starting out

[cranky]

THE BEGINNING

my advice...if you want to start bass fishing...the absolute beginners stuff which can also be used by fisherman and women of all ages...this equipment is still regarded as the most effective technique...rory da silva showed me this rig and i have never looked back...it can be used for very slow tough fishing...right thru to extremely fast fishing bouncing the lure along the top of the water.

a 7 ft medium action  spinning rod

a small spinning reel...

8 or 10 lb line dont get fancy just monofiliment

a lure box

4 pkts of  small flukes...watermeloen...watermeloen gold...watermeloen red and junebug.

no 2 ewg hooks

a pkt of small swivels

a small reel of fluoro 10 lb line to use as a leader

a pkt of split shot for a little weight if required

a pair of long nose pliers to assist getting hooks out and to use for cutting line etc

i have decided to write threads to assist beginers...so i will  start with the basics then work my way thru to more advanced tips and techniques...and try keep the post as short as possible.

somthing else  i will attempt to do is not mention product names.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cranky]

which rod and reel next...you need to get something which can be used for a variety of techniques...like cranks...frogs...jerkbaits...or what ever you want to try

i would suggest a baitcaster and rod with a medium or fast action...not heavy weight but not to light...in case you fish some type of structure...but you want to be able to throw a light lure with it.

selecting a baitcaster can be as difficult as finding info about bass fishing...because there are so many to choose from...where do you start.

the budget...the type of reel you select must have some type of backup if something breaks...or wears out...so when you decide the make of reel you feel good with...call the agent and ask them for a simple thing like a line guide pawl or an idle gear...if they cant supply you such a simple things...which by the way are the first things that wear out when you crank for hours...find a different make of reel.

 

 

 

 

[cranky]

bank angling or craft...and which craft

back to the same problem...the budget

bank angling...only the cost to get to the dam...entrance fee and fishing license...unless you fish rivers.

a float tube is the cheapest way to get onto the water...

then comes a kickboat...

then a fishing ski...

then a smal boat...

then from there bigger and bigger boats....prices going over R500 000 for a decent ranger (had to mention ranger because thats the ulimate boat all the others are just fibreglass floats) with a 300 hp motor rigged up...one day when my bank account grows up i want a ranger.:kaykak

so how to decide...get into a whole load of debt or just buy something you can afford.

things to take into consideration when purchasing your craft...do you need a skippers (what category for dams a (R)R)...COF...floatation certificate...fuel consumption...towing vehicle if required and all the laws which go with towing...size of the vehicle in comparison to the boat weight...if you use a kickboat or float tube make sure the cigarette lighter works so you can pump.

boat engine periodic servises...

repairs and maintenance...which most people dont take into consideration...like recarpeting...trailer lights etc...

then all the yearly costs which apply ever year...

fishing license...

boat registration...

COF for the boat...

trailer license...

for me i go for the year msinsi green card...its a big saving to renew for the year rather then paying every time to enter.

by the time you add it all up...its cheaper just to stay home and do home maintenance...YEAH RIGHT

 

[cranky]

keep it simple...learn to catch fish...try different lures and find a technique you enjoy then invest in a rod and reel for that application...

for example if cranking then get a rod which feels comfortable...

you might like using short rods...so get a 7 ft medium action...

i prefer rods which bend right from the handle and must be at least 7.2...

i have a variety of cranking rods ranging from 7 ft up to 7.9ft...some collapsable and others just one piece...

i have had rods made up to suit...for example i have rods with extended butts for casting DD22s and then i can hook it under my arm to make it easier on my wrist...or i hook the rod ove rthe trolling motor to take of the pressure.

cranking big cranks is hard work...

i have different rods for small cranks medium cranks and big cranks

the reel for cranking can be anything from a 3.8 to a 7 ratio...just remember the bigger the crank the more the lower the gear ratio...

i read an article a while back about the new reels...the person doing the review mentioned that the newer reels are a lot more advance than the older ones so you can use a 6.1 for cranking...

i use 5.1...6.1 and 7.1 reels

5.1 for deep divers up to 7.1 for small cranks and jerk baits

some people make up longer handles for their reels to slow down the retrieve...

i enjoy run and gun type fishing and spend most of the time fishing fast...i spend most of the time fishing from the bank down to around 16 foot...i sometimes use a 30 footer crank but i am not sure how deep it actually goes.

i have been collecting tackle again so my box has a few cranks and stuff in it which i will share...take pics and post them.

 

 

 

[cranky]

matching the rod to the reel...first you need to get a reel which fits on the rod...i had daiwa rods which you couldnt put a shimano reel onto with out the plastic insert...i dont think the new rods require the insert anymore.

then you need to balance the rod and reel...

an example...i have a 7.6 ft g loomis glx rod which i wanted to fit a calais 100...but the weight of the reel and the length of the od didnt feel right so i fitted a calais 200 rather...the only problem is the reel ratio...the 100 is slightly slower 5.8:1 as a opposed to the 200 which is 6.2:1...i just have to be a little more patient when retrieve the lure...only turn the handle 50 times a minute...

another example is my weightless fluke set up...i had a sidestab 2500 on the cherrywood 7 ft rod...way too heavy so i changed it to a 1000 sidestab nicely balanced now.

we are all different so personal choice is the key...you must use what you feel comfortable with...and try only spend what you can afford...one of the mistakes i made when i started out...i spent more than i could afford...now i wait until i can afford the best then buy it...it has taken about 5 years to get my collection of g-loomis rods and shimano reels...and now a new g-loomis range has been launched...looks like i will have to start saving again.

 

 

 

 

[cranky]

selecting line is very important...you must match the line to the rod action and specification.

soft rod lighter line...stiff rod heavier line.

braid...not adviseable for stiff rod...you will break your wrist or snap the hook...or worse case...break the rod.

i dont normally go lighter than 10 lb unless i am fishing an open body of clean water with no structure..

i learnt a valid lesson in a small dam comp...using 6lb line...i hooked into a fish 3 times and lost it all 3 times then a short while later and fisherman came in behind me and landed a nice 5.2 kg bass...15minutes before the end of the comp...i had managed to keep the lead the whole day with the fish i had caught earlier...i tied the hook directly to the braid but didnt get a hit.

even using a soft rod and setting the drag...when a fish that size takes your lure and you see the fish...it is extremely difficult to feed line fast enough...the other option when using light line is to do what i have done with my grunter fishing rods...get a light fly rod and have all the eyes replaced with normal eyes and use it for light tackle fishing...this helps

ryan grundling showed me how to do this...it works...we fish 6 lb line with 9 ft fly rods for grunter...with baiter runner spinning reels...you fight the fish by holding the rod tip high up in the air and just point the rod tip in the direction of the fish...controlling the retrieve by lowering or lifting the tip.

a tip...dont think because a person is not at the top of the log in bass comps...he doesnt know anything about fishing...i have learnt more about fishing from people who dont fish comps than ones who do...:fishn

understand the basics...then learn to figue things out for youself...learn to read the water and determine colours and lures to use on your own...dont be scared to experiment...the way i see it...if you follow the pack you will battle like the pack to catch fish when it is tough...or if you use what everyone else is using...you will end up with an average bag.



 

 

 

 

 

[cranky]

selecting the colur lure to use...the way i do it...look at the colour of the bottom if a light colour...go with a light colour lure...then put a line of different colours on the deck which have worked for you before...if you havent fished the dam before just take out what you have and try different colours...

but more important than the colour watch the enviroment around you...

is the water choppy...

are there carp on the surface...

are there bubbles behind your lure while retrieving it...

are there blow up in the shallows...

is the water cean and clear...

can you see small bass in the water swimming around...

are there boats fishing one specific area...

are people using marker bouys out in the deeper water...watch carefully because the fisherman who know what they are doing use black or dark markers...and unfortunatley now with modern technology they use the GPS to position themselves...

dont assume because there is a big bass boat fishing a spot that the person knows how to catch fish...he might just have more money than you...

speak to the fisherman on the water...not only the bass fisherman...speak to the carp fisherman...if there are any artlure fisherman...speak to them....find out what fish are doing what...the baitfish might be spawning for example but you dont know this because you are only concerned about bass...

we were practising at alberts falls...and found the bass in a specific spot in the river and couldnt figue out why they were there...after speaking to one of the artlure fisherman who has fished the dam for many years...he told us why...it had nothing to do with structure or drop offs or anything to that effect.

keep notes and records...you never know one day you might decide to become acompetitive fisherman...you will never remeber everything.

at this stage...you should be concentrating more on getting familar with your tackle...equipment and craft...than anything else.

the more time you spend fishing the better you will get at it...period.

it takes years of practise to become a competetive bass angler...as i am sure some of you have realised... the number one bass fisherman in south africa has more than 10 years of fishing logs...recorded.:fishn