Help a beginner fill up his tackle box

[Ramlatus]

I have not really been fishing muchsince I was a kid. My soon-to-be stepson loves fishing and so for mybirthday I asked for fishing gear so we could go fishing together. Sofor my birthday I got a rod and a couple of reels, as well as avariety of lures, bobbers, hooks, and such. I know I still need somethings, but I am having trouble finding out exactly what I need. So Iam asking those more experienced than myself.


Goal: General purpose freshwatermultispecies tackle. This is what I am thinking.


Hooks:
Octopus Hooks Sizes – 10, 8,6, 4, 2, 1/0, 2/0, 4/0 (I went with oct hooks because I don't want tohave set the hook as I still have to with my lures and I feel I wouldtry reflexively with circle hooks)
Trebel Hooks – Unsure whatsizes I need.
Worm Hooks – 2/0, 4/0. Unsurewhat other sizes I need.
Worm Hooks EWG – 2/0, 4/0.Unsure what other sizes I need.


Weights:
Bullet Weights: Unsure whatweights I need
Barrel (Egg) Weights: Unsurewhat weights I need
Split Shot Weights (Removable):Unsure what weights I need


Barrel Swivels: I have a pack of size10. Unsure if I need more and of what size.


Plug Lures: Unsure what is small,medium, or large sizes are. I have spent more time than is reasonabletrying to learn how their size is measured. Some seem to do it byweight and others by length.
Crankbaits: small, medium, large
Jerkbaits: small, medium, large
Pop-Rs: small, medium, large
Jitterbugs (I assume it is inthe surpace plugs category): small, medium, large


Spoons: small, medium, large (Unsurewhat is small, medium, or large sizes are.)


Spinners: small, medium, large (Unsurewhat is small, medium, or large sizes are.)


Spinerbaits: small, medium, large(Unsure what is small, medium, or large sizes are.)


Buzzbaits: small, medium, large (Unsurewhat is small, medium, or large sizes are.)


Jigs (the ones with the weighted headsand rubber hair) : small, medium, large. Side question – two of myjigs have rattle things attached to them. Are they still jigs orsomething else I don't know about?


Frogs: small, large (Unsure what issmall or large sizes are.) the 2 I have have a rubber body that is 21/2 inches long.


Soft Plastics: Couple bags of Senkos,not sure what else is good to carry. I know I don't want to carrymore than a dozen or so bags. Also how small can I go with these andhow small is to small?


Am I missing something important?
Is there something on my list that Idon't really need?


Thanks you all for your help andadvice.

[bigbitef11]

Bladded jigs and rattletraps are baits not on the list to consider. Size 3/8 or 1/2 are most common

[Alumicraft145]

Boat fishing or from shore?? Bass or anything that bites??

[csurp]

I would not try to gear up for everything at once. Ease into your targeted species with a few proven techniques like Texas rigged worm, shakey head, Carolina rig, and drop shot and branch out. Fish like a co-angler in a bass tournament. Select a couple of colors of plastics like red and green pumpkin. If funds are limited stay away from crankbaits for awhile. The can break you.

[Walkabout7781]

Starting from the fact that you're in OK, thus (I think) have shad or shiners of some sort, look at shad colors when you start on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. In our club, it was suggested that we start with one technique on one lake and spend a year really learning both lake and presentation. I would modify that idea a bit, and suggest one vertical presentation (Shakyhead, Dropshot, Jig, or T-rigged plastic thing) and one horizontal presentation (spinnerbait, IMO). This is because sometimes the fish will bite a horizontal presentation and sometimes they will want a vertical presentation. That has to do with weather changes and barometric pressure changes. No reason to not have an alternative.

Assuming that you will want to learn to use a baitcaster, a spinnerbait is IDEAL....pretty snag resistant, giving you more repeated casting & retrieving experience. Spinning gear works fine for plastic worms or lizards, but notice that the rod and line size have to match up to the hook size and thus lure size.

You've got way too many sizes of Octopus hooks. Start with nothing smaller than #2, or bigger than 1/0 to start....for bass. A #4 may be useful for BG or Crappie. Good to see that you're hip to Circle hooks...there are times when they're hard to beat, IMO...Catfishing being one, but I've used them a lot for bass.

A 4" plastic worm or lizard can catch a lot of bass and some incidental catches, and 1/0 EWG is a good match. Personally, I'd suggest 4", 5" and 6" Zoom lizards....lots of action is almost guaranteed. The 4" and 5" will match a 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG, but a 3/0 would be better for a 6" or 8". Be aware that not all 1/0 EWG hooks are even close to the same size, which will be a problem. For example, compare a 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG and a 1/0 Gamakatsu G-Lock. I have no explanation or understanding of why, but the size chart has come to mean very little. I'm not sure it ever did.

GOOD FOR YOU to support the boy's passion for fishing!!! Beats he!! out of video games....

[Kb444fishing]

I'm in Bartlesville and have way to much stuff. Some used but quality. Pm me if I can help get someone going.

[Milehibird]

I'll try to add to what Walkabout said with what I'd recommend as a simple setup.

Terminal tackle you can go fairly simple.
Hooks:
For most bass fishing (which is a big portion of OK sport fishing), there's only a couple hooks you need.
EWG (Extra Wide Gap). Size 3/0 and 4/0 are almost do-anything.
Offset worm hooks. Size 2/0 and 3/0. Good for, obviously, worms, but also any bait with a slender body (which is most of them).
Finesse hooks. I like the Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap. Works for wacky rigging, dropshot, nose hooking flukes, etc.

Weights:
With rocks, go light. 1/8oz, 3/16oz, 1/4oz is about all you need to start with for now for bullet/flipping style weights. Dropshot go the same sizes in the pencil style. Barrel weights...I don't think I've ever used them.

Lures:
Simplify. Start with a small assortment of high quality, versatile lures and expand. You don't need all the sizes of all the different baits. Even though I'm from Colorado, I've fished Oklahoma quite a bit (all around Broken Arrow), and here's what I'd recommend.

1. Spinnerbaits. 3/8oz or 1/2oz. For me, it's War Eagle spinnerbaits in spot remover or white/chartreuse. Almost always 3/8oz.
2. Jerkbaits. You can spend $50 on 10 cheap jerkbaits, or get 3 Lucky Crafts. The 3 Lucky Crafts will catch more fish. For me, that means Flash Pointer 100's. If you can only get 1, get the Chartreuse Shad. If you can add a 2nd, Ghost Minnow, and if you can get 3, add American Shad. I've caught almost everything that swims in Fort Gibson on that jerkbait except paddlefish and sunfish.
3. Crankbaits. Here you can get some dynamite baits for cheap. Storm Wiggle Warts, Rapala DT-6, DT-10, DT-14 will work amazing. Two patterns here. Craws and shad. Storm V37, V38, V62, V63, V209 are all great craw patterns. For the Rapalas, Demon, Green Gizzard Shad, Pearl Grey Shiner, Disco Shad, Penguin are all good colors.
4. Jigs. There's several kinds, but you only need a couple. Finesse jig in 3/8oz. Brown or black. Don't worry about details beyond that. Football jig in 3/8oz and 1/2oz. Again, brown and black. I use a bunch of different jigs, so find one you like and go with it. I use D&L, Buckeye GMan and mini mop jigs, V&M Pacemaker.
5. Swim jigs in 2 styles, bladed and traditional. 1/4 and 3/8oz are my go-to. Stick with white/shad patterns. Again, find one you like. Some have rattles, some don't. If you have 1 of each, you can adjust. As for bladed jigs, ZMan, 3/8oz. Whether you get the expensive jackhammer or the cheap original, they work. Colors are simple too. A shad color (white in original, spot remover in jackhammer), some bluegill or craw color (green pumpkin shade in either, the jackhammer has a color called bruised green pumpkin that's dynamite for me), and black and blue.
Jig trailers. Twin tail grubs, Strike King Rage craw/Rage Chunk, Yamamoto Zako, Berkley "The Deal"...I do 2 colors to match the baits. One white color (white pearl, white ice, etc.) and one green pumpkin. I'll put the green pumpkin trailer on a black blue jig, works fine, and no overthinking the trailer.

Plastics....
5" stick bait. Yamamoto senko. Green pumpkin color. Almost everyone makes one. It catches fish.
5" finesse worm. Roboworm. Morning dawn, green pumpkin. Works on shaky heads and dropshot.
Some sort of craw. Rage Craw, ZCraw, Netbait Paca craw, Zoom speed craw...green colors.

Last but not least...
Neds. Get ned rig heads and ZMan TRD or Roboworm Ned worms. Those will literally catch anything you want. Go as light of a head as you can get away with.

I just did a quick rundown on a spreadsheet. All that stuff new, retail, would be about $250, so not exactly "simple", but you would be set to catch fish all year, then it would just be pick a bait to take out and learn. But consider who you're getting advice from. Some of us have more money in tackle in our boats than we paid for our boats. (I'm guilty here)

[bassfisher444]

If I lost all my tackle and had to start over.

Plastics
Zoom trick worm- White, Green pumpkin, and watermelon
Zoom speed craw- Black/blue, Green pumpkin and watermelon
Zoom mag ll 9" and old monster 10.5" ribbon tail worms- Black/blue, Green pumpkin
Zoom horny toad- White, Black
Zoom 5" shaky head worm- Green pumpkin, Watermelon
Zoom Super Fluke and tiny fluke- White or Grey/sliver
3.5-4" tubes- Green pumpkin, Brown, White
4" grubs- White, Green pumpkin
5" Yum Dinger, BPS stick O, Senko or any other brand stick worm- Green pumpkin, Watermelon, Black/blue

Hard baits
1/2 oz lipless crankbaits Strike King Red Eye shad is my favorite but there are many other good ones- Shad, Bluegill colors
Square bill crank several good brands to chose from, a few smaller and a few larger ones- Shad, Bluegill and craw patterns
Zara Spook or similar walking baits 4-5" size choose a couple different colors
Poppers smaller and larger size pick a color
Jitterbugs, 1/4 and 3/8 ounce- black
Whopper Ploppers I like the smaller size, pick a couple colors
Jerkbait- Rapala X rap, original and jointed minnows in the 8-12 cm size natural colors

Buzz baits- 3/8 oz white and black
Spinner baits 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 oz White, Chartreuse, Black a few different blade styles
Regular casting jigs- 3/8, 1/2 oz Brown/Green pumpkin, and Black/Blue
Swim jigs 1/4, 3/8 oz White and Bluegill pattern
Frogs- Booyah Pad crasher and Pad crasher jr- Black, Green

Hooks- 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0 EWG worm, #2 and #4 octopus/drop shot style hooks
Jig heads 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 and 3/8 round head and shaky head
Weights 1/8-1/2 oz bullet weights, 1/8-1/4 oz drop shot weights

There are several brands/styles of lures and rigs out there but this is what I have tied on to my rods 95% of the time just about anywhere I go.

[SPOONMINNOW]

Noticed Ramlatus didn't reply back. Wonder if he used anyone's suggestions.