New Bass Convert Question...

[dfv87]

My daughter caught the bass bug real bad last year so I am trying to help her but my bass experience is limited, ok it is pretty weak. I bought some Storm swim baits, they look like a shad type. Now my question is how do you fish these? Straight Retreive? bounce the bottom?

I had thought they would work well on weed lines casting and trolling but am looking for direction.

[ikeslayer]

I almost don't want to tell you any answer. There is no wrong way to fish a lure and more often then not when a newbie gets a lure that i "think i know the right way to fish it" they get it and fish it "wrong" and end up kicking my butt and i learn something new. So here is my philosophy. i try to catch as many fish and as fast as i can. So i would start with the straight retieve and see if that produces but mostly let the fish tell you what they want. Change it up and keep and open mind. Hope that helps a little bit. The best hunters and fishers i know are the beginners luck people and the pros and for the same reason because a beginner fishes a lure like a fish (bass) has never seen it before because guys like me fish it the "right" way. Again i hope this helps and i hope you come back with a story about a whopper you caught fishing it the "wrong" way. Ike

[RandyFish]

df:

Those swim baits look great, but (if they are the plastic ones I am thinking they are) they have exposed hooks and will catch a ton of weeds and cause a lot of frustration.

You can use them a number of ways, just not around weeds -- if you want to fish bass you have to learn to deal with weeds.

My suggestion for the easiest way for a new bass fisherman to get into the game: Learn how a to rig a Texas Rig and make it weedless for plastics.

Then you can use plastic worms or tubes. (You might want to get a good clerk to lead you around a bit)

It is easy to learn. This also won't cost you a ton of money and it is a easy rig for you and your daughter to fish with. Also, it catches fish.

Or you can bobber fish around docks using crawlers, too. (I know I am speaking heresay here, but it will keep your daughter catching fish and having fun)

Of course, always catch and release.

Good Luck and Have fun

[musky hunter]

Not knowing the age of your daughter or the water you fish, I went through a similar experience last summer with my (now) new wife and her 15 year old daughter. Women and girls seem to want 1:comfort and 2:action, in that order. I would not stake the fishing future on one lure or pattern. Since we river fish, we caught tons of smallies on jigs and minnows worked around structure. We did that all summer because it was simple enough for them to handle the method and it was effective. Neither graduated to a baitcasting outfit, it was all they could do to handle a spinning rod. Maybe your daughter is different. The lures you have are just fine in the right situation, but you should be prepared with several different methods. If it's weedy, try a surface lure like a rubber frog. A weedless worm rig should also be in the box. Most important, find one or two ways to catch fish without a lot of frustration and keep her comfortable. Keep browsing the forum and you'll be more than prepared.

[Mr. Pike1]

Senko or Tube and she will be fine

[Bobby Bass]

Bobber fishing crawlers will work but you will be catching a lot of sunnies at the same time I would suggest some spinner baits. Pretty much a fool proof way to cover a lot of water. She will learn how to cast and keep her in motion covering a lot of water. Many different ways to retrieve and she will catch her share of bass and of course a few northerners. Weeds are not a problem but she might catch a few trees in the learning process

[fishinchicks]

My 11 year old daughter loves to fish for bass. In fact, that is the only thing she wants to fish for. She loves using a texas rigged worm (her favorite brand is GULP), and a spinnerbait. She likes the topwaters since she can see them, but her go to bait is the Gulp worm. Like most younger girls (and this older one), using crawlers or minnows isn't the most pleasant...unless there is someone there to bait your hook for you.

I would stick with a spinning rig or a spin caster to begin with.