Fishing Gear for the Peasant
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| A sampling of my rods (the spincast on the far right predictably broke) |
In all seriousness, one of the persistent problems that I had when I first started fishing, was gear. You can spend hundreds, thousands of dollars on rods and reels alone. Sadly, most of us aren't sponsored by a rich relative who's willing to drop cool hard cash on our fishing obsession. As I said before, though, there are ways to catch lots of fish and lots of different fish on a budget. Here are my tips for fishing on a budget.
1. Don't buy spincasters:
Remember the old button reels that your grandparents used? They've got the thumb button and usually Zebco emblazoned on the top. Don't buy them. By and large, they are poorly designed, made of cheap materials, and will break within a month or two of regular usage. Maybe fifty years ago they were more reliable, but without fail, every single spincast real I've own has broken within a few months. They just have poor drag design, they get line easily snagged inside, and they aren't capable of casting the way that other designs are. Skip the gimmick of the thumb button.2. Buy quality used or save up your money: I know it's tempting to buy that old reel from farmer joe that's seen two hundred years of bass fishing, but unless you want to refurb it, don't buy it. On the other hand, if you enjoy repairing reels (like myself), it's definitely worth it to buy bait casting reels that have minor issues, such as needing new drag washers. One of my favorite reels is a Mitchell Epic that I bought used from a guy because he didn't know how to use it.
Another good thing to do is just save up fifty bucks and buy a quality combo new. It's not that much more money and you'll be much happier with a smoothly functioning rod and reel that don't randomly break in the middle of a fishing trip. You don't have to buy the nicest, newest stuff. Middle of the road will more than suffice.
3. Buy a spinning reel: Don't tell my bait casters that I said this...spinning reels are the most versatile, most fun reels to use on the market. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than a good old saltwater reel, dialed in right, catching monster catfish. Yet, for everyday usage, spinning reels are much more practical. I have two Abu Garcia Silvermaxx reels and I adore them. The drag is smooth as silk, they can take anywhere from 4 to 14 pound mono, and I've used them to catch everything from river bass, catfish, big carp, drum, trout, and panfish. They work well with bobbers. They cast lures well. They are reliable. You can't go wrong spinning reels.
4. Don't get sucked into specialty fishing...yet: If you're just starting out, stick with the most versatile gear. Your grandpa or dad didn't buy all their fishing gear at once. It's best to keep it as simple as possible as much of the time as possible. You can catch a ton of different species just using a hook and a worm. Seriously, when you first start, just catch fish. Learn the basic principles of fish behavior and habitat. Start learning the different types of fish. Don't fall into thinking that the primary reason you aren't catching fish is gear. The primary reason most people don't catch fish is because they don't know where they are. Find the fish first.
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| An Abu Mitchell conventional reel (made in France!) (left) and the trusty Mitchell Epic (right_ |
6. Buy decent hooks: Hooks are an important part of your terminal tackle. Most freshwater fish won't break an appropriately sized hook, but if you are willing to spend a little more (I mean a dollar or two more per package), your hooks will stay sharper longer, won't bend out, and will cause you less headache. For panfish, the higher end EagleClaw stuff works fine. For circle hooks and other heavier hooks, I love Gamakatsu. I generally don't use treble hooks unless I'm trying to catch turtles or know that I'm going to eat a fish. They're overkill. Find what works for your style of fishing, the targeted species, and your budget.
7. Buy middle of the road line: Don't use the line that combo reels come spooled with. Generally, it's terrible. Just spend the extra few bucks and buy some decent mono. You can use braid, fluorocarbon, or other hybrids, but starting out, mono works best as an all around, durable option. I like Berkley's Trilene line. It's a mono variant with less in water visibility and smoother casting.
8. Get creative on rods: My big catfish road is actually a saltwater boat road. It combines the sensitivity, power, and size that I was looking for and it was much cheaper than the other speciality catfish rods. Mix and match your rods and reels. Find which reel feels best with which rod. One of my favorite rods I got on clearance at Academy for $5. Try and buy graphite rods if you can, but if you can't don't sweat it too much. Just avoid the cheapest stuff. It really isn't worth the money.
Recommendations:
-Abu Garcia spinning reels
-Ugly Stik rods
-Used gear
-Learn the difference between spinning, spincast, and baitcasting reels
-Gamakatsu hooks
-Eagle Claw Panfish hooks
-Berkley Trilene
Warnings:
-Zebco spincast models
-Shakespeare spincast models
*I don't have anything against these brands. I love some of their other products.
-overly vintage rods and reels (don't be a collector until you've collected some fish)
-the shiniest newest syndrome: trust me, if you can't catch fish with a $50 reel, you certainly won't catch them with a $150 reel
-Lazr sharp hooks (found at Academy and Walmart)
-Bargain hook bundles (just buy the good stuff. You won't regret it)
-cheap monofilament line
Best luck fishing!
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