Fresh water fishing for bass and peacocks

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a few questions regarding lures, rods, and reels.

1.) I am curious about the reels. i dont know what reel is meant for what. baitcast reel, spincast reel and spinning reel. I heard bait cast reel is meant for crank baits and top water lures while the spinning reel is good for worms and soft plastic. and also what are the gear ratio for. why do you need a 5:1 compared to a 7:1


2.) as for the rod goes, i am a bass fisher. i have 3 rods light, ultra light and medium. i really dont know what the difference is. what are the purpose for long fishing rods around 6 ft-7ft and the difference for 5ft-5ft,6   i dont know what to use when it comes to size and strength. example for a 6 ft 6in ultra light rod, what is that good for. and a 5 foot 6in rod ultra light what is that good for? does it make a difference when it comes to lures? crank baits worms, and/ minnows and spinner baits.

3.) i know i write a lot, ha ha so im sorry, but i am up for learning for all kinds of scenario fishing however, i am curious about the lure. what color is for what when it comes to bass fishing and peacock bass. i dont really know what to use on a cloudy day, on a day after it rained, and on a bright sunny day.  when it comes to lures, all i do is just use a shiny gold minnow (top water) and twitch it, and i always have luck. but sometimes most bass ignore it. they come up to it and leave. the water i fish at is a bit dark. its like a blueish water and i can see maybe 3-4 ft into the water. maybe 5. however, i really dont know what to use on certain conditions. i dont know if i should use worms, lizards, crank baits, minnows, or spinner baits. i do not fish in a boat, i just fish in the shore.



thank you so much. i know i wrote a lot, but it would be aweosme if you could answer all of these questions. thank you so much, and again sorry for the long essay ha ha

ANSWER: Hello, I have a few questions regarding lures, rods, and reels.

1.) I am curious about the reels. i dont know what reel is meant for what. baitcast reel, spincast reel and spinning reel. I heard bait cast reel is meant for crank baits and top water lures while the spinning reel is good for worms and soft plastic. and also what are the gear ratio for. why do you need a 5:1 compared to a 7:1

{ Anwser:Bait cast reels use a more direct pull than spinning reels. Their drag system is built a bit different. They are made for heavier uses like crank baits and heavier lures, that go with fishing for heavy fish. However Spinning reels now come with better drags and are also made to handle big mean fish like Pike, Muskie and Peacock Bass. to me it is easier to use lighter baits on spinning reels, but with the new drag systems you can use lighter and lighter lures on bait cast reels.. maybe not in the 1/16th ounce range but certainly that weigh 1/2 ounce or so. }


2.) as for the rod goes, i am a bass fisher. i have 3 rods light, ultra light and medium. i really dont know what the difference is. what are the purpose for long fishing rods around 6 ft-7ft and the difference for 5ft-5ft,6   i dont know what to use when it comes to size and strength. example for a 6 ft 6in ultra light rod, what is that good for. and a 5 foot 6in rod ultra light what is that good for? does it make a difference when it comes to lures? crank baits worms, and/ minnows and spinner baits.

{Answer: Light rods are made to use with light line. If these are commercial rods there will be a text message on the rod saying "For use with"...(Example:   4 to 8 pound line and lures 1/16th ounce to 3/16th once" on the Handle) Ultra light are for 1 to 4 pound test line. Medium are for 4 to 10 pound test line}

3.) i know i write a lot, ha ha so im sorry, but i am up for learning for all kinds of scenario fishing however, i am curious about the lure. what color is for what when it comes to bass fishing and peacock bass. i dont really know what to use on a cloudy day, on a day after it rained, and on a bright sunny day.  when it comes to lures, all i do is just use a shiny gold minnow (top water) and twitch it, and i always have luck. but sometimes most bass ignore it. they come up to it and leave. the water i fish at is a bit dark. its like a blueish water and i can see maybe 3-4 ft into the water. maybe 5. however, i really dont know what to use on certain conditions. i dont know if i should use worms, lizards, crank baits, minnows, or spinner baits. i do not fish in a boat, i just fish in the shore.

{Answer: it can be frustrating but experimentation is part of fishing. Start with Dark Lures on Dark Days and light lures on light days. Dark lures present more of a shadow. In conditions where the water is a bit murky to muddy use a chartreuse color. If muddy use a lure that either wobbles a lot or has a rattle chamber in it. In clear water I like to use a white bait, or silver with black back. }
On sunny days do not use lures with lots of reflecting material or shiny surfaces early in the season when there is no wind. You can use them well on windy days.. but sometimes it works either way.. but generally you stay away from lures that can reflect a lot of light on sunny days. Lures color depends on so many factors it is impossible to mention them all. Sun, no sun, rain, no rain, wind , no wind, light wind, heavy wind, storms, fronts, all play a factor. Best thing to do is try to figure out what the fish has to eat and mimic that as close as possible. IF they are not biting on that bait then try another.. worms, baitfish, crawfish, insects, etc. match the hatch in other words. }



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much for your help...

so to continue on, what should i use when it comes to like 1/16 oz baits. they are extremely light and very hard to cast.

also what role does the length of the rod play. like why do i need a 7 footer or a 5 foot 6 in for?


and what should i use in a sunny day? i tend to use shiny lures, but they work great for me. i always end up catching a few bass.

ANSWER: QUESTION: thank you so much for your help...

so to continue on, what should i use when it comes to like 1/16 oz baits. they are extremely light and very hard to cast.

Answer: Spinning tackle.. 2 to 6 pound test.. or very light power pro line.. 1 pound diameter, 6 pound test will work real well with light lures like that.

also what role does the length of the rod play. like why do i need a 7 footer or a 5 foot 6 in for?

Answer:The longer the rod the more force in the cast. Leverage is what it is called.. I think. The arc the bait makes is longer it picks up more speed and thus flies further.. so if you are using light lures longer rods are good cause they do not cast very far due to the lack of weight.. so the extra speed carries them further. Its one of those Physics things, and I am not a good Physics explainer.;


and what should i use in a sunny day? i tend to use shiny lures, but they work great for me. i always end up catching a few bass

Answer: well again it will depend. Sunny days with lots of chop and wind will mute the shininess, and send out more little sparkles or refractions in the water.. which mimics a bait fish losing scales. NO Wind it might scare them but on bright days bright lures seem not to get bit.. unless it is windy.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so when it is pretty sunny outside, i should use a light lure? like white? or yellow?

and dark or cloudy days, i should use dark lures like brown black and dark blue or dark red?



also, i am a little confused about all the lbs and test line and light tackle ha ha.

ok so basically, if i have like a 1/16 or like a 1/8th lure, i would be better off with a spinning reel or a spin cast on a long ultra light rod? is that right? and whats the difference between spincast and spinning reel? why do i need them for

Answer
also, i am a little confused about all the lbs and test line and light tackle ha ha.

Answer: The heavier the line the harder it is to cast it...along with the fact that heavier line is hard to tie a 1/16th ounce lure to. Most of the time the eye on the lure is not big enough to put a heavy line through it. Light line is made to be used with reels that have a good drag system. You want to set your drag to give at about 25% of the weight of the line. This is because even a small fish with the right conditions can break line. In river current a 2 pound fish can exert up to 10 pounds of pressure on line. With light line you have to tire the fish out, and can not horse him in.

ok so basically, if i have like a 1/16 or like a 1/8th lure, i would be better off with a spinning reel or a spin cast on a long ultra light rod? is that right? and whats the difference between spincast and spinning reel? why do i need them for.

Answer: NO, spinning reel. Spin cast is OK, but it has a lot of friction passing through the cover and the eyes of the rod. With a spinning reel the line flows much easier and has less friction. I do not like Spin Cast Reels much though they are being improved. Spin cast is what I start kids with. Adults should be using either Spinning or Bait Casting.
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