QUESTION FOR ALL THE FISHERMEN OUT THERE

[NaiMan]

Hello everyone,

Since I received a fishing license from my brother-in-law as a X-mas present, I should put it to use.

I'm looking into picking up a rod/reel/line/lures.

Type of fish I'm aiming for: All bass (striper, large mouth, etc), salmon, and other medium size fresh-water fish.

Is there a rod/reel/line that would be good enough to catch all these type of fishes?

I don't have enough money to get specific rod/reel for specific fishes.

one set for everything... WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS RECOMMEND???

No more than $200 range for whole set, if possible.

Thanks!

 

[leftyman]

why did your brother in law get you a fishing license for xmas, if you dont fish?

 

[NaiMan]

Originally posted by: leftyman
why did your brother in law get you a fishing license for xmas, if you dont fish?

I guess he wants me to start fishing, since he's one of those guys you see in the Outdoors network.

fishing's fun right?

 

[jhayx7]

Fly fishing or spinning?

 

[leftyman]

Originally posted by: NaiMan

Originally posted by: leftyman
why did your brother in law get you a fishing license for xmas, if you dont fish?

I guess he wants me to start fishing, since he's one of those guys you see in the Outdoors network.

fishing's fun right?

drinking beer while fishing is fun, yes.

 

[NaiMan]

Originally posted by: jhayx7
Fly fishing or spinning?

Spinning... i don't think i'm skilled enough to fly fish

 

[LS20]

also need entry-level beginner fresh water fishing gear. should i go for rod & reel combo or buy them separately. also, what brands?

all i know is to look for long length (though i might need collapsible)

 

[NaiMan]

Originally posted by: LS20
also need entry-level beginner fresh water fishing gear. should i go for rod & reel combo or buy them separately. also, what brands?

all i know is to look for long length (though i might need collapsible)

I heard you should avoid collapsible rods...


No Fishermen from Anandtech?

 

[r6ashih]

get the pumping fishing pole.. you pump it up to build air pressure and then shoot the hook to your fish! I saw it on tv

 

[everman]

You don't need anything too fancy to have fun. Get a standard size rod with a nice flexible tip and a decent spinning reel. Then get a few lures of various types, some powerbait (or whatever other brands out there), and appropriate line. Learn how to tie a palomar knot and you're set. I don't remember what the rules are here about how many rods one fisherman can have in the water at once, you may be able to throw a few lines out there with bait, check the local laws.

Also bring plenty of your beverage of choice and a nice chair, and an ice chest for the fish. Polarized sunglasses are a good idea too.

 

[NaiMan]

" palomar knot "

i'll have to google that....

thanks for the tips!

 

[d3n]

Check out BassResource

That aside you do well buying a medium hard rod 7'/real combo. If you have a BassPro Shop any of the Quantum Catalyst or Shimano reels with a Basspro Pro rod would be a solid choice.

That might be more than you want to spend but it makes for a quality experiance.

 

[Uppsala9496]

I'm a fan of G-Loomis rods, but those will out of your price range.
St. Croix are nice at a decent price ($100-$150).
Abu Garcia makes nice reels as does Daiwa.

 

[jhayx7]

Originally posted by: NaiMan

Originally posted by: jhayx7
Fly fishing or spinning?

Spinning... i don't think i'm skilled enough to fly fish

For beginner spinning I would suggest a Zebco 33 reel. They are cheap, easy to use and built to last. For you rod, just go to a sporting goods store and look around, find one that handles medium weight line and is not too cheap but not too expensive (UglySticks are pretty good, can't hardly break them).

Any fishing line will do for now. I know Dicks will put some fishing line on your reel for free if you ask.

Essential gear:
Split-shot weights
corks/bobbers (plastic round kind)
Tru-turn hooks (for fishing with live bait)
Pair of needlenose pliars and knife or a leatherman in case the fish swallows the lure a bit before it sets
A little Plano tackle box
Rag


Lures:
I mainly fish with Roostertails when fishing for bass/bream. The silver ones are the best IMO. Stripe seem to like anything with a white body and red heads for some reason. Any spinner bait for bass seem to work ok but fly fishing is better for bass IMO.

Go see if any outdoor stores offer fly-fishing clinics, there is one around me that does them every Saturday morning, groups of < 6. Fly fishing is a lot more fun.

Good luck!!!

 

[LS20]

brands to seek or avoid for beginner reels?

hard to bring rod to long-distance camping without truck or suv

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: jhayx7

Originally posted by: NaiMan

Originally posted by: jhayx7
Fly fishing or spinning?

Spinning... i don't think i'm skilled enough to fly fish

For beginner spinning I would suggest a Zebco 33 reel. They are cheap, easy to use and built to last. For you rod, just go to a sporting goods store and look around, find one that handles medium weight line and is not too cheap but not too expensive (UglySticks are pretty good, can't hardly break them).

Any fishing line will do for now. I know Dicks will put some fishing line on your reel for free if you ask.

Essential gear:
Split-shot weights
corks/bobbers (plastic round kind)
Tru-turn hooks (for fishing with live bait)
Pair of needlenose pliars and knife or a leatherman in case the fish swallows the lure a bit before it sets
A little Plano tackle box
Rag


Lures:
I mainly fish with Roostertails when fishing for bass/bream. The silver ones are the best IMO. Stripe seem to like anything with a white body and red heads for some reason. Any spinner bait for bass seem to work ok but fly fishing is better for bass IMO.

Go see if any outdoor stores offer fly-fishing clinics, there is one around me that does them every Saturday morning, groups of < 6. Fly fishing is a lot more fun.

Good luck!!!

This man knows his stuff. I was just about to recommend a Zebco/Ugly Stick combination myself, it's what I started on. Can't offer much advice on lures though, as I haven't done much of my fishing in the US, and never for anything other than trout.

 

[jhayx7]

Originally posted by: LS20
brands to seek or avoid for beginner reels?

hard to bring rod to long-distance camping without truck or suv

Not really, my rod/reel fits in my civic. Put the reel in the floorboard of the front passenger seat and then set the rod between the seat and the console so it wont move around. Doesn't get in the way of the passenger at all.

 

[DeadByDawn]

Originally posted by: LS20
brands to seek or avoid for beginner reels?

hard to bring rod to long-distance camping without truck or suv

As said above shimano or quantum are good quality reels, buy a two piece rod. All kinds of people sell them, the Bass Pro Bionic Blade is a good rod for the money. Go about 6 1/2 foot medium action, and get a reel that will handle 8 lb test.

 

[jtvang125]

Look for a medium action rod(not too stiff and not too flexible) in about 6 foot in length. Get a good metal spinning reel and some quality fishing line at 6lb - 8lb test line for medium size fishes. For large stripers you'll want a heavier action rod, larger reel and atleast 10lb test line of fishing line.

 

[novasatori]

walmart has some decent rods for cheap every now and then

cabela's generic brand reels are usually good

they take nice reels and re badge them under their generic name, since they get a discount on large manufacturing runs
can get some really nice reels this way for cheap, even tho they're identical to the original manufacturers

they also have decent combos

 

[LS20]

thoughts on closed vs open reels
and live bait vs lures?

 

[d3n]

Originally posted by: jhayx7

Originally posted by: LS20
brands to seek or avoid for beginner reels?

hard to bring rod to long-distance camping without truck or suv

Not really, my rod/reel fits in my civic. Put the reel in the floorboard of the front passenger seat and then set the rod between the seat and the console so it wont move around. Doesn't get in the way of the passenger at all.

If you are camping most of the time you will be fishing for trout or small mouth bass on streams and rivers. Small mouth fishing is my favorite game fish. I usually like to go lightweight when fishing for them. It makes for a fun time. St Croix makes a nice light weight travel rod, couple that with a lightweight reel that shimano puts out and your set for camping..

To start out you should get a couple of 'senkos' basically a term for a soft plastic worm, Senko's themselves are a premium name that has come to describe all soft plastic worms s that look like cigars. Yum dingers about 5" seem to hold up well. To fish for small mouth you just want to hook them right in the middle with a Size 4 offset hook. Throw it upstream and give it time to SLOWLY move its way down the current. If you grab grass and weeds you can right the things weedless and it works on SM just as well.

Just a note that offset hooks are really easy to have a fish swallow and makes it very heard to release the fish if its deep. Might try circle hooks with a gradual hookset. It will pull it into the corner of the mouth, making it easy to remove.


The only reason I mention the travel rod over the two peice is so you can backpack into a campsite with it. 2pc rods are still kind of big for that. Bionic Blades are my favorite rods since I can't get away fishing enough to justify something more expensive.

 

[jhayx7]

Originally posted by: LS20
thoughts on closed vs open reels
and live bait vs lures?

Use a closed face if you are new to fishing, if not you will end up throwing your reel in the water after the 10th time it bird-nests.

After a little more practice, buy a GOOD baitcase (open face) reel. I had a Shimano Curado reel that has adjustable weights to control backlash. It was a super-sweet reel and it never would backlash after I got it adjusted.

Also, lures work best for most fish. The only fish I do not use lures for are catfish. Use anything and I mean anything for them; worms, crickets, hot dogs, chicken livers, marshmellows, peanut butter, cut-up fish, dog food, used tampons, just about anything that has a strong smell.

 

[NaiMan]

Originally posted by: jhayx7

Originally posted by: LS20
thoughts on closed vs open reels
and live bait vs lures?

Use a closed face if you are new to fishing, if not you will end up throwing your reel in the water after the 10th time it bird-nests.

After a little more practice, buy a GOOD baitcase (open face) reel. I had a Shimano Curado reel that has adjustable weights to control backlash. It was a super-sweet reel and it never would backlash after I got it adjusted.

Also, lures work best for most fish. The only fish I do not use lures for are catfish. Use anything and I mean anything for them; worms, crickets, hot dogs, chicken livers, marshmellows, peanut butter, cut-up fish, dog food, <B>used tampons</B>, just about anything that has a strong smell.

Don't know if i want to touch used tampons...


I'll probably jump on an ugly stick, then search for a shimano reel on ebay/craigslist.

What kind of Line (brand wise) would you guys recommend?

I just hope i'll catch a fish with all the money i'm spending.

 

[SWScorch]

my suggestion:

decent 6' or 6'6" rod. I use a Berkely Lightning Rod... $50 can land you one that's more than adequate
decent spinning reel... I think mine's a Shimano or an Abu Garcia or one of them (I havent gone fishing in a while ), just like the rod, $50 will be fine
8lb line
lots of spinners (Mepps Aglias are the greatest lure ever), spinnerbaits, rubber worms, crankbaits (Rapalas)