Rods, reels, line and baits

Rods, reels, line and baits

When your heading out the door in the morning, you want to make sure you are prepared for what you are going fishing for. For instance,  your not going to take a big 8 foot rod with 100 pound test line to go out bream or speck fishing, that’s overkill and you would never feel the fish bite the bait.   So, we’re going to talk about some of the basic tackle you will need to head out for a fun day of fishing.

Rods, there are so many different types of rods.  We are talking about casting, spinning, fly, trolling, telescopic….OH MY!!    Each rod is for a different purpose.  We will only talk about two of these for now.  Casting rods and spinning rods.   These rods are designed to allow the fisherman to accurately place a bait or lure wherever they want to.  Casting rods have the eyes are on the top of the rod.   Spinning rods are very similar to casting rods, but are usually slightly smaller and lighter and the eyes are on the bottom or the rod.  Spinning rods have one larger eye closest to the reel to reduce the friction on the line when casting.

Reels,  just like rods, there are so many different types.  There’s the push button (Zebco 404), spinning reel and baitcaster.   The Zebco is great for all ages, normally the beginning reel for the little ones, and its used on a smaller rod.  Now your graduate to the spinning reel, it sits on the rod underneath.   You flip the “bale” over, hold the line with your finger and let go as you cast your line…easy peesy..  Now on to the best type of reel to make the biggest “birds nest”.   There is a lot to learn to cast one of these reels without the major backlash of fishing line.  The way I was taught, pull out about 20 yards of line, then put a piece of tape on the spool of line.  Now as you learn to cast and tighten down the tension, the line wont backlash.

Fishing Line, bare with me, this is going to be a lot to take in, but will be worth it in the end.    One of the first, and most important, decisions you’ll have to make when selecting the type of fishing line you need is:  monofilament, fluorocarbon, copolymer and braid….These are the four most commonly used.  Monofilament has a good amount of stretch but it doesn’t respond to lighter bites and floats under most conditions.  Fluorocarbon line is almost invisible, which makes it a great choice in many situations.   It won’t stretch as much as mono line, and reacts to light biting and bottom contact very well.  Copolymer is a lot like monofilament but it’s usually thicker and stands up to abrasion better.  Braid line is almost like string.  Its super strong and doesn’t break but does backlash if your not experienced in using a baitcaster.  Its can been seen easily and also floats.

Lures, YAY, this is where the fun begins!!  We are not going to talk about live bait fishing, this is all about artificial bait.   There are more types of baits than you can shake a stick at!  Here is to name a few of the most popular…  jigs, spinners, spoons, soft plastic, plugs and spinerbaits.  Now each one of these types of baits come in every color you could image, and then more!  Here is the basic purpose for each one..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Jigs have a weighted lead head and come in every size and color, you can add skirts, feathers or any type of bait to them.  The classic way to fish a jig is to cast it out, wait until it hits the bottom, then jerk in up and reel the line, let it settle and repeat, like hopping.                     Spinners are a great beginner lure because they are so easy to use.  They are essentially a metal shaft with spinning blade.  Reeling the spinner back makes the blade spin which creates vibration.  Thats it, cast and reel.                                                                                                             Spoons are curved metal lures. The first spoons were just that, spoons with the handle broken off. Today, spoons can be had in any color and size.  Cast it our, reel it back, it wobbles back and forth.                                                                                                                                                             Soft plastics are mostly used for bass fishing.  These type of baits are created by pouring liquid plastic into a mould and adding dyes, metallic flakes, or even smells.  They can look like all types of fish,  worms, crawfish, lizards or frogs.                                                                                           Plugs are made from hollow plastic or wood to look like baitfish, frogs or other prey.  They usually have two or three treble hooks.  These hard bodied lures can be fished at almost any depth, as some are made to float or dive or both. Depending on the design, a plug will wobble, rattle or gurgle.  Cast it out and wait, then retrieve it slowly or fast, stopping suddenly and maybe throwing in an occasional twitch.                    Spinnerbaits are different looking looking lures, made of a safety-pin like wire attached to a lead head body.  The body usually has a rubber skirt and the arm with one or two metallic blades like those seen on spinners.  Basically, you cast it out and reel it back in.

So there you have it, the basic knowledge of  fishing equipment.   There is so much more to talk about, and I could go on and on, but I will leave it here and set up for my next blog….to be continued