Fishing Tackle For the Novice Angler
So, you want to have a go at fishing but don't know where to start and what you'll need.
In this article I'll outline the kit that you will need for freshwater fishing.
If you have never been fishing before, don't go out an buy a load of kit, see if you can borrow it from someone first, if you can't borrow it, hire it and if you can't hire it, as a last resort take a look at eBay - you'll find some real bargains.
Fishing is not for everyone, but if you're looking for an excuse to be outside and enjoy the calmness of being with nature then maybe it's for you.
As a starting point the bare minimum you will need will be: a rod, a reel, some line, hooks, weights and a float or two depending on where you will be fishing.
Lets look at some of these in detail: A fishing rod Ideally you want one that's about 3m (10 feet) long, this is a good length for general fishing.
They come in a range of materials from cane to high tech carbon fiber and graphite, at this stage of your fishing I'd recommend getting the cheapest you can find.
A reel For freshwater fishing your best option would be to find a fixed spool reel.
It doesn't need to have any special features.
Line You need enough of this to fill the spool on the reel that you buy.
This come on small spools typically 100m or bulk sized spools up to 500m.
If you find fishing is for you then line choice is critical, for your first line though I'd recommend something like a 3lb breaking strain (1.
36kg) Hooks Now, this is a bone of contention with anglers, barbed hooks or barbless hooks.
It is less likely that a fish will come off a barbed hook when you are reeling it in, the flipside of that is that it is more difficult to get the hook out.
Match anglers will invariable use barbed hook as there fishing is all about the weight of fish they catch.
I fish for pleasure and so that is not important to me, I prefer to use barbless hooks, they do less damage to the fish and are easier to get out.
Weights Get your self a multi pack of weight containing non led weights of varying sizes.
You can then match the weights to the float that you are using.
Floats You will need a couple of floats to suit different water conditions.
Choppy water conditions mean that you will need a larger more visible float, calm water conditions mean that you can make do with a smaller float.
The distance from the bank that you need to fish will also make a difference to your float selection.
If you need to fish further out you will need a bigger float that needs more weight to keep it in its correct position.
More weight means you can cast further.
Hopefully this article has given you a starting point for you to make an informed decision about what you need to begin fishing.
Enjoy.
In this article I'll outline the kit that you will need for freshwater fishing.
If you have never been fishing before, don't go out an buy a load of kit, see if you can borrow it from someone first, if you can't borrow it, hire it and if you can't hire it, as a last resort take a look at eBay - you'll find some real bargains.
Fishing is not for everyone, but if you're looking for an excuse to be outside and enjoy the calmness of being with nature then maybe it's for you.
As a starting point the bare minimum you will need will be: a rod, a reel, some line, hooks, weights and a float or two depending on where you will be fishing.
Lets look at some of these in detail: A fishing rod Ideally you want one that's about 3m (10 feet) long, this is a good length for general fishing.
They come in a range of materials from cane to high tech carbon fiber and graphite, at this stage of your fishing I'd recommend getting the cheapest you can find.
A reel For freshwater fishing your best option would be to find a fixed spool reel.
It doesn't need to have any special features.
Line You need enough of this to fill the spool on the reel that you buy.
This come on small spools typically 100m or bulk sized spools up to 500m.
If you find fishing is for you then line choice is critical, for your first line though I'd recommend something like a 3lb breaking strain (1.
36kg) Hooks Now, this is a bone of contention with anglers, barbed hooks or barbless hooks.
It is less likely that a fish will come off a barbed hook when you are reeling it in, the flipside of that is that it is more difficult to get the hook out.
Match anglers will invariable use barbed hook as there fishing is all about the weight of fish they catch.
I fish for pleasure and so that is not important to me, I prefer to use barbless hooks, they do less damage to the fish and are easier to get out.
Weights Get your self a multi pack of weight containing non led weights of varying sizes.
You can then match the weights to the float that you are using.
Floats You will need a couple of floats to suit different water conditions.
Choppy water conditions mean that you will need a larger more visible float, calm water conditions mean that you can make do with a smaller float.
The distance from the bank that you need to fish will also make a difference to your float selection.
If you need to fish further out you will need a bigger float that needs more weight to keep it in its correct position.
More weight means you can cast further.
Hopefully this article has given you a starting point for you to make an informed decision about what you need to begin fishing.
Enjoy.
