Tips On Getting Started

[Tfsh4bass]

I am a little different than some in that I think a football jig and jig in general is a little tougher technique to start off with. I have some buddies who haven't thrown them much and they lose more fish than they catch because they never even knew one was on there. I would go with soft plastics before I did a bulky jig. You can't go wrong with a smoke or white grub on 1/4oz head but my first choice would be to stock up on crankbaits. 7' Med rod with 12lb test and cover all the depth ranges with various size cranks...cast them out and reel them in. Not many times of year they won't hit one and keeps you a little more into it. Just my 2 cents.

[riverfish]

something that capt. joe said made me think about when i was first starting i didn't realize how important my rod is. it;s the sole thing that tells me if im getting bit or just bumping rocks. its not the bait, the reel, the boat,the line and so forth,although they can contribute, its the rod. every year i have fished i have made at least one upgrade to a better rod with more sensitivity. i wish i would have started with better rods to begin with. it would have been money saved.i now prefer falcon rods

[Feathers and Fins]

Good Points River: I had not even thought about gear fr this topic... For me its St Croix rods, They are very sensitive and without doubt help me detect things better, Line Flourocarbon is my go to over anything else and for reels Shimano is hard to beat ( except the line counters then its Daiwa ) and never skimp on the glasses, the cheap Walley World types do not compare to the higher end glasses for seeing in the water. Also A First Aid Kit is a must always and should be well stocked.

[edwin]

One add'l suggestion I'd recommend over all things that have been mentioned - get ahold of the Bill Babler recordings of the discussions he's led when talking at MO Dept of Conservation events. I can't even guess how many times I've listened to his late winter thru early spring season seminar. He goes thru the various baits he uses, what rods / reels, what part of the lake, etc. Fantastic info!!!

[dtrs5kprs]

Bry makes a good point. If you have time, spend a day trying to do one or maybe two things at most. Go out and swim a grub all day, chase deep fish around with a spoon or drop shot, experiment with different cranks, fish wind with a blade, or drag something like a rig or jig, as examples. Fish one bait until you have it down, especially if it is not something you are comfortable with currently.

[mixermarkb]

I agree with this for sure. If you want to learn, take everything out of the boat but what you need to work on, and go fish. It's hard to do on limited fishin time, but it really will make you better!