Your Beginner Bass Fishing Tackle Box
- Noah P
- Aug 30, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 30, 2023
Getting started with the sport of bass fishing can be intimidating. With all the different lures and equipment available, where should you start? In this blog we will cover the basics of what will build a solid foundation of lures in your first tackle box!
Gear
Tackle box- It is important to have a lightweight and versatile tackle box when hopping between bank fishing, kayak fishing and bass boat fishing. There are tons of different options for sale when it comes to tackle box’s but typically we recommend something like the Plano 3600 or 3700 series waterproof stowaway box. You can customize the compartments with movable tabs to make sure all of your tackle is able to fit and is held securily. It is important to get a waterproof box because you don’t want to invest your hard earned money on all of these fishing lures, just for them to rust after a season on the water.
Tackle Bag- You will want a tackle bag to organize your soft plastics. Soft Plastic lures come in their own individual bag which if you don’t have a way to store them, will end up everywhere. You will have them crumpled together in the bottom of your backpack, or in random compartments in your boat or kayak. Having all of your soft plastics is definiltley helpful and makes getting everything you need to go fishing much easier. If you fish primarily off of a bass boat, they also make soft plastic organizers in a box form which hold more baits and are easy to store.
Tackle Backpack- Tackle backpacks are great for holding your tackle boxes and soft plastics bag in one place. They can come in particularly handy when bank fishing because they are roomy enough to hold all (or most) of your gear and it is easy to stay mobile and continue fishing when looking for the sweet spot on the bank.
Pliers- It is important to have a good pair of pliers to be able to safely remove hooks from the fishes mouth. We recommend a pair of pliers that have multiple uses such as cutting fishing line, trimming wire leaders, crimping split shot weights and opening split rings.
Hooks & Weights
Without hooks and weights, you are not going to be able to hook any fish. As a beginner we recommend picking up a value pack of 3/0 offset worm hooks. There are two main weight typs that are used for soft plastics. Tungsten and lead. Tungsten weights are great because they allow you to feel the bottom more and are physically smaller because tungsten is a more dense metal. The problem is they are significantly more expensive than lead weights and for that reason we would not typically recommend them for beginner anglers. We recommend picking up a bulk pack of lead slip weights in both 1/8 oz & ¼ oz. Between these hooks and weights you will be prepared to handle almost any fishing scenario you will run into.
Soft Plastics
One of the easiest and most effective lures for beginner anglers to throw are soft plastic baits. Specifically soft plastic worms are great! It is important to pick up a variety of colors that you can switch around based on the clarity of the water that you are fishing. In clear water you will want to throw baits that are more natural in color (Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Red, Green etc.). In dirty water you want to use colors that are complete opposites of the spectrum (White, Black and Blue, Chartreuse, Bright Orange Bright Yellow etc.). Once you have your worms picked out, you are going to want to find something that imitates a bait fish. Bluegills, Minnows, Gizzard Shads are commonly on the dinner plate for bass. Something like the Strike King KVD Caffeine Shad is a very popular option when it comes to soft plastic jerk baits. To pick the color your are going to want to research the type of baitfish that are in your local body of water. The whole goal of these baits are to imitate what the bass are feeding on so pick your colors accordingly. Finally you should look to add some creature baits to your collection. Creature baits are known for having a bulkier profile with more appendages sticking out and are meant to imitate the creatures that are hanging out at the bottom of the water. In general the same color rules will apply to all of your soft plastics. Now that we have an assortment of various soft bates added to our beginner arsenal, it is time to move on to hard baits.
Hard Baits
Hard baits are used to get reaction bites from fish. While soft plastics are fished closer to the bottom of the water, hard baits are reeled in the water column to get the bass to chase, then eat it. Overall, the easiest hard bait to fish is the classic spinner bait. Whether you’re a first time beginner or a seasoned angler, you can go to any body of water in any part of the country and catch fish with the spinner bait. The same color rules as soft plastics apply so you want to use dark or light colors in dark water, and natural colors in clear water. 3/8 ounce is our favorite weight for bass fishing on most ponds or lakes. Squarebill crankbaits have the same goal of getting reaction bites out of the fish. Squarebill crank bates are a time tested method of catching fish and have a place in every tacklebox. However, we do caution beginners that since the lures have an open hook design with the treble hooks, they are rather easy to loose if you are not very familiar with what is on the bottom of the water your fishing. They are great for catching many species of fish but can get quite costly if you have to replace them multiple times in a season. Squarebill crank baits typically dive around 3-5 feet which is great for your local smaller ponds and shallow bodies of water. To fish deeper water with a crankbait you are going to want to be using a lipless crankbait. With crankbaits you are going to want to match the color of the bait fish that the bass are typically eating. “Match the Hatch”. Now that our tackle box has bottom lures (soft plastics), in the water columb lures (Spinner and Crankbaits) it is time to move on to top water lures.
Top Water
Top water poppers are a great choice for beginner anglers. All you have to do to fish it is cast the lure far out and give it little tugs. The shape of the popper will make a bubble in the water making the signature “popping” sound to attract the fish. With a similar concept of attracting fish with sound, the wopper ploper is our next top water lure that we recommend. It is designed with a spinning tale that when you reel the lure back in will smack against the water making a “plopping” sound. These are both great for getting huge blowups from bass and make for a very exciting catch. There are many other different variations of topwater lures that are great for more advanced anglers. As you continue your bass fishing journey you will discover frogs, jerk baits, buzzbaits etc. and we will be sure to cover those in future blog posts.
Conclusion
You should now have everything you need to go out to your local pond or lake and have a great time catching some bass! With all of the lures we recommend and the gear to keep them organized you will be off to a fantastic start to learning your new hobby and will have a great time while learning the techniques of the different lures. Stay tuned and we will have a future blog explaining when and how to use all of the lures that we recommended. Fishing is all about progress, not perfection and it is important to enjoy the journey. Get your supplies, go to the water, and see which lure works best for you! As always… Happy Fishing!
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