Intermediate bass fishing advice?

[cjam93]

Dang, guys! A whole lot of info here. Haha. I appreciate that. I'm a little conflicted now, hearing about the different types of lines and their pros and cons. I would have walked in to Bass Pro, and just picked up something in the midrange pricing and left none the wiser without knowing what to look for. Braid sounds the most durable, but if I'm bass fishing, I assume a heavier mono or FC will do the trick? Anything that's going to give me the least amount of problems at the best price point is really what I'm looking for. I'm not a pro angler (yet…), so I don't need to spend hundreds on a rig just yet. Not to mention the wife wouldn't be too happy with me.

Heavier mono or fc will for sure work for you, it just comes down to if you prefer spending a little less on the mono, or want to spend more for fc or braid. If you do get a more expensive line be sure to back it with mono. When I get a new reel I fill it up with mono then I go outside and make the longest cast I can. Then I start peeling off line from the reel and walking up to where I cast the bait. I strip off somewhere between 1.5-2 cast lengths of line. Then I tie on my new line using an alberto knot and fill the reel up from that point. I can get 2-3 reels filled out of 150 yards that way. If you do stick with spinning then braid will give you the least problems imo because of the lack of memory. On a baitcaster once you get comfortable with it and break the fc in you will be good either way. I agree with Eric though, you really should consider a baitcaster. They are much better suited to what you are looking to do. You can certainly find a spinning rod that has enough backbone to pull out a bass from cover, it just works better on a casting rod. In the end though find what you are most comfortable with and go from there.

 

[harms.whey]

Went to Bass Pro today and pulled the trigger on a bait caster rig. They had a combo for $59.99 that seemed to be a steal. 6' Mega Cast carbon rod, 6.3:1 bait caster reel, Trilene Sensation 14 lb test FC line, Owner 4/0 hooks, YUM Dinger watermelon candy worms, and of course the Shadrap Firetiger.

 

[cjam93]

Nice man, one thing about fc I forgot to mention, be sure to really wet down your knots before cinching them tight, fc is great but it will burn itself if you tie it dry which will weaken the knot a lot. Also dont fish with a knot that you have left tied up from the last trip. FC weakens at the knot over time and after 24 hours or so it will break with little to no pressure. It isnt a big deal, just retie before starting and youll be set. Good luck!

 

[harms.whey]

Noted, sir. Thanks!

 

[Frank Castle]

Went to Bass Pro today and pulled the trigger on a bait caster rig. They had a combo for $59.99 that seemed to be a steal. 6' Mega Cast carbon rod, 6.3:1 bait caster reel, Trilene Sensation 14 lb test FC line, Owner 4/0 hooks, YUM Dinger watermelon candy worms, and of course the Shadrap Firetiger.

I'm going to adopt you. LMAO

EDIT: IDK what happened but I screwed up the quote. Either way, everything you typed made me say to myself " Good, good......my young apprentice.....The Force within you is strong."

Hold onto that reel, because when you get tired of that rod, you're gonna want to remount that reel on a piece of IM-7 graphite, or higher grade. 100% Graphite is always the lightest weight rod. You'll have to talk to the locals about colors.....IDK wht colors worms/lizards are effective in your part of Texas....even here in PA bright chartreuse is good in one spot, then 2 miles away they all want motoroil/metalflake or purple and black. Do your homework....be nice to the locals and they will be nice to you

 

[harms.whey]

Scratch that. Not carbon. It is a graphite composite rod.

 

[Frank Castle]

Nice man, one thing about fc I forgot to mention, be sure to really wet down your knots before cinching them tight, fc is great but it will burn itself if you tie it dry which will weaken the knot a lot. Also dont fish with a knot that you have left tied up from the last trip. FC weakens at the knot over time and after 24 hours or so it will break with little to no pressure. It isnt a big deal, just retie before starting and youll be set. Good luck!

Scratch that. Not carbon. It is a graphite composite rod.

yea....don't be afraid to replace it w/ 100% graphite....of the combo - the reel itself probably cost $55.00.....the rod is responsible for the other $5.00. Get the hint? Comp rods are bottom-tier....lower than low-tier. Imagine playing Street Fighter and trying to win with DAN.

 

[harms.whey]

Understood. Haha

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Ugly sticks are great but lack sensitivity, something crucial when fishing worms, jigs and finesse lures. I have always had a thing for Berkley IM-7 graphite, especially the Lightning rod series. Rapala makes a great series of graphite rods as well and full of backbone for ripping fish from heavy cover - something you will encounter a lot of in Texas. I'm not a huge fan of braided lines and I think they are very bad for the environment, but they don't stretch like mono and fluorocarbon. If you don't like mono, try Seaguar Fluorocarbon - they invented it and still have the best fluoro to date.
As far as reels, you simply can't go wrong with Shimano regardless of the style, but mostof the Japanese manufactured reels like Daiwa and Okuma are built very well and are easy to clean and find replacement parts if need be. I have a variety of Quantum, Mitchell, Pflueger, Pinnacle, and m my personal favorite, Abu Garcia,especially the older Ambassaduer series baitcasters.
Plastic worms will catch fish anywere there is bass, the type and height of bottom vegetation will determine the style of rigging you will want to use. Wacky worms seem to work wonders, as well as a weedless Spider-Slider head rigged with either a 4-inch slider worm or a 4-inch Berkley Powerworm. Crankbaits have caught me some of the biggest Large and Smallmouths I have ever caught (particularly Rapala's Shad Rap 2.75" firetiger shallow-runner), but nothing really compares to live native chubs or shiners, hellgrammites or de-clawed crayfish. Jig-and-Pig is also popular down south and I have recently seen a new "lure" called the Umbrella rig, which is actually a series of several lures attached to a wire frame resembling an umbrella designed to imitate an entire school of baitfish.

I have never had a sensitivity problem with an ugly stik but I won't argue there are much better rods out there.
Braid is essential if you're ripping anything through or out of cover haha, flouros and monos are going to give before braid. With regards to the environment...none of its good if you lose 10 feet+ in the water haha. It all really comes down to personal preference and experience. All good advice thus far.

 

[fish_sauce]

I have never had a sensitivity problem with an ugly stik but I won't argue there are much better rods out there.
Braid is essential if you're ripping anything through or out of cover haha, flouros and monos are going to give before braid. With regards to the environment...none of its good if you lose 10 feet+ in the water haha. It all really comes down to personal preference and experience. All good advice thus far.

If you have never compared an Ugly Stick with the sensitivity of another rod, then you would have no idea what sensitivity is. Comapring the sensitivity of an Ugly Stick with, let's say, G. Loomis, there is a day and night difference. Ugly Sticks are made for people to thrash and not break. They are built tough as nails, but not made for sensitivity. I have personally used both. There were probably fish that have bit that you never knew about.