Big Indiana Bass

I was reading an opinion piece by a well known bass writer the other day about how the fishing industry in general, the media in particular, and most everybody involved with the sport, does a poor job in promoting bass fishing to the beginning angler. Doesn't matter whether you're in your 20's or 30's, or a 10 year old kid just getting started, the wrong message is being sent. Everything is geared toward pushing the current image or concept of bass fishing, that being $30,000 boats, $300+ rod and reel combo's, and $15 fancy baits. Being a pro is where it's at, or where they want you to be, or what the sport has become. You need their outfits, their advice, their latest named product, if you want to be successful. Watch any fishing show, open any magazine, or visit most any bass fishing website of note; read the articles and/or look at the advertising, and see what I mean.

A lot of parents who might not fish don't know where to start with equipment purchases to get their kid bass fishing. A lot of adults just getting into the sport think they need to buy and learn how to use a baitcaster, and purchase many of the latest lures for the hottest techniques in order to catch bass. A lot of bass angler parents try and push their kids too fast into the sport by dragging them along on fishing trips and leaving them on the back deck fishing behind themselves as they continue to fish like normal, that being a traditional tourney type day with tourney type techniques.

The simple fact of the matter is, kids, or beginning adults, need to be entertained. We live in a technology filled world of instant gratification and short attention spans. If a person doesn't start catching fish, quite a few fish, and fairly quickly, they'll get bored with the sport in a hurry. Many times, a long slow trip or two is all it takes to turn them off of fishing. But it doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't need to be fancy. It doesn't need to be expensive, and it doesn't need to be boring.

I remembered back to a fun little piece I read in Walleye-Insider about a decade or more ago, a challenge to one of the pro's, about how would you outfit the beginning walleye angler new to the sport for $100 or less. That little piece has always stuck in my mind, and so I thought I'd resurrect the challenge to myself. Outfit a novice angler for a season of successful bass fishing, all for under $100. Can it be done? If you put your ego aside for a minute, I think it can.

The following are my suggestions. In many cases, a lot of this stuff is from Bass Pro Shops. While it would certainly make it easy for someone to do almost this entire $100 shopping trip online in a single purchase, keep in mind that these are just examples of the type and cost of baits and products I'd recommend. In many cases you could find similar or equal items that will work just as well, for the same amount of money, in your local Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain or similar type store. One thing you'll notice is that I've intentionally tried to keep every individual item under $4 (rod/reel excluded), the point being you can create a pretty nice box with lots of stuff that will work just fine for not a lot of money. More on this later. 

With that said, let the purchasing begin:

1. Quantum® Bill Dance Select Rod and Reel Spinning Combos ($44.99) - Hey, its got Bill Dance's name on it and 8 ball bearings, 4 more than you'd ever need. In actuality, spinning outfits are the perfect starter setup for most bass anglers, IMO. Baitcasters are fairly expensive, and can be extremely frustrating to learn. Let the person get hooked on catching bass first, and they'll naturally gravitate to better and higher end equipment. Lots of good combos for under $50 that will hold up to a season or three of bass fishing. Here I'd recommend either a 6' or 6'6" rod in Medium action as a great all-around outfit that will handle every lure recommended below.
2. Bass Pro Shops® Tourney Tough™ Monofilament Fishing Line ($3.79) - If you bought the combo in a store, you should be able to get the line spooled for free. If you buy online and need to purchase separately, this spool of monofilament line in either 8# or 10# test will work just fine for a season. Braid is nice, fluoro is great, but beginners don't need either.
3. Bass Pro Shops® XPS® Lazer Eye™ Micro Spin (2 @ $2.69 ea.) - I found out the power of inline spinners this past fall, catching hundreds of fish from the shoreline that were feeding on windblown shad. Suprisingly, a lot of them were largemouth bass, and not just tiny guys. Throw them out and reel them in. Get something at or just under 1/4-oz. in a shiny bluegill/shad/silver/trout color and you'll be fine. Bonus fish caught will go a long way in holding a beginner's attention.
4. Bass Pro Shops® XPS® Lazer Eye Nitro™ Hardbaits - Medium Crank (2 @ $3.99 ea.) - Cast them out, reel them in. Built-in action and practically self setting of hooks. Perfect for a beginner. Dives 4'-5' and will catch lots of bass along riprap and rock banks. Get a shad color and a craw color and you're set.
5. Cotton Cordell® Super Spot® Lipless Crankbaits (1 @ $2.99 ea.) - Another cast and reel bait that can be thrown about anywhere. Pick up a red craw color or a chrome/blue or black color in the 1/4-oz. size.
6. XTS Speed Lures - Popper (1 @ $2.44) - A little 1/4-oz. topwater popper for surface feeding bass. Easy to throw, easy to work, and will really grab their attention the first time a bass blows up on one.
7. Bass Pro Shops® XPS® Extreme® Roundball Jigheads (1 @ $2.49, 5-pk) - Forget the tungsten and Texas rigs. You can buy most any small plastic and thread it onto a jighead and begin catching bass without missing bites. No big hooksets required here; just cast, drag and reel 'em in. Get the 1/8-oz. size.
8. Zoom® Soft Plastic Baits - 3-1/2'' Tube (1 @ $3.29, 10-pk) - You could substitute about any 3" or 4" plastic here; worms, craws, or creatures. They'll all work. Tubes are beefier than worms, yet smaller than jig-n-pigs, making for a nice middle of the road profile. Work them on bottom like a craw, or swim them along like a baitfish. They work about anywhere. Thread them onto the jigheads or rig insert style and hooksetting becomes easy. Go with a pack of either green pumpkin, black neon or junebug.
9. Bass Pro Shops® Enticer® Pro Series Smallmouth Jig (1 @ $3.49, 2-pack) - Little dark jigs simply catch bass. You could substitute straight hair jigs or even bitsy bugs if you wanted to. I like the little hair/plastic combo as a one-size-fits-all deal. No trailer necessary in this case. Work with a lift-fall retrieve along the bottom and you'll catch bass.
10. Bass Pro Shops® Lazer Eye™ Tandem Spinnerbaits (1 @ $3.29) - Again, a cast and retrieve bait that will keep a newbie from being constantly hung in stump fields and around brush. Get them on a wood flat and let them cast and crank to their hearts desire. Go with the smaller 1/4-oz. size in a white or white/chartreuse.
11. Kinami Baits® Flash Worm by Yamamoto Enterprises (1 @ $4.99) - The one exception to my $4 rule. A pack of 4" Senko's have enough weight to cast and fall on their own. Throw toward the bank and let it drop. Rig wacky with the hooks below. Just start reeling when your pole bends over and your line is headed down the bank. Green pumpkin, black, or junebug will work well.
12. 6" Original Touchdown Worm (3 @ $2.09 ea.) - Simply the most versatile worm for the novice or expert alike. Swim it over weed flats, dropping it in holes or along edges. Swim it parallel to riprap or docks, or drag it along an open bank or point like a Carolina rig. If snags are present, simply use the built-in weed guards to fend off. Comes pre-rigged with their own weights included. Hard to fish this bait wrong. Get 2 purple-firetails and 1 black.
13. Owner® Wacky Hook 3X Wire Super Needle Point Hooks - Model 5172P (1 @ $2.79) - Hooks for your Senko's/Flashes. Tie on your line and then thread right through the middle of the bait. Cast to the bank and work with slow lift and drops. Will flat catch fish and hook setting couldn't be easier.
14. Bass Pro Shops® 370 Storage Boxes (1 @ $5.49) - Fit all your tackle into this nice little 3700 size box and you'll look loaded. Easy to carry, easy to see what you have, and nearly unbreakable. No trays to rust or cloth bags to get wet and moldy - simply simple.

Total Package Cost - $99.67

So there you have it. For $100 dollars, a complete outfit of decent quality stuff that will cover most every situation you'll encounter while giving the recipient a better than average chance at catching lots and lots of bass without the fuss, hassle and headaches. You could buy this entire kit and give it to a grandparent, a girlfriend/wife or a young kid and be assured of the decision. You simply don't need fancy or expensive stuff to start catching bass and get someone hooked on this sport.

As a fun side project, I'm going to make some fishing trips this year where I use nothing but some of the gear recommended above, and I'll be sure to post the reports and the pics. Make a point of introducing someone to the sport of bass angling this year, but do it the right way. Forget all the hype and the marketing - keep it simple. Keep it enjoyable. You might just hook a new fishing buddy for life.