largemouth Bass in Nj

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I live in summit new jersey, the northeastern part of nj. I am interested in fshing for largemouth and smallmouth bass and if possible, bowfin. I am particularly interested in small baby fish around 1-5 inches long, but anything is good. If you can give me any advice i would greatly appreciate it. I am somewhat new to fishing so if your answer could be easy to understand that would be great. I am interested in places to go, lures/bait to use, and rod type. Thank you!

ANSWER: Hello Jeff!! How are you? Good I hope,well let's see if I can answer this question for you? Well being new to bass fishing, just like you said,let's keep it simple,to get going on bass fishing some good lures to start out with would be some plastic worms,topwater baits,some jigs,and some spinnerbaits.A no-fail worm out on the market right now is the Gary yamamoto senko,get yourself a bag or two of these and your in business.To rig these up,a simple wacky-rig will do,to rig wacky style is very easy,take the senko and fold it in half,then just run a small hook in the middle of the senko,and your done!! This rig is just dynamite on smallmouth and largemouth,to fish the wacky rig,cast it out,let it sink to the bottom,then once it hits bottom,shake the rod tip to hop it off the bottom,and repeat. Super easy to fish,this is one of my favorite ways to fish for bass. The rod you want to use for this is either baitcasting or spinning,but I prefer spinning rods, a medium power fast action rod will work the rod length should be 6'6 or 7 feet in length. Topwater lures are super fun to fish, because you see the fish eat your bait!! A good topwater bait to start out with would be a popper and a jitterbug,bass just love these!! To fish a popper is easy, just throw it out,let it sit until the ripples subside, and give the rod a twitch,pause,twitch retrieve,a jitterbug is really easy,just throw it out,let it sit,then reel and the lure has a plop,plop,plop,type action. A basic topwater set-up once again can be baitcasting or spinning,but since your new, I would recommend spinning tackle. A medium to medium heavy power fast action will be fine for topwater, rod length between 6 to 6'6 will work. Jigs are easy to fish too,and these baits account for more big bass caught then any other bait out there!! To fish a jig,rig your trailer on the jig[like a soft plastic craw] find a spot that looks FISHY,and throw that jig in there,you can drag it,hop it,or shake it and hang on!! A good jig rod is medium heavy power fast action,length would be 6'8 to 7 1/2 feet long. You also can use your jig rod for the spinnerbaits also.As far as bowfin go,to catch them you can use bass lures and you'll be fine,they're very aggressive fish and they have sharp raspy teeth,so be very careful when catching bowfin.Look for bowfin in and around weedy areas,slack water,or around cover.Well I hope this helps,Hey if you have any more questions,or need more details about something,drop me a line!!! GOOD FISHING!!!

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QUESTION: Thanks so much for your help. just a few more things... can i catch small largemouths on roostertails? and also, do bowfins even live in northern nj? if so, do you know of any locations where i could catch them? Thank you

Answer
Hello Jeff! I'm glad I could help you out! Largemouth bass have a wide range of baits they will hit,anywhere from a small 3' inch worm all the way up to a 12'inch swimbait that weighs over a quarter pound!!! I'm assuming a roostertail is a in-line spinner,and if it is,yes you can catch largemouth bass on it no problem! Bass generally are aggressive fish and some big fish can be taken on in-line spinners.Now for the bowfin,according to my study guide,this is what it reads:The bowfin range is most of the eastern united states from the great lakes to the gulf of Mexico. So,yes there should be bowfin not far from your location,and chances are they don't get alot of fishing pressure like bass or other gamefish do,because alot of people don't fish for dogfish[bowfin]. As far as finding a good body of water for bowfin,ask some local tackle shops,maybe some people that you might run into while out fishing,or check out your state's DNR website, there you should be able to find information on different bodys of water,also what species of fish live in those waters. I personally don't know any bodys of water in New Jersey,I've never been there,but with a little homework and some of the advice I've given you here you should be able to find a great place to fish!! Oh,something else,never pass up on little ponds or lakes,these waters are great places to catch a wide variety of of fish,from bass to bowfin,sizes from small to HOLY @#!$%!!! Little ponds and lakes don't get fished hard,so check them out,you'll be glad you did!!! Hey I'm glad I could help out! IF you need any more questions answered,please drop me a line,until then GOOD FISHING JEFF!!