hey im new and im just starting to fish a little more. i used to fish a lot but after my paw-paw died i quit. i dont know a lot because he did most of the fixing up and all i did was throw my bait out there and hope for the best. now to my question... im completely in the dark and dont know a thing about lures,jigs,types of baits,etc. i just purchased a Shakespeare "Mantis" reel and i was wondering if that was good enough to start with. ive done a little bit of fishing the past few days but i just dont know where to start. and help, tips, reccomendations for lures would be great. thanks again

http://bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

here you go! and good luck out on the water.

Hey there Just keep it all simple, you don't want any fancy crap for now. I would say to just go to your nearest tackle store and buy a few spinnerbaits, a few crankbaits and maybe even a few topwaters like poppers. I would wait a while to start using jigs and stuff because they require some kind of different techniques that take a while to get down. If your using a spinning setup don't get big lures, I've seen alot of new guys using big spinnerbaits on spinning tackle and there rods are like half bent. A smaller, single blade spinnerbait will do just fine. And for minnow baits just get a few floating rapala's and some suspending models. Again, not to big, I'd say nothing more than 4 1/2 inches on spinning gear. For colors I say to keep it simple, a blue/white, a black/white, and either black/gold or a bright color like chartreuse or firetiger. Just feel free to ask questions if your confused.

I have a mantis also, there fine for now, i would reccomend fishing in rivers, its less err proof and has a lot more fish then in lakes, but if you want size go for lakes.

Hey glad to see you on here and that you are back fishng!  Sorry to hear about your gradfather, my gradfather got me started in the sport as well, and I still try and go with him when I can.      

Anyways, a beginner can never go wrong with a plastic worm/lizard with a tail that has action.  I learned by casting out and winding in.  After you pick up your experence try different retrives with the lure to make it have a different appearence to the fish.  Also a small spinnerbait or and in-line spinner works well also. Hope this helps and Good Luck!  

Welcome to the forum!

Check out that site playmaker posted-it is a great source for someone getting started.

welcome to the forum check out the articles on the home page i'm still readin them lol ;D

welcome to this forum Make yourself at home I have learned more about bass fishing here than anyother place except for personal time spent on the water

ok i have another question... i have read a lot about using crankbaits but there are os many out there. is there any particular style/color that should be used? any help here would be great

any reel and rod is good IMO i fished with my zebco 33 for at least 10 years before i got a spinning reel. and caught just as much fish.

good luck!

welcome to the site.  there tons of info here.  so regarding your question on crankbaits, i regulaly use shallow diving(3-6feet)  and medium divers (6-10 feet) will most success for where im fishng (small lakes and river coves).  my preffered colors are a red, usually chartruse with a blue back, bright and dark reds, and shad colors.  i have tight and wide wobble cranks in a variety of colors. however water clarity will determine what color and wobble.  clear water, bright and tight.  stained or murky water, dark and wide wobble.  i usually fish them over weeds, and try to hit  structure if i can.  i usually fish from the banks so i try to run them parallel to the shore or over specific areas.   a constant retrieve with a few small jerks usually works for me, but everyone has their own prefference. i have a few wooden cranks, but mostly i use plastic with internal rattles.  start off with a bait that looks good to you, i think youll have more confidence in it and you will work it better (more thorough) than a bait you may have second thoughts about because of appleal.  over time youll find a brand and action that you prefer.

The rapala countdown series works well if youre just getting started.  i would reccomend the CD7 or larger, perch, black and silver and black and gold work well for me.    since youre using a spinning setup i would reccomend a smaller size crank i think 1/4 oz. may be the largest you should try.  hope this helps you.

Welcome!The previous posters couldn't have said it better.

keep it simple a few spinning baits a couple rapalas  my favorites are the f7s black and white and black and gold floaters i fish in southern wisconsin and they catch bass also strike kings mini kings work good on spinning gear good luck to ya

thanks for all the help so far it has been great. now i have another question. i went fishing today probably during the worst hours to go. i got out there by about 2 and fished till about 7. i was mostly using crankbaits and a few artificial worms. and to make things short.. i got nothing. now i have been fishing from a dock that is in a cove. is there any time that is better than others. i know im sounding like i know nothing but it is because i dont.  down here in south carolina it gets extremely hot. and i figured that would affect the fish but i did not know in what way. once again thanks for all the help so far. regardless of today. it still was great just fishing. but i cant wait to start pulling a few in

jonsptz,

Where in SC are you from? If you live anywhere near Strom Thourmond I am game to take you. I live in Augusta Ga.

Well, for dock fishing you probably wanna go at morning or evening. Up here in Mn we catch muskies, largemouths and smallmouths from docks so they do work. I've had good success from docks using live bait. I will either use a slip bobber rig or a big slip sinker and floating jighead equipped with your bait of choice. A medium sized shiner on there will catch just about anything. Try that slip sinker rig and I'll bet you catch something!

maybe it wasnt that you couldnt catch the fish around the dock but maybe there just werent any fish within casting distance. i have a little 10' johnboat that i put a trolling motor on. i got mine cheap at a garage sale for 50 bucks. if you can find a one or know someone that would let you borrow one i would highly recomend it