New fisher looking for gear advice

1

155440

Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
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After going on an exciting deep sea fishing trip off of Tampa in April, I've decided that I would like to pick up fishing as a hobby this summer. There are several local ponds and streams and some googling showed that there were mostly blue gill, small mouthed bass, and catfish in them. (Being from New Jersey) I plan on getting my New Jersey fishing licence on Friday.

Gear: My main reason for posting this is I'm unsure what to get gear wise. I am on a bit of a budget ($120 dollars for everything). I also would like to get a jack of all trades spinner rod for fresh water fishing, or at least something that's capable of more than just smaller freshwater fish. I was thinking a penn 2000-6000 (somewhere in there) reel and some form of ugly stik. I would also need a tackle box, hooks, and line and bait. I would also prefer not to get a combo rod.

Random other questions:
What do you guys typically use to store bluegills for eating when you are shore fishing?
Is it worth getting one of those 30 dollar ultralite rods?
Is there anything else i'm missing?
What knife would be the most convenient for shore fishing? Should I just bring whatever folder I'm most accustomed too?

Any advice would be helpful for a scrub, thanks in advance.
 
For bluegill I like a light/fast action rod over an ultralight simply because they are a little longer generally. Hard to beat Ugly Stik, been using them for years and they last. Penn or Shimano reels are a great value as well. Don't forget to include a quality line in your budget, I like Yo-Zuri 6# mono but any of the higher quality mono lines do well. Bluegill are great fun to fish for, they fight in a class above their weight! Delicious eating too.

Pick up a 3 or 5 gallon bucket for your fish or a smaller ice chest.

If there is a Bass Pro or similar store near by, check out some of their tackle kits, but avoid the bluegill kits with 500 different soft jig in there. You need to focus on terminal tackle, hooks, floats, leader, split shot, etc. #8 #10 #12 hooks should be fine for worm fishing on a bobber, but also micro crawdad rubber baits fished on muddy bottom this time of year can produce some bigger fish. Small poppers and other top water baits are great fun too!

If you also want to fish for bass, a medium-light rod is nice for casting up to 1/2 oz lures. Doesn't have to be a bait casting reel either, those take a little bit of a learning curve and if you don't have the reel adjusted properly can be frustrating for a novice. Find a pro shop and go talk to them, they love getting new guys out and fishing!

If all else fails, a cane pole, about 10 feet of mono, a bobber, split shot, hook and worm will produce bluegill just as well.

Here's a decent rod.. http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/UGLY-LITE-PRO-7-0/15908432?type=search

A good value real http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Shimano-Sienna-Spinning-Reel/15553875?type=search




-X
 
Thanks for all the great info, while looking at the rod you linked me, I saw it was listed as a 2 piece rod. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to having a 2 piece over a 1 piece rod?

There aren't any bass pro shops near me but there is a Dick's so I'll check it out.
 
Storage and transport is easier with a 2 piece rod, especially if you get a travel tube or case. I have several one piece rods and they can be a pain sometimes to trasport.


-X
 
30$ for an ugly stick ultralight rod and reel at wal-mart ultra light or light action and you'll have years of service. I also agree on terminal tackle such as small floats/bobbers, split shot BB size, hooks, etc. I would use a clear plano or flambeau type storage box to put your tackle in. As for lures, chose micro size soft plastics, gulp products, ice jigs tipped with worm, tiny tubes under a bobber and twitched slowly they can be tipped with meal worm or gulp product as well. I personally use a lindy little nipper feather jig 1/32 or 1/64 or 1/16 oz tipped with small pan fish worm. Simple, cheap, effective. 4 lb test plenty good. Small bucket or even a stringer will do. As for knife I usually use a victorinox classic, or Gerber dime for the small pliers to pinch on split shot. But whatever your comfortable with use.
 
If you do not like the combos $120 budget for individual rod and reel plus fishing licence, gear is really stretching it, as even wal-mart reels are around the 30$ mark now. Berkely lighting rod lite action will run you 20$ if you get a sale or off season. It's easy to get particular with gear in a hurry. Have fun and keep us updated with your choice!
 
Oh, a couple handy pieces of kit, finger nail clippers and hemostats. Clippers are good for trimming line and hemostats for getting hooks out of those tiny mouths.

Polarized sunglasses will help tremendously on the water as well. Do yourself a favor, find out if there are any poisonous or otherwise nasty plants in the area, no fun walking through brush to get to a nice still water pond and then find out its poison ivy or stinging nettles!

If you fish somewhere you can have a fire, blue gill are delicious breaded in cornmeal, S&P, touch of garlic and fried in oil. Quick and easy!


-X
 
155440 said:
Thanks for all the great info, while looking at the rod you linked me, I saw it was listed as a 2 piece rod. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to having a 2 piece over a 1 piece rod?

There aren't any bass pro shops near me but there is a Dick's so I'll check it out.
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Hey there..1pc rods inevitably get broken in car doors and windows...I rarely buy a 1 pc anymore and infact..the mating and materials are so good on new production these days..that you can go to 4 pcs and have packability if you need it. I usually have a 2 pc in several
weights..for spinning and 3 to 4 pc rods for all my fly fishing outfits. I had a really nice st Croix light 1 pc that I enjoyed for a while but just wasn't practical for me. The other advice I have is pay attention to action and weight and don't over buy with a rod that is heavier than you really need....its much more fun and sporting to have gear that is matched and even under rated for the quarry by a little bit.
 
Hey 155440, pm me or email at bralexander83@gmail.com I take it you are in Florida from the tampa trip and the fish you described being local. I am in Florida near ocala/the villages and can help out.
Bruce

edit- I completely skipped the part about 155440 getting a New Jersey fishing license so disregard my post about being able to help you out. Sorry I know nothing about fishing in New Jersey.
 
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If you're doing a short ultralight rod, then a one-piece can work. Otherwise, having a one-piece is a PITA: harder to fit in the truck, harder to carry through the brush, harder to store at home.

Don't knock the combo sets too much. Some of the lower-price WalMart combos do OK if on a tight budget. For $120 you're going to be pressed to purchase everything you need. Start with lower-end stuff as your budget allows, and buy better stuff as this first round of gear needs replacing.

Check out the sale bins of combo sets at BassPro. These are the same rods and reels that they sell off-the-shelf, but often at significant discounts. :thumbup:

There aren't any bass pro shops near me
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Looks to me like there are two in New Jersey. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...redirect&cm_cat=mktg&cm_pla=bps&cm_ite=stores

What do you guys typically use to store bluegills for eating when you are shore fishing?
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Those wire baskets work great. The gill clip-chain things are smaller and lighter. Or a five-gallon bucket - make it into a seat on slow-catch days. :)

Is it worth getting one of those 30 dollar ultralite rods?
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Not as a do-it-all sort of rod.
 
To add to everyone else- If you are on a budget, make sure to look at flea markets, garage sales, church sales, clearance racks, etc. I have not paid retail on a tackle box for as long as I can remember. Recently bought a $30 Plano box at Kmart for $12 on clearance.The last 5 or so boxes I bought at goodwills and garage sales and paid a max of $4 a piece in like new condition. Rods and reels are a little harder to find cheap but the last three rods I bought were $25 dollar ultralights Shimano and Berkley and I paid $11 each( I really like each of these and would even recommend them at full price). Sometimes I find used reels in good shape but rarely used rods. As far as tackle, again, clearance is your friend. Gander mountain always has a good amount of clearance, as does Dicks, Sports Authority, Kmart and even Walmart. Occasionally I will buy a certain plastic worm, or lure at retail if it is a proven "winner" or catches my eye. I like to support my local small business fishing places too, but most are really overpriced. I will buy live bait and occasionally some tackle from them though.

Bruce
 
Take a look at the Cabelas Tournament ZX spinning reels. They are made by Daiwa for Cabelas. I have the 1500 ($79) which is sort of a light action fresh water reel. But the larger ones are also very nice. This is a bit of a step down perhaps from my Shimano Stradic spinning reels that I have used for years, but I think I'm going to like using it.

The 1500 would work very well for you except for heavy bass. But I suspect I could muddle through it.

Additions: Some people keep fish on a stringer. I would tend to do the bucket method. You can also sit on the bucket if you are shore fishing. Coolers work, but I hate to stink up a cooler and only keep cleaned fish inside that. Personally, I would carry whatever folder knife you are accustomed with fishing. But if you do the bluegill/crappie thing, you might want to pick up a filet knife which makes the cleaning job easier and quicker. Typically you filet the small pan fish for frying.

On the rod deal, I would not get one of those whimpy ultralight rods (that flex easily), I would go with a light action spinning rod that is about 5.5 or 6 feet in length. A one piece 6 foot rod begins to get more difficult to transport inside a car, but it can be done. I tend to use a 5.5' one piece light action rod for most things. A one piece rod is stronger. Don't close any car doors on the tip.... all rods break.

I have always liked the original blue Stren line rather than some of the new braided lines for smaller fish. It is fairly inexpensive. I'd probably go with 6 lb test line, but I tend to use 4 lb test line the most as I am mostly catching smaller fish anyway (trout). The lower the strength the thinner the line and as a result, you are likely to be able to cast further.
 
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22-rimfire has some good advice. Especially with the fishing line example. I tried the light weight braided stuff for my ultralight rigs and was not impressed. It was generally a pain in the butt and not worth it, and expensive. I now use good mono line on all my ultralight and light reels. I don't notice much difference between brands and I just buy name brands that are on sale. These include Stren, Spyderwire(mono), Berkley, Cajun Line, etc. On heavier weight stuff I do use braids in the 10-15lb variety and like those.

If you stick with it, you will probably find out you prefer specific brands. For me this is Shimano for rods/reels and plano for tackle boxes. I have enjoyed every Shimano rod and reel I have bought. These range from used middle weight reels to new ultra light rods and reels. They just hit the spot for quality/price and my use. I also like some zebco reels. I have both "vintage" and new ones that are great, but you have to be careful because some zebcos are junk. For tackle boxes it's Plano all the way. There are many to choose from and every Plano box I have used is great quality and priced right.

Good luck and enjoy yourself. I have been fishing for 27yrs and it has been a great hobby for me. I rarely eat what I catch, but love the peacefulness and the adrenaline.
Bruce
 
Stuff you need.... toe nail clippers for nipping the line (a knife is too much of a pain using), needle nose pliers for taking deeply hooked fish off, polarized sun glasses (I like amber), hat to shade your eyes and perhaps keep a little rain off your face, boots/waders if you are stream fishing (also protect you from snake encounters), and small tackle box or a fishing vest to keep stuff in (it depends on the kind of fishing you're doing). Practice casting in some open water where you won't get tangled up. Pay attention to the suggested weight range for lures usually listed on your rod. Learn how to tie at least one good fishing knot, perhaps the improved clinch knot.
 
Yep, 22-rimfire is spot on with his advice. I like the improved clinch knot with all mono line and the palomar with braided lines. These two are simple and easy to tie with a little practice.
Bruce
 
Just thinking about balance of the budget and all that. I've found that Rods last a good long time, and cheap reels don't, pretty obvious, but that often means an expensive reel on a cheap rod. I'd go the other way, get as good a rod as you can (nothing wrong with an ugly stick, and multi-part rods are the way to go) and then upgrade the reel over time. I love my penn slammer, but I fish salt mostly, so simpler is better for my use. Some people really like having reverse (it took me a while to get used to not having it) Good used gear is well worth looking at since the good stuff will last a long time, or like the penn slammers, be easily rebuilt.

Remember lures are designed to catch fishermen, not fish, you should do fine with keeping things simple. i do almost all of my beach fishing with running shot, circle hooks, and maybe a little plastic bead for some color, and to keep my shot from sticking on a knot.

Watch your local classifieds and yard sales for tackle and stuff, nothing wrong with collecting gear that way on the cheap.
 
Find somebody who fishes around there and go with them.

We have salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, trout, crab, oysters.... heck I don't know all the stuff we can catch here. I do know this though: If I'd gone into the local Bass Pro or Cabela's and got the stuff they recommended, I'd be sitting here with a bunch of useless stuff. Same thing if I'd gotten on-line to find fishing tips.

Luckily, I have a brother and a father-in-law who have been fishing this stuff since birth. Their tips on gear and technique simply can't be found anywhere but going with them on a fishing excursion, and each tip is worth its weight in gold... or smoked salmon anyways.

Five minutes at our local hardware store was all they needed to rig me and the boys up with REAL SIMPLE essentials. Hell, they even had a bunch of "extra" stuff in the garage that I could have. Stick the stuff in the pockets of your vest and jump in the truck.

Locals know what works in what fishing hole, and it usually won't run you much more than the beer money.

What do I find most useful? Leatherman with needle nose pliers. Scissors make short work of clipping line, file can sharpen a hook real quick, pliers crimp the split shot effectively, knife makes short work of (small) fish. Can you do this with a pair of nail clippers, a pair of needle nose and a fishing knife? Yep, but I only use up one pocket my way. :)
 
Velitrius said:
What do I find most useful? Leatherman with needle nose pliers. Scissors make short work of clipping line, file can sharpen a hook real quick, pliers crimp the split shot effectively, knife makes short work of (small) fish. Can you do this with a pair of nail clippers, a pair of needle nose and a fishing knife? Yep, but I only use up one pocket my way. :)
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To each his own. But it takes too much effort to get out a leatherman/multitool when you are catching fish every 10 minutes or so. I only use one pocket too for those things. The truth is that I often carry a spare pair of needle nose pliers with me in case I loose a pair.
 
With father days sales going on its a good time to buy.Bass Pro,Cabelas,And Gander Mtn. have sales going on.I'am not a big Gander Mtn fan but their store branded rod and reels are good quality for the money.A tip on buying pliers hold them up to the light if you can't see thru the cutters they will usually cut line.
 
For bluegill buy a cheap fly rod outfit 5wt and learn how to flyfish. Sponge spiders for top water and nymphs for below the surface it's a blast. I use to catch fish when everybody else couldn't.
 
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