new to bass fishing

[Glockman23]

Alright to start this off the mother in law put a camper on lake hartwell in South Carolina and I got up there a lot for a get away. I'm just now getting into bass fishing so could someone explain to me what kind of lures and plastic baits to use on a medium rod and medium heavy rod. Plan on using Berkley lightning rods and bass pro tournament bait casters. Just need the ounces explained to me so I know what to use on each rod.

 

[DinkyDau]

Crappy taste a lot better, Just get some minnows, a Pin float and have at it..

 

[Basscat1]

Join a local bass club as a co-angler and learn from them. It's the best way to learn the lake and what lures to use IMO.

 

[Cartman]

Hire a fishing guide for a day or even half day.

 

[Chris Howard]

Those are the two most popular bass rods. Really a lot has to do with your reel selection as well. Higher ratio bait casters like 7:1 are good for cranking. Slower reels like 4:1 or 5:1 are typically better for Carolina rigs or Texas rigs. It's summer now so the bass will tend to run deeper and be a lot more docile.... So think about those deeper secondary flats and ridges. Use a higher gear ratio reel with a medium fast action rod and a 10-12 foot flat bill crankbait to draw out those reaction strikes. Once you've found one slow down. Grab the heavier rod and tie on a rage craw. Good luck!

 

[Crawler20]

Trial and error, lol Take notes, have a good memory, is all you need

 

[drewga11]

Alright to start this off the mother in law put a camper on lake hartwell in South Carolina and I got up there a lot for a get away. I'm just now getting into bass fishing so could someone explain to me what kind of lures and plastic baits to use on a medium rod and medium heavy rod. Plan on using Berkley lightning rods and bass pro tournament bait casters. Just need the ounces explained to me so I know what to use on each rod.

Most fishing rods should have recommended lure weights printed on them somewhere.

 

[chrislibby88]

The recommended weights are simply a loose guide. There are other factors that go into what weight lure you can cast effectively. Line weight/quality, the reel, rod action and the material it is made from. Tie some different things on there and see what casts well. I tend to use med-light rods and fish weightless worms, and light cranks. Line weight plays into how well a rod casts also. Lighter higher quality line will cast easier. A quality reel works well too. I steer towards open face spinners, rather than the fancy bait casters all the "pros" use.

 

[CliffB]

On a lake like Hartwell fish off a point where there is good rocky structure and use a Carolina Rig with either a 6" June Bug U-Tail or a Pumpkinseed color worm. Also you may want to switch to a slightly larger worm like an 8" Trick Worm. Also take some shallow diving crank baits up into the rivers and find some good structure to fish off of. Clarks Hill was one of my absolute favorite tournament locations and it's not too much different as far as overall lake structure goes.

 

[mustang-3537]

Don't buy a rod under 6.5 feet. Most lures, especially "new" lures (usually way over priced) attract fishermen and not so much large mouth. Think like a bass and the lure you use. Half ounce chrome/blue top Rattle Traps and most any plastic worm bait so long it is green, red or blue in color works good. 3/8 ounce spinner baits with white/green skirts do good. Chatter bait is a great choice. Top water frogs in a light green pattern are really good. Remember the bass are looking at the underside of a frog, not the top. Keep your line tight when reeling that golly-whopper in. Use a fish net until you develop a technique. Use good fishing line probably 10 pound test unless you are fishing Lake Guntersville. For what it's worth, my youngest daughter won the Georgia BassMaster Casting Kids Tournament first year it was out. Came in 2nd in the regional. Beat out by Hunter Ingram who is Charlie Ingram's son. Good luck! Have fun! Make sure your reel drag is set.

Rattle Trap Chatter bait