# New to fishing...



## whenSHTFnet

My husband and I just bought a house across the street from the river ...any suggestions on fishing gear?


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## weedygarden

Each area has different kinds of fish, making your equipment needs different. Catching a trout is very different than catching a Northern Pike and fishing in a lake is different than fishing in a river or stream. I do think having a variety of fishing equipment will give you the chance to be prepared for fishing, no matter the fishing situation.

I would suggest researching what the state has in the way of 1. a web site, 2. classes or instruction. Not knowing exactly where you live makes it a bit of a challenge to give you specific directions. You might also consider calling your local Fish and Games Department to see if they can give you some help.

We have outdoor exhibitions that go on every winter, so people can go and visit with vendors. There are always fish tanks set up where people can fish. 

A local outdoor shop might also be a place where you can get some help learning about local resources.


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## Grimm

weedygarden said:


> Each area has different kinds of fish, making your equipment needs different. Catching a trout is very different than catching a Northern Pike and fishing in a lake is different than fishing in a river or stream. I do think having a variety of fishing equipment will give you the chance to be prepared for fishing, no matter the fishing situation.
> 
> I would suggest researching what the state has in the way of 1. a web site, 2. classes or instruction. Not knowing exactly where you live makes it a bit of a challenge to give you specific directions. You might also consider calling your local Fish and Games Department to see if they can give you some help.
> 
> We have outdoor exhibitions that go on every winter, so people can go and visit with vendors. There are always fish tanks set up where people can fish.
> 
> A local outdoor shop might also be a place where you can get some help learning about local resources.


They live in California.

But knowing what "river" would be helpful in knowing the fish that live there.

There is a trout lake here in my town. Also just over the hills is a river/stream that runs all the way from the mountains with a waterfall as its starting point. In another direction there are some lakes with bass.

Our needs for fishing gear would be gear for fly fishing (trout and river depending on the fish) and gear for bass fishing.

My advice to the OP is find the nearest Bass Pro to you and ask them. There is a Bass Pro in Ontario which is a bit aways from us but worth it compared to going UP the mountain to the ma & pa fishing shops.


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## jnrdesertrats

Congrats on being near a river. I would just grab some beer and a picnic lunch and watch the people who are catching fish. 

I never heard of Hella California but I did find this amusing.


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## CrackbottomLouis

Just sit by the river and see if others are fishing. Ask them what they are fishing for. Go buy a pole like theirs. Ask the guy who sells you the pole what food that kind of fish eats. Buy the bait version of that food. Buy beer on way to river. If still confused watch others. Or, once you know what kind of fish you are after just watch YouTube videos. Have fun. Fishing is good.


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## whenSHTFnet

jnrdesertrats said:


> Congrats on being near a river. I would just grab some beer and a picnic lunch and watch the people who are catching fish.
> 
> I never heard of Hella California but I did find this amusing.


I'd be in the "Hella Zone"

...for those who don't get it, apparently "Hella" is only commonly used as a term in this area... "Hella" as in "a lot" or "a ton"


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## whenSHTFnet

I'm right off the Stanislaus River... We see "hella" (lol) fish while kayaking ...from what I've read "the types of fish on this section are much more varied, with species of trout, salmon, carp, crappie, and bass found up and down the stream."


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## cnsper

Man to all make it complicated. Old zebco and a hook. Live bait works best. You don't have to buy it either. Worms, grasshoppers and just about any insect will work. No weight needed, just let them float down the current.


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## HardCider

Agree, we make things complicated. Several hundred feet of 2-3 inch gill net ought to do it. Submerged, late at night, picked up before first light just don't get caught. Otherwise, get a half decent 6 wt flyrod with 2 spools. One with floating line and one with sinking line, assorted streamers and good to go


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## camo2460

HardCider said:


> Agree, we make things complicated. Several hundred feet of 2-3 inch gill net ought to do it. Submerged, late at night, picked up before first light just don't get caught. Otherwise, get a half decent 6 wt flyrod with 2 spools. One with floating line and one with sinking line, assorted streamers and good to go


Hardcider the OP is new to Fishing, I can't think of a better way to turn new Fishermen off than to throw them a Fly Rod and tell them to go catch Fish. Simple, inexpensive equipment such as outlined by Crisper is best to start out. Buy a cheap Zebco rod and reel, an assortment of Hooks, some split shot and have the Kids catch some Grasshoppers and Crickets for Bait. With this setup the OP can catch Pan Fish such as Crappie, large Bass and even Trout.


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## backlash

Probably the most difficult thing to do is figure out all the regulations.
I read the Washington state fishing guide and I think you need to be a lawyer to know what's legal and what's not legal. Even then it would be easy to make an error and get a ticket.
I knew a guy that went fishing and didn't know the new regulations.
He got ticketed for fishing after legal hours, no barb-less hook, and fish was under sized, 39" instead of the legal 42" sturgeon.
His ticket was $900.
Like an idiot he skipped the mandatory court date so they issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Moral of the story is know the regulations.


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## cnsper

camo2460 said:


> Hardcider the OP is new to Fishing, I can't think of a better way to turn new Fishermen off than to throw them a Fly Rod and tell them to go catch Fish. Simple, inexpensive equipment such as outlined by Crisper is best to start out. Buy a cheap Zebco rod and reel, an assortment of Hooks, some split shot and have the Kids catch some Grasshoppers and Crickets for Bait. With this setup the OP can catch Pan Fish such as Crappie, large Bass and even Trout.


As kids my brother and I would tape our poles to our bikes and ride to the river. We would stop and catch grasshoppers and off we would go. We could catch fish when others were getting skunked. We were also not afraid to wade up to our necks to cross the river either.

One weekend the 4th of July fell on a Friday and dad took us and the camper up on Wednesday and he went to work on Thursday. By the time he got back we had caught 56 trout and we did not even fish the whole day. We caught so many we would get bored and take breaks to go swimming.


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## hashbrown

All you need is a shovel.......

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f32/know-how-catch-fish-shovel-25488/


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## whenSHTFnet

backlash said:


> Probably the most difficult thing to do is figure out all the regulations.
> I read the Washington state fishing guide and I think you need to be a lawyer to know what's legal and what's not legal. Even then it would be easy to make an error and get a ticket.
> I knew a guy that went fishing and didn't know the new regulations.
> He got ticketed for fishing after legal hours, no barb-less hook, and fish was under sized, 39" instead of the legal 42" sturgeon.
> His ticket was $900.
> Like an idiot he skipped the mandatory court date so they issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
> Moral of the story is know the regulations.


wow that is nuts


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## whenSHTFnet

cnsper said:


> As kids my brother and I would tape our poles to our bikes and ride to the river. We would stop and catch grasshoppers and off we would go. We could catch fish when others were getting skunked. We were also not afraid to wade up to our necks to cross the river either.
> 
> One weekend the 4th of July fell on a Friday and dad took us and the camper up on Wednesday and he went to work on Thursday. By the time he got back we had caught 56 trout and we did not even fish the whole day. We caught so many we would get bored and take breaks to go swimming.


Sounds like you kids had a lot of fun!

there's really no place to ride bikes along the river ...but its shallow enough that I can walk across I'm 5'10") and MAYBE get to my shoulders in some spots. For the most part, its about knee to waist deep.

With the drought last summer, there were some parts I had to "scoot" my kayak across some spots, or just get out and pull over rocks. I'm hoping this year there will be more flow and we can try to fish while kayaking. With light paddling (literally just floating the river while drinking beers) it took us 4 hours to go from the front of our house, down to a rec area that takes about 10mins to drive to. We saw hella big fish... I guess I need to learn to identify them next. I'll definitely look into the laws so make sure I don't get any fines as previously mentioned!


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## jimLE

i use a rod n reel.and whats known as catawba worm for bait..

catawba worm
They grow to a length of about 5 cm (2.0 in) and feed on the leaves of the Northern ​*Catalpa* and, more commonly, the Southern ​*Catalpa*, also known as ​*Catawba* or Indian Bean trees. They are highly desired by fishermen as bait. Southern dialective fishermen's nomenclature is commonly "Batalkie ​*Worms*."​


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## oldasrocks

I have 3 fancy ocean reels but have caught more fish over the years on cheap $5 Zebcos.


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## cnsper

whenSHTFnet said:


> Sounds like you kids had a lot of fun!
> 
> there's really no place to ride bikes along the river ...but its shallow enough that I can walk across I'm 5'10") and MAYBE get to my shoulders in some spots. For the most part, its about knee to waist deep.
> 
> With the drought last summer, there were some parts I had to "scoot" my kayak across some spots, or just get out and pull over rocks. I'm hoping this year there will be more flow and we can try to fish while kayaking. With light paddling (literally just floating the river while drinking beers) it took us 4 hours to go from the front of our house, down to a rec area that takes about 10mins to drive to. We saw hella big fish... I guess I need to learn to identify them next. I'll definitely look into the laws so make sure I don't get any fines as previously mentioned!


We did not ride along the river, we lived about 8 miles from it.


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## cnsper

oldasrocks said:


> I have 3 fancy ocean reels but have caught more fish over the years on cheap $5 Zebcos.


LOL Yep. Caught my first steelhead on a 6' Zebco with an open faced reel that the drag did not work on anymore. Dad still has that pole at his house. That steelhead was 16 pounds cleaned with the head removed. She was massive. She also almost straightened the hook.


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## CrackbottomLouis

Figured I had to come back to this thread and post............gone fishin, see ya Monday 
PS....trout fear me.


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## oldasrocks

We have a 1/2 acre pond on the place. The Grandmother of a friend was visiting. Sweet little old lady. She said she would like to catch one more catfish so I cut up a bluegill for bait and tossed it out in a hole they like to stay in. Pulled out a 38 lb Blue cat. Took his pic and turned him loose.


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## oldasrocks

This is not his pic.


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## crabapple

jimLE said:


> i use a rod n reel.and whats known as catawba worm for bait..
> 
> catawba worm
> They grow to a length of about 5 cm (2.0 in) and feed on the leaves of the Northern ​*Catalpa* and, more commonly, the Southern ​*Catalpa*, also known as ​*Catawba* or Indian Bean trees. They are highly desired by fishermen as bait. Southern dialective fishermen's nomenclature is commonly "Batalkie ​*Worms*."​


I know the tree as Catawba, only found Catalpa when I Google the worms.
I never heard the name Batalkie.
I have the Southern Catalpa trees on the farm.


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## prepperking22

Nice landing a house near a river. I'll never live too far from where I can get a pole in the water anymore. Think what it was like before we could head up to our nearest Bass Pro or Walmart. Find a pole, put bait on it, and let it go. You'll learn the area the more you fish and talk to the others on the water. The more you're out there enjoying the fishing, the more you'll learn what the fish like. We've made it so complicated, but the fishing the same. Have fun with it and enjoy that outdoors.


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## ras1219como

I fish nearly every day that I am not working. I do it for competition and for fun and relaxation. 

First, as many have said, find out what your local laws and regulations are. Make sure you have a license to fish and know the slot limits and creel limits for the fish you want to catch.

The best thing I can say to do is first decide on which species of fish you would like to catch. Panfish Like the blue gill, sunfish, and crappie are the easiest to catch for new anglers. Largemouth Bass, trout, catfish, perch, walleye, and pike are also fun to catch.

If you're going to fish for Panfish I would suggest a 6'6" to 7'6" light to medium fast action rod. I would suggest a spin cast reel or a spinning reel with a minimum 5.0:1 gear ratio. Get some 6 to 10lb monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line and an assortment of hooks, bobbers, sinkers (split shot) is best for panfish. Minnows and worms are excellent bait for panfish. 

If you want to fish for something bigger like bass you will need a slightly heavier rod and a faster gear ratio on your reel.

I would not suggest using a baitcasting reel until you have got some time under your belt. They are harder to use and you'll just end up frustrated.

I would also not suggest using a fly reel until you've gotten more comfortable. They can be frustrating as well and are more difficult to learn to use.

I would recommend that you find a local pond or lake that has public fishing access. Try fishing there first so you get down the basics of casting, lure retrieve, and hook set.

If you have other specific questions, feel free to message me. I would be glad to help.


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## LastOutlaw

*Oregon Steelhead*

When I first moved to Oregon many many years ago everyone was lined up along the river banks trying to catch Steel-head. I lined up with them and threw my line in the water with the same type of rig I saw them using. After a few hours of nothing I asked one of them how long it takes to catch one...The guy next to me said " You need to have your line in the water a week before you will catch one...as if to say I had to put in my time like dues. I pulled in my line, threw it in the car and went to a pond I had found the week before and caught bass the rest of the day. There was no-one else there. Would have liked to catch one of those giant steelies but never did. I'll bet I caught more bass than anyone in Oregon though and enjoyed myself.


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## Hilltopper518

ras1219como said:


> I fish nearly every day that I am not working. I do it for competition and for fun and relaxation.
> 
> First, as many have said, find out what your local laws and regulations are. Make sure you have a license to fish and know the slot limits and creel limits for the fish you want to catch.
> 
> The best thing I can say to do is first decide on which species of fish you would like to catch. Panfish Like the blue gill, sunfish, and crappie are the easiest to catch for new anglers. Largemouth Bass, trout, catfish, perch, walleye, and pike are also fun to catch.
> 
> If you're going to fish for Panfish I would suggest a 6'6" to 7'6" light to medium fast action rod. I would suggest a spin cast reel or a spinning reel with a minimum 5.0:1 gear ratio. Get some 6 to 10lb monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line and an assortment of hooks, bobbers, sinkers (split shot) is best for panfish. Minnows and worms are excellent bait for panfish.
> 
> If you want to fish for something bigger like bass you will need a slightly heavier rod and a faster gear ratio on your reel.
> 
> I would not suggest using a baitcasting reel until you have got some time under your belt. They are harder to use and you'll just end up frustrated.
> 
> I would also not suggest using a fly reel until you've gotten more comfortable. They can be frustrating as well and are more difficult to learn to use.
> 
> I would recommend that you find a local pond or lake that has public fishing access. Try fishing there first so you get down the basics of casting, lure retrieve, and hook set.
> 
> If you have other specific questions, feel free to message me. I would be glad to help.


As a fellow avid fisherman I can endorse this statement. I will also add to it with some good info for beginners.

Rods and reels

A good place to start is with 1 lighter (5'6" or 6') medium light or medium action spinning rod and reel and a 6'6" -7' medium heavy spinning or zebco style closed face reel. The lighter set up will tend itself better to panfish like crappie and bluegill but can handle bass and other larger species of the right set up is used (more on that in a moment). Catching a small or medium sized bass on light gear is an absolute thrill, makes you feel like you are fighting Moby Dick.

Stock up on relatively inexpensive "terminal" tackle. Which is hooks (different sizes), sinkers (there are a few different kinds), and a few bobbers.

Baits

Live bait is great, but sometimes you won't want to go buy or hunt down critters so having some artificial baits is a good thing. When it comes to these baits there are a million choices out there. Don't get to caught up in that at first (a lot of pricey baits are designed to catch fisherman). The classic Rapala and broke-back Rapala are 2 baits that you will find in every serious fishermans box along with Rebel craw dads. In line (sometimes called "French" spinner baits like the Mepps are also great baits that will catch a variety of species (grab a few sized 2 3 and 4). Another thing that makes these 4 baits great artificials for beginners is they don't require complicated teqniques for retrieve. Just cast a reel the Rapalas in slow, the Mepps in moderately fast, and a simple stop and go with the rebel craw. Also these baits work no matter the season.

I also like many of the soft baits like those made by Storm. A 4 inch kickin minnow is deadly on bass.

A few good jigs should round out your artificial baits beginners box. Curly tails jigs in a variety of colors in the 2-3 inch range are good for bass and panfish. Jigs require different hooks called "jig heads" which have an integrated weighted head. You can do a cast and slow retrieve with jigs or cast and let the bait sink to the bottom, often fish will hit it as it falls. Leave it on the bottom for a moment and then flick the rod once or twice. If you don't get a strike real up and try again.

Line
The one thing I'm going to disagree with the previous poster on is line. Braided line is more expensive but well worth it. It has a lot higher tensile strength for the diameter (thinner diameter line is easier to cast and less visible to fish). It can get a little confusing getting the right line size for a reel so I will try to clarify. 
Every reel is made for a somewhat specific range of line sizes. On your reel you will see a suggestion of capacity. Something like 8/125. That means it will hold 125 ft of 8 plb test MONOFILAMENT. 8 plb test monofilament has the same diameter as 25 plb test braided line. 
Because of this all braided line will have its actual break strength and its monofilament diameter equivalent so you will see some thing like " 20plb test/6plb equivalent ". This is how you can really have fun catching bass on that lightweight spinning set up I talked about earlier.

There's a whole nother world when it comes to what I call "inactive" fishing. Personally I like to fish for fun so I like more active techniques. I think sitting and watching a bobber waiting for a catfish to bite is boring. But I still love to eat catfish. 
For this reason I often will set "limb lines" (baiting a hook and hanging the line from a tree or wood pole stuck in the bank) or jug fishing which is throwing out lots of baited lines tied to floating jugs, bottles, or my favorite, pool noodles cut into 1 ft sections. The other good thing about this is it frees you up to do other activities. Just don't forget to check your lines within 12-24 hours.

Good luck, I hope this helped.


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## ras1219como

Hilltopper518 said:


> As a fellow avid fisherman I can endorse this statement. I will also add to it with some good info for beginners.
> 
> Rods and reels
> 
> A good place to start is with 1 lighter (5'6" or 6') medium light or medium action spinning rod and reel and a 6'6" -7' medium heavy spinning or zebco style closed face reel. The lighter set up will tend itself better to panfish like crappie and bluegill but can handle bass and other larger species of the right set up is used (more on that in a moment). Catching a small or medium sized bass on light gear is an absolute thrill, makes you feel like you are fighting Moby Dick.
> 
> Stock up on relatively inexpensive "terminal" tackle. Which is hooks (different sizes), sinkers (there are a few different kinds), and a few bobbers.
> 
> Baits
> 
> Live bait is great, but sometimes you won't want to go buy or hunt down critters so having some artificial baits is a good thing. When it comes to these baits there are a million choices out there. Don't get to caught up in that at first (a lot of pricey baits are designed to catch fisherman). The classic Rapala and broke-back Rapala are 2 baits that you will find in every serious fishermans box along with Rebel craw dads. In line (sometimes called "French" spinner baits like the Mepps are also great baits that will catch a variety of species (grab a few sized 2 3 and 4). Another thing that makes these 4 baits great artificials for beginners is they don't require complicated teqniques for retrieve. Just cast a reel the Rapalas in slow, the Mepps in moderately fast, and a simple stop and go with the rebel craw. Also these baits work no matter the season.
> 
> I also like many of the soft baits like those made by Storm. A 4 inch kickin minnow is deadly on bass.
> 
> A few good jigs should round out your artificial baits beginners box. Curly tails jigs in a variety of colors in the 2-3 inch range are good for bass and panfish. Jigs require different hooks called "jig heads" which have an integrated weighted head. You can do a cast and slow retrieve with jigs or cast and let the bait sink to the bottom, often fish will hit it as it falls. Leave it on the bottom for a moment and then flick the rod once or twice. If you don't get a strike real up and try again.
> 
> Line
> The one thing I'm going to disagree with the previous poster on is line. Braided line is more expensive but well worth it. It has a lot higher tensile strength for the diameter (thinner diameter line is easier to cast and less visible to fish). It can get a little confusing getting the right line size for a reel so I will try to clarify.
> Every reel is made for a somewhat specific range of line sizes. On your reel you will see a suggestion of capacity. Something like 8/125. That means it will hold 125 ft of 8 plb test MONOFILAMENT. 8 plb test monofilament has the same diameter as 25 plb test braided line.
> Because of this all braided line will have its actual break strength and its monofilament diameter equivalent so you will see some thing like " 20plb test/6plb equivalent ". This is how you can really have fun catching bass on that lightweight spinning set up I talked about earlier.
> 
> There's a whole nother world when it comes to what I call "inactive" fishing. Personally I like to fish for fun so I like more active techniques. I think sitting and watching a bobber waiting for a catfish to bite is boring. But I still love to eat catfish.
> For this reason I often will set "limb lines" (baiting a hook and hanging the line from a tree or wood pole stuck in the bank) or jug fishing which is throwing out lots of baited lines tied to floating jugs, bottles, or my favorite, pool noodles cut into 1 ft sections. The other good thing about this is it frees you up to do other activities. Just don't forget to check your lines within 12-24 hours.
> 
> Good luck, I hope this helped.


I agree with you. In regards to line, I do love braided line but for a spinning reel or spin cast reel, I always fish monofilament or fluorocarbon. I reserve braided line for my baitcasters. Also, depending upon the circumstances fluorocarbon may be better because it's more difficult for the fish to see under water


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## Woody

I have found several methods work to get the fish biting if it is slow.

First, get out your cooler and start to eat a sandwich. Nothing makes fish bite faster than if both your hands are busy. Having an adult beverage in one hand and food in the other increases this phenomena immensely. 

Next, try putting your pole down and go and visit a tree. The fish watch and see when you walk away from your pole, this is when they like to hit it. Dozing off has almost the same effect, although you do have to be a distance from the actual fishing pole for it to work. Example: If on a boat, you cannot just stand by your pole, you have to move to the farthest end of the boat for this technique to work correctly.

The next one can be a bit tricky and will take a lot of practice. It took me many years of hard core trying to get it to work. First, you need a large cooler of adult beverages of your choice. Consume as many as you can. The biting activity is directly proportional to your ability to stand and grab the pole. I have yet to work out the actual percentage, but it is not for lack of trying. I had a friend actually find that you can be too drunk to fish. I have yet to discover this point, again, not for lack of trying.

One that is very, very effective is to not go fishing for a day. Everyone will tell you ‘you should have been here yesterday.’ To help others catch fish, you can pack up and go. This almost always results in the biggest bite of the day starting.

There are a few other, less effective techniques for getting fish to bite on a slow day. One is pack up and get ready to leave. That “Last cast” can sometimes start a good bite. Losing your favorite lure or running out of bait sometimes triggers the fish to bite also. Changing spots can sometimes trigger a good bite, in the place you just left.

There are many more and all have a common theme. Don’t go fishing somewhere or don’t go at all and this triggers the fish to bite.

For equipment, I’ll only give general advice. For me, I like to have many different poles in all sizes, for different techniques and situations. Example: I have six 7’ poles, out of my conservative stable of fishing poles from 5.5’ to 13.6’. Very light to fast action depending on what will be required or desired. I also need to have at least two reels for every rod, again to cover any situation. Then the whole conventional versus spinning… You can see where this leads to an assortment of rods. A go-to setup would be a 7' medium fast action, 1/4 to 3/4 ounce with a 4000 series spinning reel, #6 or #8 mono. It will cast a lure or bait & weight in most general situations.

General advice of fishing equipment. Don’t buy the cheap crap and you really don’t need the really expensive stuff. Although, it is a thing of beauty to use a $600 reel. That $19.95 Wally World combo is garbage, you will not be happy. That expensive gear is nice, but not required. Expect to pay $80 to $100 for a decent reel and about the same to $200 for a good quality rod. With a little care they will last a lifetime. Just be careful of car doors and trunks, for some reason they eat gear.

Line, it is up to your preference. I like so many reels to hold a variety of line weights. Yes, they come with extra spools but who doesn’t like to HAVE to add another reel to the stable? I would rather go lighter than heavier with my line. On all but the Penn 80 (#80 test line) the heaviest I use is #17 Suffix Tritanium. I have pulled in #80 Cobia and 8 foot sharks on it from the beach. Just get proficient with your drag and you will be fine. Nothing is going to land the “Unstoppable”, even the Penn 80 has been almost spooled before and I believe that holds 1,000 yds of the #80.

Terminal tackle. Here you will need a wide variety. Lures are up to your preference, although do buy some things you think will never work. I remember my BIL bought some pink “Sluggo’s” and they sat in his tackle box for years while we laughed at them. We got bored one day and tried them. I’ll be damned if the bass didn’t hit them like crazy and catfish would swim off the bottom to go and get them!!! My go-to lure is a ‘Fire Tiger’ Rapala I found one day. I never would have bought such a bright colored thing but for some reason the fish love it.

Have a good assortment of hooks, in many different sizes. You can tailor what you use for what you are targeting. Sometimes if you can’t hook-up, all you need to do is move up or down a size and it works wonders. My go-to for everything is a 4/0 Eagle Claw Circle. From 6” Sea Mullet to large Cobia, they will hook-up great. For the larger fish, just be careful with your drag setting or they will straighten them right out.

Knots are up to you also. I spent a full winter practicing all different knots. You want something you can tie, drunk, at night, in a cold wind and have it be reliable every time. Get out two spools of line, get looking on the internet and go to town… One after another after another… Everyone has a different preference and what works for everyone else, might not work for you. My go-to for leader to running line is the “Slim Beauty.” I “Snell” hooks and don’t know what the heck it is called for other terminal tackle, but is easy for me and works.

Invest in at least one good filet knife and a quality stone. Nothing worse than using a crap knife to clean fish. I bought a Dexter Russell many years ago and it has been a pleasure to use. NEVER use it for cutting bait! Sheesh. Get a POC knife, available anywhere for that. Most bait stores I go to have ‘used’ poultry or other knives available for nothing, $0.50 or $2.00. They are the nubs left after being used and sharpened in a commercial setting. Great quality and hold a good edge. Use your crap stone to sharpen them.

Maintenance. Don’t skimp here! Invest in a few good reel oils/greases and an assortment of screwdrivers/pliers. Have two sets, one for the home bench and another to take traveling. Nothing worse than dropping a reel in the surf and not having the right tool, and some water/oil, to take it apart and clean it. Rinse your gear off and then spend a little time the next weekend pulling maintenance before putting things up. They will be ready to grab and go next time the fish call.

I freeze all my catch using a food saver. I buy the 12” wide rolls and cut them in half, sealing the sides to freeze individual portions. Stack them in a chest freezer, patting them down so they freeze flat. They last a year and still taste great.


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## Meerkat

I use to sell shrimp and whatever fish came in out of my van. Peddlers license was not easy to get, had to make inside of van washable. Certified scale for weighing and tons of ice a week. But I loved it.

I'd go to the docks and watch the boats come in and one of the guys said to freeze the shrimp or fish in water, every since we always do this. Stays so fresh.


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## timmie

Meerkat said:


> I use to sell shrimp and whatever fish came in out of my van. Peddlers license was not easy to get, had to make inside of van washable. Certified scale for weighing and tons of ice a week. But I loved it.
> 
> I'd go to the docks and watch the boats come in and one of the guys said to freeze the shrimp or fish in water, every since we always do this. Stays so fresh.


agreed and it keeps a lot longer


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## timmie

not new to fishing , but we haven't been in about 4 years . i think it's about time we take a break and go. first we have to check our fishing gear and maybe buy some more. we also have to get our pontoon boat cleaned and ready to go. now that we have our small farm about where we want it . will work on that as time permits and maybe in a couple of weeks take off for the great outdoors.


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## Meerkat

timmie said:


> not new to fishing , but we haven't been in about 4 years . i think it's about time we take a break and go. first we have to check our fishing gear and maybe buy some more. we also have to get our pontoon boat cleaned and ready to go. now that we have our small farm about where we want it . will work on that as time permits and maybe in a couple of weeks take off for the great outdoors.


 I miss fishing and boating. But lately we have had a problem with the water. Algea from Land O Lakes lake or Lake Okeechobee draining into the ocean. Plus flesh eating bacteria here on east coast. This is not apetizing for sea food. 

Hubby wants to go to Matansas Inlet soon. Maybe when the water cools down it will be safer.:dunno: He is the glass half full type.


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## AmmoSgt

every state has "fishing advisories' they catalog every body of water and ever game fish or shellfish type and list the pollutants in the fish or shellfish and the maximum safe amount you can eat and tell you which ones are not safe to eat

here is an example http://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/sacramento-river-and-northern-delta

find the body of water you will be fishing in here http://oehha.ca.gov/fish and stay within the limits be aware there are two sets of limits one for adults and one for children and pregnant women.

I must say California has one of the worst organized advisories sites I have run across

I am more used to http://www.adph.org/tox/assets/Fish_advisory_update_2016.pdf

they have advice on how to trim the fish to reduce toxic pollutants and how to best cook it sometimes to help reduce toxins ...

So on top of harvesting regulations you really need to know and understand the advisories

Almost every fish in almost every body of water is polluted with one toxin or another now mercury, PCB's , something.. good luck


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## Meerkat

AmmoSgt said:


> every state has "fishing advisories' they catalog every body of water and ever game fish or shellfish type and list the pollutants in the fish or shellfish and the maximum safe amount you can eat and tell you which ones are not safe to eat
> 
> here is an example http://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/sacramento-river-and-northern-delta
> 
> find the body of water you will be fishing in here http://oehha.ca.gov/fish and stay within the limits be aware there are two sets of limits one for adults and one for children and pregnant women.
> 
> I must say California has one of the worst organized advisories sites I have run across
> 
> I am more used to http://www.adph.org/tox/assets/Fish_advisory_update_2016.pdf
> 
> they have advice on how to trim the fish to reduce toxic pollutants and how to best cook it sometimes to help reduce toxins ...
> 
> So on top of harvesting regulations you really need to know and understand the advisories
> 
> Almost every fish in almost every body of water is polluted with one toxin or another now mercury, PCB's , something.. good luck


 Do you eat fish? We plan to fish in a couple weeks and if we catch them we eat them. Everything has its problems though. :wave:


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## Meerkat

whenSHTFnet said:


> My husband and I just bought a house across the street from the river ...any suggestions on fishing gear?


 Try this and practiced in the yard. I like it better than rods. And I catch all the bait plus dinner.


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## Diannebrown

I and my wife quite often go for fishing. It is such an interesting activity. both of us enjoy a lot.


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