Posts Tagged ‘fishing gear’
A Beginners Guide To Buying Ice Fishing Supplies
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009Ice fishing is a sport that can be done as a family. It’s relatively inexpensive to get outfitted and with knowledge of where to find a place to fish, a first-timer can have an excellent chance at success their first trip or so out on the ice.
But what’s required to begin ice fishing? There are a lot of choices when choosing fishing equipment in the stores, a Beginner can easily spend 100’s of dollars on ice fishing tackle and not be sure they have what the need to get started.
So I’ve put together this guide about essential ice fishing gear that a Beginner will need to begin. What’s more is that for less than what a Family of for can eat out at a steak house these days, you should be able to buy all the fishing gear that a person will need to get started ice fishing.
Okay Newbie, for your first purcase, you’ll need an auger meant for ice fishing to cut holes in the ice and snow. I recommend a 5 or 6 inch ice auger for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. For bigger fish like Walleye, Pike or Channel Catfish, then I recommend a 8, possibly even a 10 inch auger meant for ice fishing. You can get the power augers or the manual augers. Obviously the manual augers are not as expensive as the power augers but need more work to use. You’ll also need a scoop to get the ice chips from the hole in the ice.
Next on the list are tip ups and ice rods. Many fishermen bore numerous holes over structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Others prefer to ice fish with a ice rod rather than tip ups. If it was me,I’d get a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which technique you prefer.
The line you use for fishing should be designed for fishing through the ice. The near freezing water can make the line so stiff that it breaks easily. Due to this, you will want to make sure and get line made for fishing through the ice. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. The line is the most crucial part of your ice fishing tackle.
Any good sporting goods store will advise you to get some jigs and lures designed for ice fishing. Tiny jigs are excellent for panfish. Also tear drop jigs and tiny spoons will come in handy when the panfish get finicky. As for bait, panfish love mealworms and spikes while larger fish such as Walleye prefer Worms or baitfish like smelt. Talk to the people at your local bait store to see what’s they recommend a Beginner use their first time out on the ice.
Make certain to get something to sit on. A majority of seasoned ice fishermen prefer an ordinary five gallon bucket. Few Beginners will bring along lawn chairs out on the ice, but a bucket will also help you haul your gear to and from the ice.
And that’s about all you need to start ice fishing. Make sure you get a fishing license and read up on the regulations for your local area. Being ticketed for breaking a law can ruin your fishing trip. Now go out and bring home some tasty fish. And most of all, be safe and follow all the safety rules for getting out on the ice.
What You Need To Start Fishing
Monday, June 8th, 2009The Sport of Fishing sees new Fishermen enter each year. Who knows what attracts a person to fishing. No matter what the reason, a lot ofpeople go out and purchase their first fishing tackle and rod in hopes of landing a meal of tasty fish.
Below is an easy to follow list of basic fishing gear I recommend to get started. You won’t need expensive or complicated gear to begin. Everyone knows that fishing tackle makers sell fishing tackle to catch the Fishermen’s eye instead of fish. The Rods and Reels I used to catch fish many years ago still catch fish today. In fact, it may even work better today seeing how the fish haven’t seen this particular offerings over and over again.
Tackle to catch Fish shouldn’t be expensive or complicated. Simple set-ups work best for any fish. I remember a Bass fishing trip a Buddy and I took to a local lake many years ago. The weather was hot that day, even for June. We knocked off somewhere aroun twelve o’clock and went in too load the boat when this Old Man and 2 kids came in off the lake.
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 simplistic freshwater 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 tackle you’ll need to be successful at catching Bass or any other fish is a Rod and Reel, line and bait. That’s all there is to it. Finding all this tackle at a reasonable price is also easy, your local sporting goods store or Wal-Mart has all that you will need. I’d suggest a Rod and Reel combo like the Zebco 33 and a matching rod. This should set you back about $25 or so.
Stay away from level wind reels to begin with. They’re hard to master and expensive. Spinning reels can also be difficult to use. They take a little while to get used to and if not spooled properly, can leave a tangled mess of fishing line on the spool.
Up next on your fishing tackle list comes the type of line you’ll be using. 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. You could use a more expensive line, but there’s no use. These two fishing line makers offer excellent 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. If you come home empty handed, don’t sweat it. Even the best of us do from time to time!