noob freshwater fishing resources

I've got gear for literally everything that can be caught in freshwater in the lower 48, from microlite rigs for panfish to a couple medium fly rods to my "logjam rigs" for big flatheads, that are capable of hauling in white sturgeon in the Pacific Northwest.

And that being said... I don't think I'm qualified to give advice on what you need to get. Just go with brands you're familiar with and comfortable with.

If you want to know what I use for catfish gear, that's where I specialize. But it also depends on price range in mind, target species, target size, and how often you will be using/abusing the equipment.

This is just about half of my catfish rod/reel combos:

For largemouth bass, get yourself a few colors of crankbaits that will run at different depths. A few colors and sizes of spinnerbaits. An assortment of soft plastics- worms, creature baits, stick baits, flukes- in a few different colors. And some topwaters baits in different colors too- frogs, walking baits, poppers.

That's a good start, and they'll catch more than bass often times.

For catfish I recommend Team Catfish terminal tackle and hooks. They're tough as nails. Fresh cut shad or night crawlers are excellent baits for channels and blues and the occasional flathead. Go big or go home on live bait size if you're exclusively targeting flatheads (though I recommend upsizing rod/reel if targeting big blues or flattys).

Other regulars on the board are much more familiar with crappie and other panfish. I can slaughter them at farm ponds but I've never been able to consistently figure them out on lakes or large rivers.

I've fished and been addicted to it since I was a wee lad of three years. I'd love to be able to give more advice but there are just so many variables that's it's hard to do. Half the fun is just getting out and figuring things out. Regulars at local bait shops can be a wealth of knowledge. And if you happen to see a game warden in your vicinity, they are usually very forthcoming with how other anglers in the area are doing and what they're catching- and what they're catching them with.

I know my County Game Warden so well that he actually texts me every year when the crappie spawn is starting at the three lakes nearest to me

Check out some YouTube channels.

Visit your local bait shop and ask questions.

Thanks a ton. Great advice

https://www.bassresource.com/

https://www.wired2fish.com/

The topwater bite for bass should be about to hit full swing. Buy a black whopper plopper for that. These are great internet resources. Wired 2 fish has good videos for bass. TBH you need to narrow what you are going to target. tacklebox for panfish is gonna look a little different than bass and catfish.