I have a question, I hope this is the right place to ask.  I am new to bass, never caught a bass except by accident and they were all about 5-6" in length, none keepers.  I want to catch some keepers or at least some big ones.

Ok here are the questions:

1. Should I get a 3" or 5" worm?  I am using Berkley Alive Gulp for all lures

2. What size hook for 3" worm?

3. What size hook for 5" worm?

I am after Largemouth, that is the fish that is in the St. Louis, MO area I believe.

I was also planning on getting the 2 1/2" minnows, 3" shrimp and the 5 3/4" slim shaky worm.  Do you think this would be good choices?  I plan to go to Busch Wildlife and practice with the catch and release bass first before going to the river and lakes for keepers.  I have never fished or rather caught anything on artificial lures, but I here Berkley is the best.

I appreciate your replies.

You are about to embark on an obsession for which there is no turning back.  Once bass fishing has you, it will never let go.  The best thing I can tell you is to immediately check out the fishing articles tab in the upper left hand corner.  You will find more information there than you could imagine.  Enjoy!

these are killer!

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_103793____SearchResults

Good luck to you!  ;D

Try some Gary Yamamoto Senkos.  There might be a thread or two around here somewhere about these baits.  

Don't be afraid to go to the main site and reads those fishing articles.

Those should provide you hours of reading and learning.Then apply what you've learned and go from there.

It's definitely a start of an addicting/hobby.

 Just wanted to add this. When you're reading the articles, keep a few notes on the things that really interest you. That way you can post specific questions and get better answers ...

skillet

Definitely read the fishing articles. They helped me out tremendously. This forum also helped me tremendously and still does on a daily basis. Definitely be ready for the addiction to consume you!!...because it is bound to happen!!

Wow, thank you guys for all the great replies.  I have started reading the articles and there is a wealth of information there.  Thank you for letting me know they are there.

I already know, I want to try the Texas and Carolina rig.  I can't wait to start getting after the bass.  I will start this Saturday, I don't have everything, but I have enough to get started.  

I will be fishing from the bank so I hope I can still use the Texas and Carolina rigs?

Is it hard to catch bass from the bank?  I guess, I will find the answer as I keep reading.

Thanks again folks, it is really appreciated.

This should help you get started:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

8-)

Start with this article on how to fish a plastic worm.  If you can master that, you can fish any plastic:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/plasticworms.html

I would also do a Google search on "how to fish a plastic worm", or similar variations.  Rigging it is the easy part, what you need to focus on is detecting the fish on the other end.  Almost invariably every article describes it as a "tap tap".  Focus on that in those articles.

 Fished lots (and LOTS) of ponds and small lakes from the bank. Caught my PB (7/15) from the bank. Would like to put my vote in for learning T-rigged plastics first...

skillet

Start with this article on how to fish a plastic worm. If you can master that, you can fish any plastic:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/plasticworms.html

I would also do a Google search on "how to fish a plastic worm", or similar variations. Rigging it is the easy part, what you need to focus on is detecting the fish on the other end. Almost invariably every article describes it as a "tap tap". Focus on that in those articles.

That's it right there.