What should I look for in a fishing pole to catch catfish, bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass?
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Those are the fish that the lake I’m living on is stocked with. I have never fished before but when I can walk 15 feet from the RV to the water I feel like I should take advantage of it, I just don’t know where to start.
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To start off with I would use a zebco 33. in my opinion, they are the best pole made. I would use a worm and bobber to start with as my bait. Typically in a pond either worms or minnows will be the most productive.
I’d try going to your local tackle shop, let them know your budget and that you want a good all around set up. If you want to get bass also, id get a one piece rod, blue gill and crappie you can probably get away with a two piece (its just easier to transport) Shimano always puts out a good product, and has a good warranty on most of their products. Get something affordable first, then once you get hooked on fishing (you will), then start looking for more bait and fish specific set ups….
For a rod, I would recommend a 6 ft. medium action. You can get a Berkley Cherrywood all graphite rod at your local Wal-Mart for About twenty bucks. They are a good rod for the beginner and experienced alike. The reel is your choice. Spinning reels are easiest to learn if you’ve never fishied before. I would recommend a Mitchell Avocet S-2000 with 6 lb. monofilament line.
I am going to suggest you get a 7 ft medium pole, starting out zebco is great, but since your lake is stocked then the size is probably a little bigger. I suggest a nice spinner combo. You can use a variety of baits, and as your fish more, you will learn more. Start with natural bait, worms, minnows, and crickets for crappie, bluegill, and bass. For the catfish, you can use chicken livers as well, but your pole has to “be on bottom” that means no cork. Start with the bluegill and crappie. They are easier to catch and a whole lot of fun.
Ugly Stik makes a rod capable of catching all that you wish to catch.
Try to find one called the Ugly Stik Lite series, ($39). They are more “sensitive”, have a nice cork handle & have the same durability of the original Ugly Stik’s. A 6’6″ model would be sufficient.
The Mitchell Avocet reel is one option but http://www.cabelas.com has Mitchell 300 Xe on sale for $25. The 300 Series by Mitchell is a decent entry level spinning reel that surpasses the Avocet.
This spinning outfit (Ugly Stik Lite $39 & Mitchell 300 Reel $25) is a good introductory, entry level combo that can catch 15LB Catfish and the smallest Bluegill.
It is not the finest outfit, nor the worse. And if your budget allows, you could spend far more. However, because you have no idea whether you shall like fishing I think you will find this combo would be a good match for you.
Hope this helps ya? Good fishing!
PS- A good line to fish Catfish to Bass would be either a 10-12LB Mono line (like Berkley Trilene XT) or a braided line like Berkley Fireline 4/10 “smoke color”. Braided lines are extremely strong, supple, and have a very thin diameter. If you use a braid you must also use a Mono leader.
Flurocarbon line is almost invisible in water and works very well as a leader.
Check my past answers on my profile for further info on fishing.
Bass Pro Shops® Micro Lite™ Supreme Spinning Rod and Reel Combo. Good spinning reel. On sale at Bass Pro for 29.99$.
a one that works………..duh
i would buy a 7′ ugly stik with a penn slammer 460 reel spooled with 8lb test monofiimant or 20lb test braided line.
here are baits for each of the species
lgmouth bass-minnows,live bluegillcrayfishh,night crawlerss.
i would use a rapala about 2″-5″ long and that will usually work on bass.
catfish-cut bait,dead minnows,night crawlers,chicken liver
bluegill&crappie-i like to fly-fish for panfish but a worm or minnow will almost always catch them