Equipment for amatuers

Question
Hi Chris,
My husband and I just moved to Topeka, Kansas.  We have some lakes and resevoirs around us and would like to do some fishing.  I think there is trout and other lake fish here.  We live right across the street from Lake Shawnee.

Randy would buy everything on the shelves but I would like to get some good basic supplies.  We have fishing rods, a small tackle box and some 1/4 oz weights and some rubber worms.  We went yesterday and I kept getting my line caught on rocks and losing all the bait, lures, etc.  Any help you can offer would be great.  I'm not sure if we need leaders and bobbers, etc.  Thanks!!!
Cathy

Answer
Good to see that you're taking up an interest in fishing.  I am sorry, though, that it's taken me a little while to get to the question.  I've been pretty busy as of late and it's been tough to check my email.  

Well, you've already got some of the basics, but I'll go through a pretty thorough basic tackle set up and you guys can kind of fill in where you like.  A good start would be graphite medium/medium light action spinning rod/reel combo spooled with about 8lb test monofilament line.  I like Trilene's sensithin.  
From here, you should buy some versatile tackle that's effective on more than just one species of fish along wtih some that are more specialized toward what you plan on fishing for most.  You mentioned trout fishing, so I'll try to help you with that one first.  I'm not an expert in trout fishing, but I do get out on occasion, and I'm pretty good with the basics.  Most of the trout fishing I do, however, is in streams.  I don't target trout much in lakes.  So with that said, a basic trout rig consists of a lighter leader (typically about 4lb test), and enough weight to present live bait at the depth at which the fish are holding along with small hooks, typically around a size 12-16.  I usually do this in streams.  Also effective are small spoons and spinners, although with these it's advisable to tie on a small swivel about a foot to 16 inches above your lure to prevent line twist.  

Kansas has a rather healthy bass population, and most of the sportfish you're going to catch are going to be bass.  Some basic necessities here are plastic worms, (in a variety of colors/sizes... pumpkinseed, Christmas cider, and junebug are three extremely consistent colors) worm hooks, and bullet sinkers.  Most plastic worm packages have diagrams showing how to rig either Texas, or Carolina style, and some have both.  Carolina and Texas rigging are by far the most productive ways to fish plastic worms.  They're both great because they'll keep you weedless, so you won't get tied up and snag.  Spinnerbaits are also a good lure to have because they're pretty snag resistant and they cover water fast.  Bass jigs are another basic lure that are fantastic, especially on the edges of dense cover, and they typically produce large fish with great frequency.  You should also get a floating crank bait or two, like a Rapala Fat Rap to cover depths between 4-8 feet or so and a Rapala Shad Rap to cover depths between 4 feet and the surface in a color that'll mimick the primary bait fish, in your case down in Kansas, shad.  If you want a little more excitement, topwater baits like poppers, stickbaits, floating minnows, grass frogs, etc, are a lot of fun when fished around dusk.  

This is pretty much the basic run down on some lures and basic tackle.  From there, it's pretty much matching colors and getting good at using what you've got.  It's not the lures that catch fish, it's how you use them.  There are a lot more out there, and if you have questions on them, or how to use them, feel free to ask.  I can do a much better job explaining things and you'll start to understand things on your own once you get a feel and get rolling.  If there's anything that I can do for you, or help you with in the future, be sure and let me know, and I'll do my best.

Thanks for asking and good luck!
Chris