Holiday Buyer's Guide For Bass Fisherman

After years of requests from fisherman's wives we've assembled a Bass Fishing Christmas Buyer's Guide. This is for you anglers but its also for you to pass to your loved ones to help them make sense of all the fishing tackle that we fisherman would love to have. 

This first video is geared toward newer anglers looking to purchase quality tackle and increase their effectiveness going into 2017. On Friday the 25th we'll release our Swimbait specific Buyer's guide and will roll out a few others in the coming weeks. 

For the new angler we break down our favorite picks in both baitcasting and spinning tackle. Simply drop down the video description (or see below) for links that go directly to each product we discuss. 

Products in this video...

Baitcasting...

Treble Hook Tricks For Crankbaits

Crankbaits get more expensive every year but the hardware on them seems to be getting worse and worse. Your best bet is to remove the stock hooks from all of your crankbaits immediately. 

You need to upgrade the split rings and hooks but what trebles should you use? Tim explains the benefits of different trebles and gives some key tips on how to align them to increase your bite to hook up ratio. 

The key to belly treble hooks is to turn them so that the hook lays flat against the belly of the crankbait while leaving one point completely exposed. On the back treble the key is to turn the hook so that one point is standing straight up off the back of the bait. This will give you your highest hookup potential. 

In addition to these quick tips Tim explains how to modify diving depth and the rate of rise by choosing different sizes and shapes of trebles. 

Components shown in this video:

-Strike King 6XD
-Lucky Craft RTO
-River2Sea Biggie

-Owner Short Shank Treble
-Gamakatsu EWG Treble
-Aaron Martens Finesse Nano Treble
-Mustad Triple Grip

-Hyperwire Split Rings (Size 2 or 3)
-Split Ring Pliers

Tim's Deep Crankbait Rod-805CB
Tim's Deep Crankbait Reel-Curado 200

Tim's Squarebill Rod- CBR 845
Tim's Squarebill Reel- Curado 70

Should You Buy a 2 Piece Rod?

We've been asked time and time again about 1 vs. 2 piece rods. Today we address the questions and explain the advantages of each style of rod. 

The answer really comes down to fishing style. If you're a bank fisherman or fishing from a smaller boat there are huge advantages to two-piece fishing rods. Under virtually any other circumstance the advantages of a one-piece rod far outweigh any disadvantages!

If you're shopping for rods, below are our recommendations based on budget...

7' Medium Spinning Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- G Loomis NRX

7' Medium Baitcasting Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Shimano Clarus
High $$$- Dobyns Champ Extreme

7'-7'2" Medium Heavy Baitcasting Rod: 

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- Shimano Zodias

Reel Recommendations for each...

Spinning Low $$$- Shimano Nexave 2500
Spinning Mid $$$- Shimano Saros 2500

Baitcasting Low $$$- Shimano Caius
Baitcasting Mid $$$- Shimano Citica 7:1

Best Fishing Rods for New Anglers

Its crazy how many brands, lengths, and types of rods are on the market! Tim helps make sense of it all by recommending the 3 rods that you need as a new angler. Forget all the hype and marketing, these will get you through 99% of the techniques we use in bass fishing. 

As a beginning fisherman you want to purchase the best equipment you can within your budget. These are fishing rods you're going to use for a very long time. However, you do not want to exceed your budget so we recommend spending more on the fishing rod than the fishing reel. With that in mind we aren't recommending any high end reels with this video. 

Tim's Recommended Rods Based on Your Budget...

7' Medium Spinning Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- G Loomis NRX

7' Medium Baitcasting Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Shimano Clarus
High $$$- Dobyns Champ Extreme

7'-7'2" Medium Heavy Baitcasting Rod: 

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- Shimano Zodias

Reel Recommendations for each...

Spinning Low $$$- Shimano Nexave 2500
Spinning Mid $$$- Shimano Saros 2500

Baitcasting Low $$$- Shimano Caius
Baitcasting Mid $$$- Shimano Citica 7:1

As a new bass fisherman your first purchase should always be a spinning rod. With a spinning rod you're able to master a variety of bass fishing techniques like dropshot, senko fishing, worms, tubes, small topwater lures, and even a few reaction fishing techniques. 

Once you've got a feel for these techniques your next purchase should be a 7' medium baitcaster. This rod will allow you to branch into a few more techniques like rigging a senko texas style, fishing a jig, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, etc. 

These two fishing rods are going to help you progress your bass fishing more than any other purchase but when you're ready, add in a 7'-7'2" medium heavy baitcasting rod. This rod will let you get into heavier bass jigs, texas rigs, large topwaters, small swimbaits and paddletails, and a handful of other techniques. 

We know that getting into bass fishing and trying to purchase tackle and equipment can be very overwhelming. We hope these quick tips will help you make educated decisions while purchasing your first fishing pole. Good luck on your fishing adventure