Global Fishing Tackle
Keep In Touch
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Products
    • Fishing Rods >
      • Fly Fishing Rods
      • Spinning Fishing Rods
      • Casting Fishing Rods
      • Flipping Fishing Rods
      • Jigging Fishing Rods
      • Carp Fishing Rods
      • Boat Fishing Rods
      • Surf Fishing Rods
      • Feeder Fishing Rods
      • Match Fishing Rods
      • Ice Fishing Rods
      • Catfish Fishing Rods
      • Other Fishing Rods
    • Customer Brand Rods >
      • Lure Leader
    • Fishing Rod Accessories
    • Fishing Reels
    • Fishing Lures >
      • Lure catalog
    • Fishing Bags
    • Fishing Rod Grips
    • Fishing Line
    • Fishing Caps & Hats
    • Fishing Apparel
    • FAQs
  • Become a Partner
  • Jobs
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Which Rod and Reel Should I Buy? – Your First Fishing Rod & Reel

6/19/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The right equipment depends largely on what you intend to do with it. The right gear for catching small bluegill in a local pond won’t be right for fishing large sturgeon. If you know exactly the kind of fishing you want to do, then getting the right gear is a relatively simple matter:

  1. Find a local tackle shop you like.
  2. Go in and tell them what you want to fish and where.
  3. Buy their recommendation.

As an alternative, you can ask your fishing buddies what they they recommend. Or if you will be traveling somewhere to fish, you can call up an outfitter/or tackle shop in that area and ask them what a good setup would be.

What if you don’t know exactly what kind fish you will go after?

What if all you know is that you want to start fishing, and you want some good gear that will handle almost any freshwater situation? What do get then?

What you need is a good all-around outfit to get you started. This outfit should be fun to catch small fish with, yet have enough backbone to reel in the bigger ones as well. It won’t be perfect, but it will be pretty close.

Your First Fishing Outfit

  1. 6-foot to 7-foot, medium to medium-light action, 2-piece graphite rod.
  2. Medium to medium-light spinning reel filled with quality 8 pound test monofilament line (get a reel that comes with a spare spool).
  3. Line in 4#, and 6# test (fill the spare spool with the 6# test).
  4. Quality hooks in assorted sizes.
  5. Assorted ball-bearing swivels & snaps.
  6. Split Shot and a couple of egg sinkers.
  7. Pencil floats in assorted sizes.
  8. 3 spinners.
  9. Polarized sunglasses
  10. A tackle box or fishing vest.

If you’ve never put line on a reel before, let the clerk at the tackle shop do it for you. Trust me, about the spare spool. Sometimes, you’ll want to change out your line while on the water, and that spare spool makes it easy. A two piece rod will be more convenient to handle and transport than a one piece. The polarized sunglasses help you see through the glare of the water to spot fish and also protects your eyes from sharp hooks.

The Importance of A Balanced Outfit

It is very important that your outfit be balanced (the rod and reel are “matched” to hold the same size line.) A balanced outfit will allow all the individual parts to work to the maximum of their effectiveness and efficiency.

How will you know if you are a buying a balanced outfit?

If you buy a “combo” (rod and reel sold together as a package deal) from a reputable online outfitter or from a local tackle shop, you can be reasonably assured that the outfit is balanced. Combos are a good way to get a better price, compared to purchasing the rod and reel individually. But, if you buy your rod and reel separately you will need to read the specifications yourself to ensure that they are matched well.

How to Read Your Rod & Reel Specs

If you look at the butt end of the rod, near the handle, you will see some specifications printed on the rod. These printed specifications usually tell you the length of the rod, the rod’s action, and the range of line and lure size they are designed to cast. For the 8lb outfit I am recommending you’ll want a rod that ranges from 4 to 10 pounds or 6 to 12 pounds.

It will look something like this:





Picture
As you can see, the rod above is 6 feet long, medium action, and rated for 6-12lb test. Some rods have more or less information. For instance the rod below also shows recommended lure weight size:






Picture
Look for the specifications on the reel, as well. They will be printed on the box and sometimes on the reel. The reel should handle 8lbs in its midrange. This reel for example, is ideal :












As you can see, the line capacity is printed right on the reel. It says the reel can hold 200 yards of 6lb test, 140 yards of 8lb test, and 120 yards of 10lb test. This is a great match to the rods shown above.

With an outfit like this, you should be able to handle a wide range of freshwater fishing situations, and a wide variety of fish.

Congratulations on your new fishing outfit!



0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Global Fishing Tackle

    Categories

    All
    Fishing Knowledge
    Fishing Skills
    Fishing Tackle

    Archives

    April 2025
    October 2024
    October 2023
    March 2023
    October 2022
    May 2022
    August 2021
    November 2020
    February 2020
    June 2019
    April 2018
    January 2018
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Articles list
    The Fishing Rod: Parts & Terms

    The Fishing Reel: Types of Fishing Reels

    Fishing With Live Bait

    Fishing With Prepared Baits

    Types of Fishing Lures

    Fish Anatomy

    Understanding Fish Senses

    Which Rod and Reel Should I Buy? – Your First Rod & Reel

    Two Knots You Absolutely Need to Know  

    How to Assemble a Spinning Reel and Rod

    How to Load Line on a Spinning Reel

    How to Set the Drag on a Spinning Reel

    How to Cast Your Spinning Rod

    How to Find Fish


    How to Play and Land a Fish

    How to Keep and Clean Your Fish

    How to Fish a Small Creek

    How to Fish for Flounder

    How to Make a Topwater Lure for Saltwater Fishing

    How to Take Children Fishing

    How to Be a Good Fisherman

    How to Become a Professional Fisherman

    How to Become a Fishing Guide

    How to Begin Ice Fishing (USA)

    How to Cast Baitcasting Tackle

    How to Cast a Bait Caster or Spinning Rod

    How to Cast a Fly Fishing Rod

    How to Cast Spinning Tackle

    How to Catch Bass on Topwater Lures

    How to Catch a Carp

    How to Catch a Muskie

    How to Catch Fish in a Lake

    How to Catch a Catfish

    How to Catch a Snipe

    How to Catch Blackfish

    How to Catch Bullhead Catfish

    How to Catch Freshwater Fish

    How to Catch Sunfish

    How to Catch Large Mouth Bass

    How to Fight a Fish

    How to Catch Striped Bass

    How to Select a Fishing Rod

    How to Fish for Bass

    How to Choose Fishing Line

    How to Fix a Broken Fishing Rod

    How to Cast With a Surf Rod on a Beach

    How to Equip for Ice Fishing
    ​

    Purchase fishing tackle from us, help you earn more money

    How to Learn Fly Fishing
    ​

    How to Catch White Sea Bass

    How to Fish (for Beginners)

    How to Find the Best Time for Fishing

    ​How to Catch Bass, Trout, and Panfish After Dark

    ​
    How to Use Color When Fly Fishing

    Share some photos at ETTEX 2016
    ​
    How to Choose a Fishing Rod
    ​

    How to Net a Fish

    How to Maintain a Fishing Rod
    ​
    ​
    Choosing a fly rod is not difficult. Simply follow a few simple tips

    ​
    How to Rig an Ice Fishing Rod

    ​
    Fishing Rod Maintenance and Safety – Top Ten Tips

    ​
    How to Pick Freshwater Fishing Lures

    ​
    How to Find the Best Time for Fishing

    How to Deep Sea Fish

    How to Put a Weight on a Fishing Line

    ​
    How to Ice Fish
    ​
    ​
    How to fly fish

    ​

    RSS Feed

Picture
About Us   Products   Cooperation   Blog   Jobs   Contact Us   Privacy Policy 
© Global Fishing Tackle Inc. All rights reserved.