Northwest Fishing Reports

I'm getting back into fishing and am very interested in hooking into some bass around here. I live near Issaquah, have been fishing Beaver Lake (Sammamish), Lake Alice (Fall City) and thinking of branching out into Lake Sammamish and/or Lake Washington as well. Picked up an inflatable fishing boat this spring (https://www.seaeagle.com/FramelessFishingBoats/STS10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and have been enjoying the fact I'm no longer stuck on the bank!

Went to Dick's the other day and picked up a variety of "getting started" gear for bass (lures, plastic worms, top water frog, hooks, etc). Unfortunately I'm still using my spinning combo, but hoping to pick up a nice baitcaster rod/reel before the summer's over.

Have watched a TON of YouTube videos; everything from different rigs (Texas, drop-shot, wacky, etc) to lure types, to bass behavior, etc. Probably over-analyzing it at this point, which brings me to my questions:
- Any suggestions on which lake(s) are best in the Issaquah / Eastside areas?
- What's the preferred "go-to" setup for hooking into some bass?
- Are there major differences between tackle/techniques for large vs. smallmouths? Will I catch either/or with the same setup?
- Any other suggestions that might help a bass newbie? e.g. time of day; type of weather; specific lake; etc?

I'm sure I'll have other questions but those are the main ones. I seem to hook into plenty of trout, would love to pivot and start hooking into some bass!

Nothing wrong with using spinning for bass fishing, I have been for 50 years, frogs, jigs, everything, spinning works great, regardless what ANYBODY says. Just be sure to have the proper action from a quality brand. Also get a quality reel.

If you WANT to learn to use a level wind, maybe you already know how, then that's great too, they can be fun to use, and some techniques are better, and/or easier with a bait caster.

I like baitcasters for one handed casting and being able to slow and stop the lure with my thumb. Spinning works OK though. Less headaches and generally longer casting distance.

Mornings and evenings are always your best times for bass. Also any structure in the water, docks, logs, lily pads etc. For a go-to setup it's tough to beat a simple EWG worm hook (I use size 5/0) and a 5" Senko texas rig. Most fun would be a topwater frog or mouse type of lure, for this one I use a bit heavier rod and 50lb braided line. Then there's everything else, cranks, spinner-baits, chatter-baits, etc. I don't know what you'll have for lakes over there, but usually what you use on any given day will be dependent on what the lake has to offer. These are just some of my staples, I've never tried drop shotting or wacky rigs, but maybe someday.

Thanks dwh4784 and Amx for the info. Hoping to get something hooked up soon and will post some pics if I do!

I second what AMX said about spinning setups. We went out today, I took a few of both and found myself using the spinning setup more often than my baitcasters. Granted, I am pretty new to the baitcaster and it requires a lot more thought. But yeah, that guy has 15 rods on his boat, all but one of them spinning setups, and he caught 14 fish to my 3, so go figure.

Meander forgot to mention that HE caught the biggest Bass today. lol

Well, no one likes a braggart ;)