Looking for your advice

[rippin fish lips]

Alright i know a lot of you will chime in. Lets make this the Bass thread of non stop info as i am trying to search your brains out. Lets get to it.

If you were to take your lady bass fishing, what would you set her up with??

My lady has caught a few Salmon on spinners with me the last year. Now i want to get her into some crazy bass fishing.

Usually when i bass fished i just put a split shot on my line above my hook about 24" or so, through a nightcrawler on a number 6 hook and started casing/retreiving and popping it. Caught all kinds of fish and every fish in the lakes that way off the docks and banks.

I'm thinking though... She may really get a kick out of some top water action. She really seems to like those freight train hits like we all do??

Tell me how you fish for bass from the shore. I want to hear it all if you got it and are willing to share.

 

[taconight2night]

Top water frogs! I have been catching the ish out of them on top-water lures about an hour before sunset. Top water + low light conditions = so much fun!

 

[mjans813]

I've doing nothing but shore fishing the last couple months and have had great success with curly tail grubs on jig heads, as well as tube jigs. When it gets windy I like to throw on a white spinnerbait and get lots of hits after splashdown; those ones are fun! I'm pretty lucky and my go-to shore spot has a creek inlet right next to it, find a spot like that if possible.

 

[Berg03]

Top water would get her going for real. Could always do the soft plastic frogs that you skip across the water and they kick. Easy to use and fun to catch!
When i take my lady out i set her up with a senko and she usually gets some hits on it. She likes being able to cast and let it sit for a while.

 

[C_Run]

I go bass fishing about once per year so I am not much more advanced that your lady. The lowly Senko seems pretty effective. Cast, plop, fish on.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

My advice would be philosophical rather than technical.

Women like to know that men respect them and understand that they are capable. Society has traditionally assigned some activities as gender specific, and fishing gets lumped into the list of "manly" things. Women can feel intimidated by the "manliness" of fishing, and are afraid to ask questions or display a lack of confidence.

My best advice would be to make sure you both have a good time, enjoy the outing, and don't worry about needing to stick a bunch of fish to feel good about it. You can work with her to show her some stuff IF SHE WANTS YOU TO, or let her pick a lure or setup, even if it is just because she likes the color. You gotta remember, nothing is as "out of the box" as a raw beginner, because they have not yet built their box.

Encourage her to do a little research on her own, if she is into that sort of thing. If not, then just be supportive and accepting, have fun, and y'all will most likely be planning another bass trip.

All that being said, remember a few things.

Small baits get more bites, most of the time. Some baits work well in what I call "monkey mode" meaning you can teach a monkey to do it. Cast and reel, cast and reel, etc.

Small crankbaits, small spoons, small spinners, small grubs, and underspin/ponyhead type jigs are all fairly good bets. Light line, small baits, if you don't get a couple bites with that type of stuff then there might not be any fish in your spot. I would say you guys take a team approach and fish different baits till someone gets some bites, then zero in on that item. Also, don't set up camp in one spot unless it is rewarding you with bites. Fish a few minutes, fifteen at the very most, then move to another spot. You will catch some fish.

SS

 

[FishOutOfWater]

I would say it depends on how she prefers to fish and her general skill level. My two most sure-fire baits lately have been a 3" junebug purple senko (either texas-rigged or drop-shot), and a gold with black back rapala floating minnow (keep in mind I mostly fish for smallmouth). Both of these baits are nearly a lock to catch fish for me if I can at least locate a few in any given outing. They don't make the 3" senko in that color any more, so you either have to go with another brand or upsize to 4". If your lady likes to fish a little more lazy, I'd say go with the plastics. If she likes to keep herself a bit more active, go with crankbaits. In terms of topwater, the floating minnow isn't quite topwater, but it almost is and it is really easy to fish as long as you are using the appropriate size and weight for your rod, as they are obviously pretty light in terms of weight. I have found a zara spook can be a ton of fun for topwater, but takes a little more time perfecting the technique. A topwater frog probably would be one of the easiest topwater baits to learn, and you could always throw a buzzbait as well.