Bass Fishing Equipment

Hey Guys I have Recently started Bass fishing and was wondering if any of you could give me some advice on what to start buying
such as:
baitcasting reels what brands and what are some of the most important things to look for in purchasing these I use them all the time just not for casting?

Rods what are some of your favorite casting rods?

Tackle I know this could go on and on just like walleye fishing stuff but what are some of the things that I should look for that I normally wouldn’t think of myself being a walleye guy.

or any other insight you more knowledgable bass guys might be able to share

Thanks

Bill, you sure you did not drop Nate on his head when he was little??????

What is he talking about??? Nate you feel ok???

Don’t skimp on your reels, go Shimano Curado (about 120) at least, or maybe the Diawa Advantage. I would go Curado though.

Rods, you’ll get more opinions than trucks or boats. I like Falcons and Shimano’s, 6’6″ to 7’+, MH or H for most applications, with mayeb a medium 7 footer for cranks, and a lighter shorter rod for finesse or topwater.

I only run Shimano bait casters! I completely agree with spending the money in your reels.

Baits and Rods are a tough one. Every one has a different feel and presentation. They only thing that I can tell you is to make sure that you have enough hooks, weights and jigs for your favorite plastics presentations.

Have fun

Another walleye guy is going to the dark-side.

Good choices on reels so far.
Rods are a personal choice, St Croix are mine.
Lures are a tough one to pinpoint: spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwater, crankbaits, plastics, jigs, ect.

Ron

Nate,
you will probably find that your walleye gear will serve you well in bass fishing (especially the bronzebacks.)
If you are going after LM in the slop a nice m/h rod with a nice low profile baitcaster will do. I’ve got a nice Pinnacle Tetra reel that I really like. I’ve married that up with a nice Limit Creek 6’6″ M/H rod. After using 4 to 8 lb test for the ‘eyes using the 10 to 20 lb stuff will feel like you’re fishing with logging chain!

It’s about time Nate

my favorite rods are of course st croix. pair that up with a pflueger reel like the trion or the president (i dont reccomend going any lower quality than those two)

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Bill, you sure you did not drop Nate on his head when he was little??????

What is he talking about??? Nate you feel ok???

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Yep, dropped him MANY MANY times Rob. He also made a good football, basketball, soccerball, tennis ball, baseball….you get the picture. He has what you call ”tournament brain.” He loves fishing tourneys and being around tournaments and with the slowdown on walleye tournaments this time of year hes started fishing bass tournaments too.
Thanks, Bill

Nate
I think a good all around rod would be a St Croix ac66mf. As far as reels you will get a ton of different answers. I have a couple of Shimano Curado but i lean more toward the upper end Pinnacle.

Nate, to be St. Croix model specific, here is what I use.

AC70MHF—This rod excells at flipping/pitching. I also use it as a slop rod. It has all the backbone you could want and won’t pull the hooks out. Feel free to string it with a good Flourocarbon or a braid like PowerPor.

AC70MHXF—I use this as a ‘tweener’ rod. It’s tip is a little softer that the AC70MHF, so I tend to throw bigger topwater like spooks with it. The softer tip helps in setting the hook on topwater plugs. For me it’s still too stiff for spinnerbaits and cranks. I will use to to flip/pitch plastics when the need arises.

PGC70MM—This in my mind is the pinnacle of crankbait rods. It has great feel and an action that won’t pull the hooks out when a fish hits your lure. I rarely set the hook with this rod. I allow it to ‘load up’ with the fish’s weight thus securing solid hook placement. It allow handles spinnerbaits very well also. BTW, this is a Premeir Glass Crankbait rod.

PC70MM—One of the best lipless crank rods on the market. Very responsive and like the PGC70MM it’s action won’t pull the hooks out when a fish strikes. I use it solely for this purpose.

I combo all these rods with either a Shimano Curado or an Abu Garcia 1600 Morrum. Set properly they can throw a lure a LONG ways. Just ask some of the guys I’ve fished with.