The Sport of Fishing sees new members enter on a regular basis. Who knows what attracts a person to fishing. No matter what the reason, a lot ofpeople go out and beg, borrow or steal their first fishing reels and rod in hopes of landing a meal of tasty fish.

I’ve made a simple list about choosing your basic fishing tackle. You don’t need expensive or complicated gear to catch a fish. Everyone knows that fishing tackle manufacturers sell fishing tackle to catch the Fishermen’s eye instead of fish. The Rods and Reels I used to catch fish all those years ago still catch fish today. Just as good or better than the tackle that they try and sell you nowadays.

Fishing tackle to catch Fish shouldn’t be so complicated you need an users manual to figure out how to operate it. Simple set-ups work best for any fish. Back in my younger days, a Buddy and I went Bass fishing at a local lake. The weather was hot that day, even for June. We knocked off around noon and went in too load the boat when this Old Man and 2 kids came into the boat launch area.

When they were done loading their boat, I walked over to find they had a limit of Black Bass. The biggest one was 6 and a half pounds and none were under 2 pounds. Being that we were just skunked by an Old Man an two kids, I had to know what they were using for bait. The Old Man smiled and showed me his Minnow bucket and said “We’re using Bass minnows”! I also couldn’t keep from noticing their very simple used fishing rods and reels. Their basic fishing tackle had outfished a couple local Pro’s with the latest in Rods, reels and fishing tackle!

The basic fishing equipment you’ll need to start catching fish is a Rod and Reel, line and bait. It’s as simple as that. You also don’t need to run to the overpriced specialty store to find this tackle, your local sporting goods store or Wal-Mart has all the basic tackle you’ll need. I’d suggest a Rod and Reel combo like the Zebco 33 and a matching rod. Expect to pay a whopping twenty five bucks or so for such a combo.

Level wind reels take quite a bit of experience and practice to use properly. Spinning reels are not as difficult to use, but you do need to know how to properly cast one or you’ll end up with a mess on your hands.

Now on your equipment list comes the line. If you bought a rod and reel combo, chances are it came with line already on it. If not, or you want to change the line, then I’d suggest a 10lb line from either Stren or Trilene. There are other manufacturers out there, but these two have been around a long time and manufacture quality fishing line.

Bait selection comes next. Don’t fret, it’s just as simple as selecting your rod and reel. Start with live bait and work your way up to artificials. Forget artificial lures when starting out. Live bait will catch more and bigger fish. When you’re in the Fishing Dept. of your favorite store, look for Eagle Claw live bait hooks in the 1/0 to 3/0 sizes and get a few packs. Next try and find some weights. You can generally find the ones that come several sizes to a package. Split shot is a great weight for beginners. Next, check out the floats. I like to use the Balsa wood floats. I use the slip floats. These slide up and down the line for easy adjustment. They’re held in place at the top by a knot or bobber stop. You’re now ready to head out to your fishing hole!

That’s your basic list you’ll need to start fishing. This set up should cost you less than a $100 and once you have some experience under your belt, you’ll find it’s pretty easy to outfish the local Pro’s. The fishing companies have made it seem like catching a Bass is nearly impossible unless you’re using the latest and greatest gear on the Market. Ignore the marketing hype. Now get out there and enjoy yourself!

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