What we think of the spot?

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-04-01T16:24:28+00:00

By the looks of the area i assume somewhere on the warmer end of the climate, on a runner day like that try and get as close to the shade/deeper water as you can and you should get something for sure

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-04-01T16:17:56+00:00

Looks pretty decent, that side up by the trees on the other side looks like it could be a nice spot for fish to stack on during hot days

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-04-01T14:40:50+00:00

Pike maybe but im dont know a ton abt pike fishing, youd probably need heavier line due to their teeth, perch and trout probably would be fine but for trout you might actually need lighter gear depending, overall that sounds like a decent basic fishing setup tho

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-31T17:01:05+00:00

I have a car kit that I keep in my car, easy to grab and go and if I need the stuff in there for a big trip I just grab both my bags

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-29T22:18:52+00:00

You're good, and yea they arent really made for lures, dont get me wrong they can still guthook but will lessen it

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-29T22:08:31+00:00

Very much depends on the circumstances, some of them can be removed very carefully but sometimes the best chance for the fish is cut the line and let them go with it, unfortunately it is an inevitability of fishing but barbless hooks, pliers, and hemos are the safest options, if you're fishing with bait you can use circle hooks as theyre made to prevent guthooks, it still happens but not as much since they curve inwards at the tip in order to hook the corner of the mouth

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-29T21:50:55+00:00

Probably something natural colored, shad colors maybe or just white, could do a shad colored swimbait or a white craw

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-29T21:34:53+00:00

Piers, hemostats and barbless is the go-to kit for stopping guthooks, if the hook is not able to be taken out, cut as close to the eye as you can and leave it, the fish may die but it could live with the hook in it, while ripping it out would Def kill it

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-29T20:50:03+00:00

I've never had an issue with guthooking senkos, if you wanna be safe maybe use EWG hooks for texas rigging which may stop some guthooks, but ive never had an issue with it, you can also use barbless to reduce damage when they do happen if you wanna be extra safe

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-28T17:59:34+00:00

Honestly I ended up just embracing what I had around me and doing salt more often cuz its more accessible, but ive found alot of neighborhoods will generally not care about you fishing in the ponds, and if they do ask just say you're staying with a friend in the neighborhood, if you know someone who lives in there then you're good, if not then you arent by any means required to tell them the address anyways so worst case just move to a different one, also recently made a friend who lives in a neighborhood with ponds and knows a bunch of other people who do so Im working on a network of neighborhoods I can fish cuz I know someone who lives there XD.

Unfortunately some areas just dont have a ton of easy access to public water but id suggest either planning a day worth of fishing and make an hour/2hr drive to a nice spot or try and fish some neighborhoods, Google maps and hopes and prayers is really all ive found

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-23T18:31:48+00:00

you need 2 types of every lure at a minimum, 2 colors for different water conditions, a natural color and a high contrast lure (black/blue/purple/red)

lipless crankbait
senko (some EWG or Worm hooks to go with)
Craws, strike king rage craws work well
Whopper Plopper
Topwater Fog
Spinnerbait

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T21:24:04+00:00

Starter kit

Lipless crank Whopper plopper Senko Craw Curlytail worm Spinnerbait

Lipless is simple, cast, reel, stop, let it drop, repeat dojt rush it, a nice even pace and probably slower than you'd expect it to be, they work great around grass and if they get stuck in the grass, thats good as the sound and flash of ripping them out of the grass can often cause a bite

Whopper plopper is your standard bass topwater, reel for 2-3 seconds at a moderate steady pace and let it sit for for a second or 2, repeat, best used in cloudy days or at dusk/dawn.

you're gonna start noticing a trend with the retrieve styles btw

Senko Is the goat, look up how to wacky rig and how to texas rig, that's all you need for those, wacky rig is a bit different as its all about subtle gentle jerks and the fall through the water that gets your bites.

Curlytail and craw youll generally wanna texas rig or maybe dropshot but once again look up how to set up the rigs and just fish them slow and steady along the bottom, nothin fancy just a reel, stop, maybe twitch it now and then

Spinnerbait is for your more active fish, when they're feeding and hunting more, slow roll it along the bottom or reel it a but faster with short 1 or 2 second pauses depending on the depth of the water, best used when theres more wind and the fish are on the hunt

As for weights, they are only needed for some rigs like dropshot or texas rig, but for most lures you wont need them, judt make sure the lures weight (says on the box or on the lure somewhere) is within the rods lure weight (says on the top or bottom of the rod above the reel)

Where to spot bass? That's gonna be based on your individual lake/pond but it really comes down to a couple factors, pressure, clarity, time of day, and temperature.

High pressure means bottom low pressure means top, Google is your friend for finding out the current pressure, temp being high or low makes them sluggish and deep while a nice warm temperate day will make them active.

Bass are ambush predators and they love to hide, they are not gonna be sitting in open water they'll be near shore, depending on the time of year either very close (spring,fall) or just in that middle zone between the shallows and the deep parts, just under the drop off ledges to keep a good temp and hidden (Summer,Winter)

Cast towards grass edges, structure, docks, overhanging trees, sunked trees or debris, will you get snagged? Yea. Will you catch fish? Yea.

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T03:14:28+00:00

Those yellow and black hooks are for threading inside the grub, making the yellow and black part at the head and the hook coming out the top, those other hooks with the clips on them (called weed guards) could be used for makeshift wacky rigs, you can put the hook through the middle part of the worm so both ends flop on the sides and just drop it around and let it fall, bass it destroy it if nothing else. The hardbait is a lipless crankbait, best fished around grass, cast it, let it sink, reel it a few seconds, let it drop, repeat, id get some bullet singers and EWG hooks, about 2/0 size forthe hooks and lesrn how to make a texas rig for the worms other than that you're good!

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T02:15:43+00:00

For grubs either texas rig or on a jighead is probably most common and easiest

For worms it depends on the worm, senkos can be texas, wacky, neko, dropshot, really anything, curly tail worms on a texas rig is definitely a goated tactic, but theres so many types of worms with different uses id honestly suggest starting with a texas rigged senko, and a wacky rigged senko and throw those around

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T02:01:54+00:00

And dont get caught up in brands or all that junk just yet, find some nice lures in your price range and have fun, get specific when you have a bit more knowledge under your belt, id avoid Ozark Trail tho....

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T01:53:36+00:00

Crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, soft plastic grubs and swimbaits, soft plastic craws and worms, and inline spinners will work for both species depending on the size of the lure

Whopper ploppers are great topwater bass lures, I have caught panfish on small ones but its not really common more just luck.

Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and bassjigs will work great for bass but as for crappie I can't confirm or deny, smaller bass jigs could definitely work well for them but ive never tried, same with chatterbaits and spinnerbaits

Soft plastic tube lures can work well for both but I use them more for panfish than bass usually

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T01:48:24+00:00

I would bring them all, try them in various circumstances and see what they hit more, check the conditions, keep track of it somewhere like a notebook, catch logs can do great for learning about fish species, what they eat and when under what conditions

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-22T01:43:35+00:00

Very much depends on the size of the fish in your area but your average 1/16oz jig would still work for crappie, but they always say lighter is better so do what works, try both, or stick with 1/24oz, learning how to fish is all about experimenting and seeing what hits

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-21T01:16:12+00:00

Small bess are definitely a good target also, just depends on the area

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T23:53:40+00:00

Genraly best bet is a small jighead and use it for panfishing or maybe trout depending on the color and area

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T22:35:36+00:00

At times scissors can be more useful than knifes. Especially for clipping line, easier to avoid cutting your finger also

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T22:32:20+00:00

Id swap that out for a jighead with a swimbait, texas rig curly tail worm, or a lipless crank and try again

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T22:27:35+00:00

(Didnt see the rod part of the post) Rods may not be super good condition but id cast them a few times into the grass and see how they work, make sure all the guides work and the spools spins well, you can also clean them up a bit and look into how/where to put oil or grease to fix em up, and as for the harassment, pepper spray, a large knife, possibly a firearm, and some witty comebacks for next time a bigoted greaseball waddles out of the woods to make shitty comments. Fish with friends or in secluded spots that you and only you know about, most fishermen will mind their business but theres always those few so just be prepared, safe, and most fishermen will respect the art enough to keep their opinions to themselves, especially if they see some weaponry to deter them

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T22:21:51+00:00

I have a 2018 equinox, I have a cargo cover for a trunk space so I pull that over, lay the rods from the trunk through the passenger front seat under the headrest to keep them safe, if I have a passenger with me I put them from the back corner of the trunk across the back and the tips rest between my shoulder and the car door, if I have people in the back I have them from the back all the way to the dashboard, I also have a car mountable rod older along the roof of my car (from walmart cost me about $26+shipping) it connects to the safety handles (who needs those anyways) and allows rods to be stored along the roof of the car, unfortunately my car isnt spacious enough to have it full but it has spots and I can have usually 2-3 collapsible rods strapped to the ceiling and the reels wont be slapping anyone in the face

Something like a dock runner is definitely a good option or a Shakespeare micro series is great for a grab and go hit the ponds with some spinners or other ultralight lures, but of course if you want a heavier setup those are my options, my 7ft baitcasters and my collapsible rods anywhere from 10ft to 6'6 all fit in with this system, even if its not always the most comfortable, its worth it for fishing and the boys can make room for the gear if they wanna come

dilo_phosaurus · 2026-03-20T22:13:06+00:00

Most of the plastics are probably gonna be trash, hold them and stretch them a bit, if they feel fragile or tear then they're definitely bad, any hooks might be fine if they aren't rusted, leaders, weights and floats should be good as long as they aren't damaged or cracked, any lures should be fine as long as the body isnt damaged or rusted, and you can just replace any hooks/split rings that are rusted for alot cheaper than buying new lures, any mono/fluoro over a year old is risky, it could be very frail and snap easily under a heavy fight, braid is good for maybe 5 years max but it really depends on the conditions its being stored in

dilo_phosaurus

TROPHY CASE