Beginner Looking for a heads up

[Sailor Jerry]

Hey guys.

I've only been into fishing for the past year or two and, just so you know, I'm located in Iowa. Me and my buddy both use rods around 6'6, he uses a baitcaster, and I have a spin reel. I'm just looking for advice for what lures to run and when to run them. I have had good luck on spinner baits and the fake colored worms/crawdads and i've ran on the bottom of the lake both offshore and off of a boat.

I need a new rod and reel and am going to be looking for that soon.

Any and all input from you guys would be amazing!

And wondering if anyone knows spawning time - I see temperature listed at 60-65 degree water which I'm highly doubting it's that warm around me with having just a few days in the 70s, and the rains still have all been cold.

[ifitswimsIcatchit]

go with a 7 footer medium heavy on your next rod helps pick up extra slack line when fishing soft plastics.try to get a reel that is high speed at least 6:01 gear ratio. that is my personal preference.

[foul hook]

I have been chasing those Green Fish for years. You are asking for the impossible. Fish in different Geo. locations act differently to different bait with different water temps. hang out at the bait and tackle shops and listen to the old boys that are bringing in the fish. Bass fishermen love to talk and brag about there catch. It is there nature to tell all. They cant look like a fool riding around the lake in a $40,000 rig with no fish. Get into some of your local tournaments. If you don't have a boat join the local clubs and fish as a non boater. You will learn your water quick. If you took the same tactics to Central Fla you will be very disappointed. If you can have only one rod make it 7 ft. med hvy. You can fish drop shot, jigs, worms, all the soft plastics, and crank bait. You will not like it for finesse fishing. keep your spinning rod for that. You can build your arsenal from that. By the time you get to be my age you will have 50 to 60 rod combos and still not have the right one. Good look ! see ya on the water.

[foul hook]

Also watch the Bass Masters. Those boys can catch a fish in a septic tank. Any conditions.I learn from them every Sat morning. KVD is the MAN! That boy that runs around in his boat screaming and hollering is a punk, but he can catch a fish!

[Jigboy]

Get the best you can get for the money. I agree wit everything everyone is posting. I prefer G-Lumis rods. They are sensitive as all get out. I brag the I can feel a leach fart with the ones I use. The good thing about these high end rodes is that most have a lifetime warrenty. I busted one before and mailed it back and had a new one back in my hands within a week or so. I do a lot of deep struction Carolina fishing and I need to feel the bottom and feel the structure. When I run a deep tube jig I want to feel that jig crawling across the bottom, limbs, and rocks. I started out with Ambassador reels because the guy who taught me to fish used them. I always loved them but now I am into Calcutta. There is probably better out nowadays but I got to much money into these to switch. Good luck.

[LSUguy]

I like a 7 foot MH rod w/about 15# test. I prefer carrot stixr rods, most sensitive rod i've ever used. I have used Loomis, St. Croix and other high end rods but carrot stix has it going on. Best part like said above is the lifetime warranty but with a twist... if I break it, i can walk back into Bass Pro hand them the rod (with original reciept), pick out another and walk out with it... no mailing to the manufacturer and then waiting to recieve another, IF they even approve it. I like the micro eyes gold series carrot stix, makes casting even better and no huge eyelets to get caught on things. I lived in Eastern IA (Muscatine County) from the 6th grade through college, live in the fishermens paradise now where the fishing season never really ends. But when I was in Iowa, Coralville, Iowa City, Lake Geode and all kinds of back woods lakes and ponds held good size bass. West Desmoines has a lake that produces very nice largemouth. Davenport has a lake between Davenport and Blue Grass that produces very nice 5-7 pound fish and the rock quaries in Wilton and Muscatine produce some great bass. Then you have the Iowa, Cedar and Miss. rivers that all produce good size fish. I will say when I went fishing in Iowa I mainly targeted bass... I also hammered some huge brim on occasion.... but all in all soft plastics like worms and lizards produced the best for me with spinners usually yellow, white or red came in a close 2nd to the plastics. I never could get crankbaits to produce very well for me unless I was fishing a light pressure pond or lake.

[bignate]

I have a lot of different rod/reel set-ups but my favorite is a 7' m/h AllStar team rod with a Pflueger Trion reel...just a great rod. I mostly fish soft plastics, my go to baits are brushhogs, culprit worms, lizards, & flukes in watermelon red or junebug. If you're fishing overcast condition is stained water try throwing a white spinnerbait with gold blades.