re: Freshwater tackle must haves

Bass fishing must haves:
1/8 oz bullet sinker and 3 or 4 alt hooks for Texas rigging soft plastics.

Good soft plastics include: rage craws, zoom speed craws, zoom lizards, powerbait worms, havoc craw fatties. Zoom also makes flukes that are deadly fished weightless.

Crankbaits or lipless crankbaits: I prefer strike king kvd cranks and red eye shad lipless cranks. Rat L Trap make some good ones as well.

Spinnerbaits in smaller sizes work better IMO

Jerk baits such as suspending minnows and rouges are deadly in the spring and early summer.

"Crappie" fishing

Tube jig with or without spinner on 1/32 oz jig head with a power bait crappie nibblet on the hook.

Small crankbaits