ever reach so nothing wrong with 10#.  I've caught a 10# fish on 4# Berkley XL.  Don't even look at the size saltwater guys catch on light lines.    There are a lot of good knots.  Search Online.  An Improved Clinch Knot will work fine.  Caught tons of fish using one.  Then I found the Uni Knot and have used it every since.  Don't forget to wet the knot before tightening.  Especially with Fluorocarbon as the heat from tightening the knot will weaken it.

 

Welcome to the sport and best of luck.  There is more to learn than you can in a lifetime of fishing.

I would just respool the reels with 6/8# mono of your choice, and tie lures direct to that.  You seem new enough to this that overcomplicating the rigging will result in more headaches than the small improvement (assuming everything is tied up right) than it's worth.  Get some fresh line, and get fishing.

On 11/9/2020 at 7:21 AM, jimmyjoe said:

   Go to the top left corner and click the "menu". When "fishing articles" comes up, click on that. The info contained therein is wide-ranging, detailed to a degree, and very reliable. The videos will let you see things as well as hear about them, and sometimes that helps immeasurably.

 

I was a complete beginner 4 seasons ago, and I spent time reading fishing articles, watching videos on this site as well as on Youtube (and still do all the time) - and now these days I am no pro by any means but I've at least made it past the "total noob" level.

On 11/9/2020 at 10:04 AM, J Francho said:

I would just respool the reels with 6/8# mono of your choice, and tie lures direct to that.  You seem new enough to this that overcomplicating the rigging will result in more headaches than the small improvement (assuming everything is tied up right) than it's worth.  Get some fresh line, and get fishing.

Yup..  this, exactly! Even if you go with 6lb line just be sure to set your drag appropriately (25% is a safe bet) and you can still land a pretty big bass even on 6lb line. Some of the trout guys up here manage to pull out giant bass on their 2 or 4lb trout line!

 

You can go down the rabbit holes of what gear you can buy and for what lures to use it on later, but in the meantime get out and fish

Thank you all for commenting. This information does help me.  

I bought some 10 lb test trilene FLC. To use as a leader on my mono. My take away from all of my research thus far is that, well.... a lot of people use different setups. It seems like for me the braid backing with a FLC leader would work pretty good.  I would like a backing that has little to no memory on it.  It seems that with a little or no memory line might last a long time, and the only line that I would need to replace would be the leader.  Is this correct? 

I know people have mentioned heavier line in heavy cover, but I would think most any line above 4 pounds would pull through most any kind of cover unless it gets snagged. People are using anywhere from FLC 6 pound test on up to close to twenty.  If I’m using a FLC leader, does it really matter if I use a heavier size?