Fishing Rod and Tackle Guide

Fishing Gear - Some Basic Facts about Fishing Gear

It is very important to the success of a fisherman that he starts fishing with the proper equipment. He may purchase the most expensive and the finest equipment money can buy, but when it is assembled and put into use, it can prove to be a very decided handicap.

To guard against this, it is important that the individual items of tackle be properly balanced with each other. Unbalanced equipment has been responsible for more difficulties and failures of beginners than any other single factor.

Fishing Rod

To fish with a good fishing rod is to really enjoy fishing. It is much easier to learn with a good quality rod than with one of inferior quality. This is no commercial plug to encourage the sale of expensive rods, but just a word of warning to prevent any possible or unnecessary discouragement because of using a rod that would be decided handicap to a competent caster.

Fishing Lines

This item of fishing gear must be selected with some careful considerations if anglers are expecting to enjoy fishing or casting.

This is because the size and weight of fishing lines made by various manufacturers are not entirely uniform. That is to say, the diameter of the line by one manufacturer may be slightly larger or smaller than a line by another manufacturer even though both bear the same size marking.

The Leader

The leader is also a very important item, and unless it is selected with care and consideration in comparison with the size of the line, the caster will have trouble in making it extend straight out from the line when casting.

The chief function of the leader is to serve as an invisible connection between the line and the lure.

Fishing Flies or Lures

The flies may range in size, from the tiniest used, which might be number 18 or 20, up to flies tied on number-2 hooks or larger. The heavier flies or lures create; more wind is needed. It also requires the use of heavier equipment or more power on the part of the caster during the back cast and forward cast.

Reels

The reel may be automatic or single action, but in any event, it should be larger enough to hold the usual 30 yards of fishing line without crowding it on the reel spool.

The reel should weigh from 1 ¼ to 1 ½ as much as the bare rod. The reel itself is of no specific use in casting or fishing except as a storage place for the line.

Consequently, the entire equipment should always be in good condition. Other wise, achieving success in fishing is impossible.

So get geared up with the right fishing gear! Go get ‘em..!!

Buying Quality Fishing Tackle

The more you move around diverse fishing circles, and think about buying quality fishing tackle the more you’ll hear about something the professionals call balanced or matched fishing tackle. This means nothing more than fitting the fishing line to the reel and the reel to the rod. Anyone can walk into a fishing tackle shop, and walk out with a rod. But is it a good rod? They will probably never know until they have several years of fishing under their belt and become an old hand at the sport. Then they will see the advantage of owning quality fishing tackle.

Most fishing tackle manufacturers have several rods made to go with each of it’s reels. Which rod you want to purchase is dependent on the kind of fishing you want to do. When shopping to buy good quality fishing tackle, steer your way to a quality rod that’s matched to the reel of your choice. This will guarantee better handling, better action, better casting, better retrieving . . . better fishing. Of course, you can also match your reel to made by manufacturers that do not produce their own fishing reels.

It is best to stick to the reputable brands and if you are a novice here are some of the things to look for:

Ferrule

The joint where the tapering end of the rod meets with the butt end. One part of this joint should fit snugly and firmly into the other. It should call for a little bit of muscle, with the emphasis on little, to take them apart. There should even be an audible pop as the nearly airtight fit is broken.

Handle

Hardwood is good material for a handle but the best and most comfortable is made of cork, good cork. “Specie” cork is the best. The less costly cork is “mustard” The kind of cork and the price of the rod can be a key to the craftsmanship that’s gone into the rest of the rod. The specie grain runs parallel to the rod, the mustard grain is perpendicular. A lot of holes in the cork indicates mustard cork, fewer holes mean specie cork. If the holes are round and deep it’s safe to say it’s mustard cork. If, on the contrary, the holes are oval and shallow, it’s specie cork.

Material

The tackle industry has tried, tested and experimented with every possible kind of material to find the one best suited for spin fishing in salt water. The unanimous finding was hollow glass. Split bamboo is expensive and is subject to breaks, it bends and and suffers with wear. Solid glass is stiff, less helpful in casting and weaker than hollow glass because it will break before it will give. Hollow glass needs no protective coating against the elements and it won’t soak up water, and it bend out of shape if left standing in the cellar. It is Umber and every inch of the rod works for you when casting. A hollow glass rod can last a lifetime.

Reel Seat

The reel seat can consist of sliding rings, or the entire seat can slide. Still a third device, the best for attaching the spinning reel to the rod so it will stay firmly in place, is the fixed reel seat. A screw-locking mechanism provides the anchor that keeps the reel where it belongs while you’re reeling your catch in. The seat will be in your hand every second of the time you hold the rod; make sure it’s properly rounded for comfort and make sure the seat fits your reel before you buy.

Tiptop and Guides

Tiptop and guides are the rings through which the line passes. The one on the very end is called the tiptop. The largest ring, the one closest to the handle, is called the gathering guide because it gathers the loops of line as they uncoil from the reel and reduces their size before passing them on to the succeeding guides. The tiptop and gathering guide take the greatest beating. Therefore they should be made of the toughest, most non-corrosive material possible. Good materials are stainless steel and tungsten carbide.

Now about the action? That word “action” means different things to different men. It’s probably best to use the words “stiff” or “limber.” A limber rod is more flexible, its tip moves faster with less effort. Speed of tip movement puts whip in the rod and the better the whip the better the cast.
Fortunately for the beginner, the limber fishing rod is easier to control and therefore easiest to master.