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  #1  
Old 01-04-2016, 07:10 PM
CroboNJ CroboNJ is offline
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Default NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Hey everyone, I'm new to fishing altogether and was wondering about lure size. I recently picked up fishing late 2015 and have been trying to figure out what to throw to get a bite out here. Most places I've checked out online have suggested throwing 6-8 inch Senkos for bass and one Youtuber based in California throws lures as big as 10 inch swimbaits.

I bring all this up because bass are different in different places, so my question is what should I be throwing? I had some success on a 3 inch chartruese grub that I was throwing on a ball type jighead. Am I in the right ballpark? I'm still figuring out the whole presentation thing since I'm pretty sure I'm doing some other stuff wrong. I know this isn't the time of year for bass, but I want to be ready when the warm weather rolls back in.

I also have some hard baits, small rapalas but I'm not entirely sure how I should be fishing them. Do I burn them or slowly reel them in? I have a couple floating types, a couple depth to types and a sinking lipless crankbait.

The bright side is I'm never afraid of falling back on panfish since I know they're always willing to bite
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  #2  
Old 01-04-2016, 07:17 PM
HerringKing HerringKing is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

It depends on the time of year for me. I mostly use senkos. 4" in early spring then 6" for the rest of the spring and summer. In the fall I go with big spinner baits, inline spinners and crankbaits.
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  #3  
Old 01-04-2016, 07:29 PM
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NJSquatch NJSquatch is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

you tube is your friend..do a search for bass fishing nj...there are quit a few guys that post pretty good videos on techniques
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  #4  
Old 01-04-2016, 09:11 PM
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Lard Almighty Lard Almighty is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

The grub on a jighead is a solid choice for just about any kind of fish (white is my color of choice). As for retrieve speed, the general rule is the colder the water, the slower the retrieve. Experiment throughout the day to see what the fish respond to.
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  #5  
Old 01-04-2016, 09:27 PM
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Senkos, spinnerbaits and frogs... heavy line, big hooks. Unless you're in clear water.
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  #6  
Old 01-04-2016, 09:57 PM
HighHook94 HighHook94 is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Depends on the time of the year. But there's one bait that is good all year long... a fake worm. Doesn't matter what brand, just a basic worm in a natural color like green pumpkin. Senkos and zoom trick worms are my favorite, but seriously any cheap worm will do. Ponds you want to go small, maybe a 4-5 inch worm. Lakes you can go a little bigger. Here are the main things you'll need for largemouth bass, don't waste your money on a bunch of fancy garbage that doesn't work (like I did). Here is the list and how to fish them:
-fake worms in natural colors. Regular worms use a texas rig (look it up), and senko type baits use a wacky rig (look it up). Keep in mind you need wide gap hooks for a texas rig. In water less than 10 feet deep, cast it out with no weight and let it slowly fall to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, jig it up a couple feet and let it slowly fall back down. Repeat until you bring the bait all the way in.
-spinnerbaits in either white or chartreuse (preferably white). Don't get anything too big, I prefer small, single bladed ones for ponds, heavier double bladed ones for lakes. Cast and reel just under the water surface.
-popper, preferably in white and relatively small. Bass pro shops makes an awesome popper that is super cheap. Best used in the summer. Cast out and jerk the rod so the popper makes a popping sound on the surface. Watch some youtube videos on it. Set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish. This is my favorite method of catching largemouth.
-small rapala jerk bait. Cast and jerk it in. When water is cold, do a jerk and pause. In summer, you can jerk and reel pretty quick.
-Honestly, those are the only baits i use now. I have a huge box full of expensive lures, but these three never fail me. But as a beginner, don't be afraid to use live bait. Live bait will catch you the most fish, guaranteed. You can catch your own bait for free.
-I do mostly saltwater fishing, but i do enjoy freshwater every once in awhile in streams and for ice fishing in the winter. Most of my fishing is in streams for smallmouth and trout because they fight more than largemouth, but i do have a few ponds near me that have great bass action. Speaking of that, don't underestimate small ponds by your house. They will produce much more than big lakes which can be tricky. I'm 21 years old, and have been fishing literally my entire life. It takes A LOT of time and patience to get the hang of it. Hang in there, you'll get it. It's an addicting sport. And if you have the chance, try saltwater fishing once you get decent. It's way more fun in my opinion.
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  #7  
Old 01-04-2016, 10:16 PM
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briansnat briansnat is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

It's hard to beat Senkos for bass. I prefer using an EWG 4/0 or 5/0 worm hook, T-style (Youtube will show you how to rig them). Wacky, hooked through the side works well too, but I find it picks up too many weeds. Senkos work best for me fished slowly. Cast, let it drop and sit dead stick on the bottom for maybe 15-20 seconds, lift your rod tip and let it drop and repeat until its back to you. The vast majority of the time the bass will hit it on the initial drop. Watch your line. If the line starts to twitch or move, set the hook. Other times the bass will smash it and there is no doubt its time to set the hook.

9 or 10 inch plastic worms work, but you may be missing out on smaller bass. If you want to focus on bigger fish then generally (but not always) go bigger.

Rapalas are excellent for bass, but you generally want to use the larger ones, in the 3 to 5 inch range. Referring to the original floating Rapala, start working them slowly. Cast, let sit for 20 seconds or so, twitch and let sit and keep doing that back to the boat. If that doesn't work try anything. Jerky retrieves, fast retrieves, slow and steady retrieves. Sometimes one of those will produce better than the other methods.

Beyond the Senko, and the knockoff Yumdinger (which are more of a stickbait) and other plastic worms (Zoom Trick worm, Ragetail Thumper, Zoom Speed Worm are some of my favorites) some other things you want in your NJ bass tackle box are:

Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits

Other soft plastics such as brushhogs, Yamamoto Kreatures, Zoom Super Flukes, Rage Tail Space Monkey, Swim Senkos and other soft swimbaits.

Crankbaits including diving Rapalas (like the Shad-rap), Bombers and Rat-L-Traps

Top water. My favorites are Rapala Skitterpop, Smithwick Devils Horse, Heddon Torpedo, Zara Spook, Jitterbug, Rebel Frog-r and nearly any wide nosed popper (Rebel makes a good one).

Jigs such as Strike King and Pepper. There are a number of varieties of jig heads but you can't go wrong with the "football" head.

Bass sized "in-line" spinners such as Mepps, CP Swing and Blue Fox Vibrax.

I use soft plastics about 80 percent of the time for bass. Most often I fish my plastics unweighted with a T-rig, EWG hook until the heat of summer kicks in. Then when I want to go deeper, the three rigs I find myself using most often are Carolina Rig, weighted Texas Rig and dropshot. Youtube will show you how to rig and fish these three.

For plastic colors I seem to do best with dark colors. Black is probably the best all around and green pumpkin, junebug and watermelon also work well for me. I've never done well with the whites, chartreuse and other light colors, but your mileage may vary.

For crankbaits I tend toward silver/black or perch patterns. For topwater, black,sliver/black or frog patterns.

Youtube is a very good place to go for tutorials about bass fishing. You'll learn more in an hour of going through videos there then what a handful of us will tell you, but there is no substitute for getting out on the water and trying things out.

Last edited by briansnat; 01-05-2016 at 12:40 PM..
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  #8  
Old 01-04-2016, 11:05 PM
CroboNJ CroboNJ is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Wow to be honest I didn't expect so many replies. I have been watching some youtube videos but as far as tutorials go it's mostly guys from CA or the south that I see making step by step videos. I've seen a good chunk of Informative Fisherman on Youtube and have been reading up on different rig types but it seems a bit different for the ponds I generally get to fish at. I live in Union so most of the decent water is 45+ mins away.

I saw Bass Fishing NJ use a wacky rig with some good results so after seeing it recommended here I'll definitely give it a shot. As for the Texas rigging I'll have to give it another go. I tried it out when I first started but I would just burn it in, makes more sense now reading your replies that I should bring it up then let it rest to keep it in the strike zone.

I should probably add that all my fishing is casting from the shore as I don't have a boat, but I've seen videos where spinners and buzzbaits are just as effective being cast from shore. I guess my last question would be what kind of hooks for a smaller worm like a 4" are we talking like a 1/0 or a #1 or should I still throw a 4/0?
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  #9  
Old 01-05-2016, 12:03 AM
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Jigman13 Jigman13 is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

3/0 ewg for 4" senkos. But I prefer large hooks. Easier to dislodge and less chance of a gut hook...buzz baits and spinnerbaits along weed edges, pads, docks or along the shoreline will get crushed in the warner months. I fish black and white. 1/4 oz to 3/4 oz, willow and Colorado blades. A big single Colorado blade will absolutely thump on a retrieve.
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  #10  
Old 01-05-2016, 02:39 AM
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briansnat briansnat is offline
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Default Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

For the smaller worms 3/0 or 2/0 at the smallest. Larger worms 4/0 or 5/0. If you are fishing a 10 inch worm then definitely 5/0. I use the 5/0 for the 5" Senkos and larger, 3/0 for the shorties. This is assuming nose hooking T style worm hook.

If you are wacky rigging then 2/0 to 3/0 max. For wacky I like circle or octopus hooks.
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