It is hard to find specific sources for certain water bodies (unless the water body is popular or well known). If you are in the states, I would suggest looking up a list of freshwater or saltwater species that live throughout the state. Try to find one with not just game fish but every fish found in that state( that way, the list will have micro species as well). After you catch a fish that you aren’t sure about ID wise, you can just refer to the list until you find the perfect match. These list are usually sorted by family’s of fish so finding what family the fish is from helps narrow the search. This helps get an exact idea on the fish species instead of thinking it is a species that lives no where near you. Also, although not necessary, I would recommend getting the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. A field guide of any sort is not needed but is definitely a helpful thing to have.
Walmart has a $10 ugly stick combo with a Shakespeare reel
Rod: main reason I bought the combo, it's great
Reel : cheap Chinese reel, but works
Line : supppper cheap. I replaced it the next day with triline xt 4lb line
Here it is on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076PNZSY7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o0yjDbWZ986AC
I have 10 other fishing rod and reel combos, where the cheapest setup was $150. So, buying a $10 combo was weird, but I'll be dammed if I'm happy with it.
I'll eventually replace the reel with a Pflueger 20x reel, but not until this one gives me issues
As for lures, my suggestion is to not use anything with a tail. I realized the micro fish were biting the end of the tail on my jig heads. So, make sure your lure has the hook at the end
Best suggestion I can give you is to buy a pair of waders. I find creeks and wade through it.
If you wade, try and start at the bottom of the creek and walk up stream. If you walk down steam, the mud you disturb will make the water hard to see through
I've been using this one https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B085L2JMM5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered this box from Amazon. We will see how will it works. Also ordered some size 30 hooks. 😄
Love the ingenuity, but I agree with the other commenter that you're better off buying them.
I like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005R42BN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1
They're technically made for fly tying, but I find the size 16 good for anything down to the size of a killifish. At the same time, the eyelets can pass 12lb monofilament, so they have quite an effective range.
The Peterson Guide 2nd Ed. is generally considered to be the best general ID book for North American freshwater species. Otherwise there is a Kansas Fishes book that looks good but I haven't used it before - that would be your best bet for more local/specialized info.
You might think about investing in a pair of these for use in future fishing photos...
This rod is the one I use. It should really be closer to 8 ft if it extended properly. When mine is extended its about 5 ft, maybe a little bit more. Some of the reviews suggest that if you sand the blank it will extend to its advertised length. I havent done that yet. Not sure that I will because the shorter length works pretty well for me.
Have you tried ant patterns on the fly? Always works super well for small fish for me
But I've had the absolute best luck with these https://www.amazon.com/18-Pk-Berkley-Gulp-inch-Minnows/dp/B00DN7KFTS and a small jig head. Just bounce it along the bottom as you reel in. Caught everything from 3 jnch bluegill to 20 inch trout on those minnows. Ultralight rod with 4-6lb test and you'll have an absolute blast.
I use a crappie extendable pole (Shakespeare Three-Piece Wonder 1 Lite Rod, 10-Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001H2YLSW/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_pefExbKNMMRR0) and they have two things on it that you can wrap your line and hook around and it will stay there.