Guides

Straight-answer guides on rigs, knots, gear and where the fish are by season. Bank-first.

Bass Rods & Reels Compared: Five Rods, Five Reels, and Five Setups That Make Sense Spincast, spinning, or baitcast — then the rods and reels worth your money, who each one is for, the honest downside, and five setups with real mod... Read the guide → Beginner Bass Fishing Kit: What You Actually Need for Ponds & Banks Must, Nice, or Skip. One spinning combo, real terminal tackle, a 3–5 bait shortlist, and pliers — the beginner bass kit for ponds and bank fishing,... Read the guide → Crankbait Basics for Bass: Squarebills, Medium Divers, and When to Burn ’Em Squarebills for shallow wood and riprap, medium divers (the XPS Crankin' 12 lane) for points and dam faces, the collision retrieve, treble manageme... Read the guide → How to Texas-Rig a Lizard for Bass (Zoom & Squirmin' Lizards) Head entry, leg clearance, and the right hook size (4/0–5/0 for an 8" Magnum) — plus a color shortlist and how to fish a Texas-rigged lizard throug... Read the guide → Fall Bass Fishing from the Bank: Baits, Cover, and Simple Rigs Points, dam faces, wind banks, and leftover weeds — plus a four-bait shortlist (lipless, crank, spinnerbait, Texas lizard) for fall bank fishing in... Read the guide → Texas Rig for Bass: How to Rig It, Fish It, and When It Shines Pegged vs unpegged, hook and weight picks, stick baits and craws. The workhorse rig, bank or boat. Read the guide → How to Fish a Wacky Rig for Bass (Stick Bait Setup) O-ring vs no O-ring, when wacky beats a Texas rig, and the Neko variation. The laziest deadly rig in the bag. Read the guide → Pond Bass Fishing by Season: Where to Cast and What to Throw Spring, summer, fall, winter — where pond bass hold, what to throw, and a small bait box for each season. Bank-first, Texas and the Midwest. Read the guide → How to Tie a Palomar Knot (Step-by-Step for Bass Fishing) Step-by-step Palomar with diagrams, the braid vs fluoro note, and the loop-under-the-eye mistake to avoid. Read the guide →