Shimano Curado DC Casting Reel
The Shimano Curado-series of casting reels is one of the highest quality reel lines on the market offering both performance and durability. This reel features a digital control braking system (DC) which utilizes a microcomputer that monitors spool speed 1000 times every second for near-perfect application of pressure and brake to prevent backlashes and maximize casting distance. This is a great beginner’s reel but excellent for experienced anglers who simply want more from their reels. This reel comes in and out of stock on Amazon so to get your preference of left or right-handed and in the proper gear ratio, check out your options or wait a couple of days for it to be restocked. These reels, priced around $250, perform like $500 reels.
I found this reel for a great price on Amazon. Click here to check out current pricing and read angler reviews.
Dobyns Fury-Series Casting Rods
The Dobyns Fury line of casting rods is one of the best overall casting rod lines in today’s bass fishing. These rods are priced in that $100-$130 price range and deliver the quality and sensitivity of a much more expensive rod.
7’0 Medium-Heavy Fast Action Casting Rod (click here to view on Amazon)
- 1/4-3/4 oz. Lure weight
- Recommended for jigs, Texas rigs, senkos, flukes, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwater
7’3 Medium Heavy Fast Action Casting Rod (click here to view on Amazon)
- 1/4-3/4 oz. lure weight
- Recommended for Senkos, Flukes, Spooks, Spinnerbaits, Small swimbaits
7’3 Mag Heavy Extra-Fast Action Casting Rod (click to view on Amazon)
- 1/4-1 1/2 oz. Lure weight
- Recommended for frogs, pitchin’, flippin’, small swimbaits
7’9 Medium-Heavy Fast Action Swimbait Rod (click here to view on Amazon)
- 1-5 oz. lure weight
- Swimbait Rod – ideal for large soft swimbaits like Huddlestons or hard swimbaits
Keitech Fat Swing Impact Swimbait
The Keitech Fat Swing Impact is the gold standard of soft paddle-tail swimbaits. This bait works great for all species of bass along with pike, trout, walleye, and saltwater species as well. The 2.8 and 3.3 sizes work great for finesse bass fishing and also when bass are feeding on small silversides or small shad. In clear water, go with natural colors like Pro Blue Red Pearl or Light Hitch. In stained or muddier water, go with Sexy Shad or Chartreuse Blue. This bait has a very wide side-to-side tail kick that is proven to catch a ton of bass. Bigger sizes like. 3.8, 4.3, and up are ideal for larger bass, used on umbrella A-rigs, or when bass are targeting bigger bait like gizzard shad or golden shiners.
I found this bait for a great price on Amazon. Click here to check out current pricing and read angler reviews.
MegaBass Dark Sleeper
The MegaBass Dark Sleeper is one of the most popular smallmouth bass baits on the market currently. This bait almost perfectly mimics small fish like sculpins and gobies which are located in almost every river and reservoir across the country that bass love eating. I recommend the 3/8 ounce and 1/4 ounce versions as smaller bait sizes are better for ultra-clear water smallmouth fishing. This bait works very well for largemouth bass, spotted bass, and stripers. The small size and relatively thin wire hook allows you to fish with light line and either spinning or casting gear for good hooksets. The hook is located in the dorsal fin appendage which makes it very weedless. This bait is great slowly crawled along the bottom, slowly swam in the water column, or bouncing off bottom and rocks.
I found this bait for a great price on Amazon. Click here to check out current pricing and read angler reviews.
Jackall Rerange Jerkbait
The Jackall Rerange is my favorite jerkbait for largemouth bass and striped bass. Because it used a weight-transfer system within its components, you can get really long casts. This bait is thicker on the back and thinner in the belly causing it to naturally roll side-to-side as you jerk the bait. It puts out a crazy amount of flash and the rattle will draw bass in from a long way off. Make sure you pause between rips as you never want a jerkbait to swim between rips. These baits come stock with very hooks but you can always upgrade the hardware for better performance. This is one of the best medium-diving jerkbaits and catches a lot of big fish. Jerkbaits elicit a predator-reaction from bass even when not hungry.
I found this bait for a great price on Amazon. Click the following links to check out the availability of my 4 favorite Rerange colors: Secret Shad II, Silver Shad, Ghost Wakasagi, HI Hasi
Deeper Pro+ Castable Fish Finder
If you are a bank angler, ice fisherman, or even fishing from a boat, this castable fish finder is a great tool to locate fish, identify structure and vegetation, and determine water depth and bottom contour. It features a floating round transducer you can cast out with a sturdy rod. As you reel the transducer back, it maps beneath it with sonar and relays the imagery back to your smartphone screen. For a complete review of this product, check out my opinion of this castable fish finder and how I use it to locate good fishing locations.
I found this castable fish finder for a great price on Amazon. Click here to check out current pricing and read angler reviews.
YETI Tundra 35 Cooler
This cooler is great to have in general. If you plan on keeping any fish you catch fresh until you can clean them or want to keep your food and beverages cold, this is a great cooler option. Not everyone is in the market for a $250 cooler but this rotomolded cooler is built tough and won’t break. It featured precise lid molding to keep your ice cold and solid as long as any cooler on the market. This cooler is 20 in long x 16 1/8 in wide x 15 1/4 in high with an empty weight of 20 lbs. It is also great for game meat care during hunting season or a cookout with friends.
I found this castable fish finder for a great price on Amazon. Click here to check out current pricing and read angler reviews.