Starting out bass fishing can feel completely overwhelming. You see pros on TV with 20 different rods on the deck of their boat and think you need to spend a fortune just to get started. But the truth? You don’t. The fact of the matter is that just a few rod and reel combos can tackle over 90% of your bass fishing needs. I detailed where to start with a simple list of 5 rods that will cover nearly all of your bases, but what if you’re looking to keep it even simpler?
I have over 20 rods in my arsenal, and that doesn’t count walleye rods, muskie rods, and ice fishing gear. But for the most part, I really rely on just a handful of setups to catch fish on my local lakes. And if I really wanted to, I could get by with 2 or 3 of them. So why do I have so many? Efficiency. I’m a father of 2 small kids, soon to be 3, a business owner, and the Editor in Chief here at Whiskey Riff/Riff Outdoors… I don’t have a ton of time. I bring 6, 7, maybe 8 rods with me simply so I can fish faster without swapping lures. I can bring less tackle with me because I have multiple rods rigged up. There’s nothing worse than spending time out on the water rigging up, tying knots, or sorting through tackle so I do it all ahead of time and give myself options when I get on the water.
But like I said, none of that is necessary. In fact, you can confidently throw a whole bunch of different baits, beginner-friendly bass baits, with just one single medium spinning rod. It’s that easy. Same rod, same reel, same line for each technique. And when you’re just starting out, that’s really the way to do it… learn the basics, get confident with a couple of different presentations, and move on from there.
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The Do-It-All Setup
Keep it simple. Grab a 7-foot, medium-power spinning rod paired with a 3000-size reel. Spool it with 10-pound braided line and tie on a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. This combo will cast a mile, is sensitive enough for feeling light finesse bites, and has enough backbone to haul a big bass out of some moderate cover. You can skip docks, bomb cast across flats, fish deep offshore structure, and best of all… fish all 5 of these techniques very efficiently from the bank.
Rod:
Budget: Shimano SLX A Spinning 7′ Medium XF – $99.99
Mid-Price: Fenwick HMG Spinning 7’1″ Medium XF – $179.95
Reel:
Budget: Daiwa Regal LT – $79.99
Mid-Price: Shimano Nasci – $124.99
The 5 Essential Rigs
With your one rod dialed in, here are the only five baits you need in your tackle box:
The Wacky Rig
It’s TOUGH to beat a Senko. It’s great for bed fishing, pre-spawn staging areas like docks, shallow flats, isolated cover, back pockets and bays, in and around bluegill beds… you almost can’t go wrong anywhere in 10 feet of water or less.
There are a million stick baits out there, and most will do the trick, but I’ve always been pretty partial to the Yamamoto Senko. I feel like I can really skip them under docks and up under overhangs with the most confidence. Of course, they might only last you one fish… but I just seem to get the best skipping action out of them. I also really like the Crossover Ring slot in the Rapala Crush City Pig Stick.
Rig it wacky-style on a size 1 or 1/0 weedless wacky hook.
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black and Blue, Baby Bass
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Baby Bass, Green Pumpkin Blue
The Paddle Tail Swimbait
Covering water with some kind of paddle tail swimbait is always gonna play. Of course, you can’t go wrong with an old-fashioned Keitech, but I’ve had a ton of success with the Rapala Crush City Mayor, as well as the Great Lakes Finesse Dropkick Shad this year too. Pair it up with the sneaky underspin and it’s deadly for smallmouth, but largemouth will hit it too.
Thread a 3 or 3.5-inch paddle tail onto a 1/4-ounce jig head. This is your “search bait.” Just cast it out and use a steady retrieve to mimic a swimming baitfish and cover water quickly.
Colors: Electric Shad, Shad, Pro Blue Red Pearl
Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Electric Shad, Ayu
The Fluke
A fluke is a great bait for finding fish, and it can be fished in a number of different ways. It’s completely weedless.
Rig a soft jerkbait weedless on a 4/0 Extra Wide Gap (EWG) hook. It’s really important to rig it perfectly straight on the hook so it glides properly. It helps to use a swivel about a foot or so up the line as well. Give your rod tip two quick twitches, then pause. Bass almost always eat it on the pause as it glides downward, but sometimes they’ll pick it up off the bottom and you’ll see your line swimming off. Reel down and crack ’em.
Colors: Olive Shad, Pearl, Electric Shad
Colors: KVD Magic, Pearl White
The Drop Shot
A drop shot is one of the most versatile and effective techniques that you can honestly probably use every month of the year. I have one tied on pretty much year-round, and it’s really become a confidence bait for me over the years. When I need a bite, pick up the drop shot. If you’re on the bank, it’s great. If you’re fishing around shallow flats or near docks, it’s great. If you’re fishing deep rock way offshore… still great.
Tie a small drop shot weight (1/8th- 1/2 ounce depending on depth) at the end of your line and a size 1 hook about 12-24 inches above it. Nose-hook a finesse worm and gently shake your rod tip to make the bait dance in place near the bottom. Pause at times as well… many fish will bite when it is just subtly dancing in the movement of the water. If you have heavy cover or grass, you can rig it like you would a Texas rigged worm and Tex-pose the hook point.
Colors: Aaron’s Magic, Margarita Mutilator, Morning Dawn
Colors: Morning Dawn, Green Pumpkin Purple, Matte Black
Colors: Obsidian Black, Violet Morning Dawn
The Shaky Head
So far we’ve covered some slow-sink baits, some steady wind-and-retrieve baits, some finesse bottom baits, and now it is time for the dragging bottom-contact bait. A shaky head is a great way to fish bottom contact in a similar way to a jig or a Texas rig, but you can still keep it on that same medium spinning rod. For me, the most important thing is to find a worm that stands up pretty well on its own.
Twist a finesse worm onto a 1/8 – 1/4-ounce shaky head jig. Drag it slowly across rocky or hard bottoms, pausing frequently to gently shake your rod tip so the worm’s tail wiggles upright. You can pitch it near docks and other shallow cover, drop it deeper along weedlines or offshore structure… it comes through cover really well and can trigger those pressured bass who won’t bite a jig or creature bait.
Colors: Green Pumpkin Blue, TW Dark Junebug, 309
