Fishing Gear Advice

[ddb123]

Hi all,

My lady loves fishing, but neither of us know much about it. I want to surprise her next month with poles and tackle for each of us. I live two miles away from a pretty good public fishing access on Shoal Creek. Does anyone have advice on a decent rod/reel combo that will get used a few times a year and won't break the bank? I want an "all-purpose" pole; no specialty items preferred. I'd like to stay under $150 for two rods and reels and tackle. We have a Walmart and Academy Sports nearby.

 

[/pine]

Since you say neither of you know much about fishing...

My suggestion is to find a local guide/captain and and charter them for half a day...you will learn more in that half of day than you will in years on your own...

You will not only see what type of tackle you'll be needing you will also get a good " fishing basics" lesson on tying knots etc...and you may even learn a few good spots to get you started...

Good luck...

 

[Turbys_1700]

I used to bass fish years ago and have accumulated literally thousands of dollars worth of fishing tackle...
If you are gonna bank fish for bream, catfish, ETC...any combo outfit will do you well...
All of my stuff is bait caster equipment from all the major brands...
A good all around reel to start out on is a Zebco 33...
Easy to cast and strong enough for most fresh water species...
A couple of 33 combos will give you enough money left over for a couple of tackle boxes and tackle...

 

[murphy1244]

I started out with a Zebco 202. Do they still make them?

 

[newbury]

I started out with nylon line and hook retrieved from a snag. Check for a local fishing show. If you are trying to impress the girl don't act like an expert if you are not one.

Remember fishing is often luck. Just like women.

 

[Clint S]

Good all around pole will be medium action 6 to 7 feet . Shimano makes good entry level reels. I have a Senona for around $50. The Syncopate and Sienna is around $30. I like fishing lite. For bass/ cats ect 6 to 12 lb test

 

[bullbreaker]

As suggested get a Zebco type reel or a spinning reel. Avoid a "baitcasting" reel or you will spend more time unraveling it than fishing.

 

[RobertBrown]

Fishing gear is area specific. What works for me is most likely useless for you. You need to ask those that are fishing where you want to fish or have access to, or you're wasting time and maybe money.
I suggest you find out what works for successful fisherman in your area and get what they have.

 

[murphy1244]

Now I use a Ugly stick with a Garcia Mitchell 300 with 8lb test stringe

 

[Code54]

Yep - don't have to send a fortune. Any of the 40-$50 combos from Cabelea's, Gander Mountain, Wal Mart, etc are decent. I would say a spinning reel (AKA open face) would be good for most general lake fishing with mono line. I have a bunch of money in Bait Casters, spinning reels and my wifes cheap Walmart reel has pulled some darn nice fish in just like my more expensive stuff. Yes I can cast that extra 5-10 feet, maybe a bit more accurate but for general "out for fun" fishing you will be all set for $150 for everything.
Also get a set of fingernail clippers and hook them to your pants or whatever -they are great for cutting line when you tie on lures and such.
Have fun!

 

[bullbreaker]

Some pics to get you motivated :

 

[Code54]

As suggested get a Zebco type reel or a spinning reel. Avoid a "baitcasting" reel or you will spend more time unraveling it than fishing.

Have to agree on the Baitcaster - I love them BUT they are more work to learn and you have to set the reel to each lure so it is more work.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Shimano makes a good spinning reel in sizes 2000-4000 that will land any fresh water fish on the continent. I used the 4000 IX model with rear drag control (versus front drag) to land some 42" pike in northern Canada. They run about $19 each so you can get several. 1000 models are good for rainbow trout with #4 test line. I use 40# braided spider wire for my pike fishing on a 4000 series rod. It will hold about 150 yards of the stuff which is plenty of line for most instances. I have baitcaster reels that I rarely use now as I prefer the spinning reels and my wife like the closed face spinning reels so I have several of those alsoI have everything from 4 1/2 foot to 9 foot rods but most of my fishing is with 6.5-7foot rods in medium to medium heavy action. I think I have about 30 combo rods/reels that I use and about 10 than are just for spares for one reason or another like reel broke and haven't replaced it. I also pick up new reels when I find them on sale so I have about half a dozen new reels on the shelf for future use. For bass fishing you need a very stiff tip to enable you to set the hook well and these are sometimes hard to find at Walmart. I usually buy the two piece rods as they are easier stored in a rod locker than one piece. Use a couple of thick rubber bands around the two pieces to hold them together and you wont have any tangles in the line when you break it down.
As for tackle boxes go ahead and get a big one as you will need it as you buy more and more lures. I have 4 of the largest ones made and they are all full of lures, line, hooks and other fishing tools like hook disgorgers, fishing pliers, corks. I have a box for large game fish like pike, one for bass, one for pond fishing and one for small stuff like trout plus a lot of smaller boxes for flies for fly rods which I have yet to master other than tying air knots in the line. I would hate for the wife to know how much money I have tied up in fishing gear, but I have enough for any fishing party that happens along from professional guys to grandkids. I keep about half dozen closed face reels for the grand kids to use some of them are cheap 15 dollar combo rod and reels while others have some not to cheap closed face reels that I bought for the wife.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Got a photo to enjoy. Northern pike caught on Lake Gregoire in northern Alberta Canada

 

[murphy1244]

Got a photo to enjoy

Nice Fish!. You mount it?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Nice Fish!. You mount it?

No, I strictly catch and release. That was the largest I caught from that lake but much smaller than some that I caught on fly in trips to other lakes much further North and only accessible by float plane. Lake Gregoire was about 20 minutes from Fort McMurray and was good for 100 fish per person every day during spring and fall. I had some friends drive up from Edmonton one weekend and he and his wife each caught over 120 fish in one day. Summer slowed down a bit and may not catch more than 50 when the water heats up. One time I caught 12 fish on 12 cast while a fishing partner was trying to get a hook out of one. Most of the fish in this lake were in the 18-30" range, fun like heck to catch. The one in the photo was 38" long but kinda skinny. I caught one over 42" that was so heavy that I couldn't hold him up with even both hands like in the photo. I had to arm him up in a horizontal hold. Didn't have a scale to weigh him but he was largest I ever caught.

 

[creekbend]

I started out with a Zebco 202. Do they still make them?

My first reel was a Mitchell 300.

 

[ddb123]

Thanks guys. I had do a lot of catching up on jargon to make sense of most of the posts! I have done my fair share of fishing, just not much in the past 10 years. I can tie a lure and whatnot. I didn't know what the equipment was called and if I'd be wasting my time with a combo reel. I think I'm going to go with those and just get them from walmart. I appreciate the input. And those are some nice looking fish!

 

[Bird]

My Dad did a good bit of fishing in Oklahoma and Texas, before moving to Alaska where he did a lot of fishing, and then after he retired, for several years he fished 5 days a week in Port Aransas, TX. I guess he caught more fish than anyone I've known, and you should have seen some of the cheap junk he used for rods and reels. As he so rightfully said, "Those fish can't see what I've got in my hand."

 

[Tollster]

Cane pole and picnic basket!

You may also try a few yard sales for a push button or a spinning rod set up. That way you won't have to piece meal your way through it, but instead you may get lucky and find the rods and tackle box for a good price.

We threw this one back.