This is the first time I’ve started to look into bass fishing. What setups should I use? (Never caught a bass in my life)

Are the lures the same? What lures should I use? 
So what should I add to my tackle box?

Howdy and welcome.

 

A 7' Medium Fast Spinning rod with a 2500 or 3000 sized reel. 12 pound mono line. If you can't use a baitcaster.

If you can use a baitcaster, or are going to learn, then I like my Lews Hank Parker 6'10" casting rod and a BPS Pro Qualifier reel. I use 10 and 12 pound mono normally, but for FL and some heavier cover, I'd probably jump up to 14 and 17 pound line.

 

•Zoom super fluke weightless rigged with Gamakatsu 4/0 round bend hook, watermelon red and junebug colors

•h20x and kvd 1.5 squarebill crankbaits in gold and shad colors

•1/2oz Rat-L-trap in chrome/blue and gold/black and orange crawfish patterns

•Zoom baby brushhogs, 2/0 gamakasu round bend hook 1/8oz and 3/16oz bullet weights. color green brushhog and okeechobee craw

•whopper plopper

•3/8oz jig in green pumpkin and black/blue, use the tail section of a baby brush hog for a trailer

•5" senko green pumpkin 297

•topwater frog. I like the H20X, but any will do.

 

 

Oh boy!

 

To start, get yourself a medium heavy fast action baitcaster with a 7 speed 150 size spool reel and 15lb copoly line and a medium or medium light moderate fast action spinning rod with a 2500 or 3000 size reel and 12 lb copoloy line. Both in 7' length.  St. Croix makes some nice entry level rods.

 

Get some of the following tackle:

 

-3/0 and 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hooks.

-Black with blue flake and also green pumpkin 5" Yamamoto Senko's.

-White 1/2 oz double willow blade spinnerbaits. (Dobyn's Beast and Megabass SV-3 are the best)

-Creature craws.  Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and Riot Baits Little Fuzzy Beaver.  Get the color that is black/blue on one side and green pumpkin on the other.  It is called different things by different manufacturers. Riot Baits calls this color "Money".

-Zoom white pearl flukes. (I prefer regular flukes over super flukes)

-1/2 oz black/blue and also green pumpkin jig.  Pitching jigs are a good place to start.  Also consider a football head jig. Can't go wrong with Dirty Jigs brand or Siebert Outdoors.

-4" Rapala Crush City Mayor swimbait in electric shad color.

-1/4 oz Texas rig weights black color.

-Peg stoppers for weights.

 

I would personally ignore everything else until you get a feel for bass fishing, casting, etc.

 

Don't get hung up on color.  Focus on white, black, and green pumpkin colored baits.  If you jump into worm fishing, you can add a fourth color pattern of something that looks similar to an earth worm.  There are many varieties of this color, but just get something that has that brownish red/purple/blue hue to it.  The only place really needed to expand from there would eventually be junebug color in various soft plastics.  Keep color simple.

 

With those baits you should be able to learn to catch bass.  After that...well...open your wallet.  Once you get bit, its going to get expensive.

 

 

*Edit - Second train of thought:

 

This day in age, knowing what I know now and how I like to fish, I could have saved myself thousands of dollars just going straight to BFS (bait finesse) and big swimbaits and skipping all the rest in between.  But I really would not have learned much along the way.

Ned Rig

Spinning rod 10 lb test. Wacky Worm

My advice.  Don't start with Internet advice.  Start where YOU are.  I assume you've fished before.  Use your experience and current equipment and make modifications to target bass.  Spend time on the water to identify and address your weaknesses and you'll be on your way.

I’m going with @Tennessee Boy in skipping the internet advice but my internet advice is go visit a local tackle shop relative to where you’re planning on fishing and have them help you out. 

On 11/17/2025 at 10:57 AM, Ameer said:

This is the first time I’ve started to look into bass fishing. What setups should I use? (Never caught a bass in my life)

Are the lures the same? What lures should I use? 
So what should I add to my tackle box?

Welcome

This link has some very good ideas for the first setup. You can go on a budget or something that will break the bank. Brand is a matter of personal choice. https://fishingbooker.com/blog/beginner-fishing-setup/

On 11/17/2025 at 9:57 AM, Ameer said:

This is the first time I’ve started to look into bass fishing. What setups should I use? (Never caught a bass in my life)

T-Rigged and weightless Zoom plastic Trick Worms. Guaranteed to catch a Bass. Recommend you check out the Bass Resource video instructions. Good stuff.

Good Fishing