Choosing the best fishing tackle

Buy your fishing tackle once you know the fish you will target.

Before going out to buy your fishing tackle it is important to firstly understand where you intend to fish. If you intend to fish in a small pond, a deep inland lake, a shallow inland lake, in the deep sea, from the surf, salt water ocean or salty backwater, it is important to use the correct tackle fit for the fishing location and the fish species & sizes you will pursue.

In this article I will attempt to offer enough tips to help you decide what tackle you will need for your next fishing adventure.

Shore fishing in Small Pond or Small Lake

When fishing in an inland pond or a small lake from the shore your target species may be perch, small trout, crappie, blue gill or even carp. These fish species can be handled using a light or an ultra-light rod and reel combination. For this kind of fishing I do prefer using a spinning reel, which helps me cast easily without the hassle of backlashes. You can also consider a spin-cast reel. This is the type of reel provides cover for the line and the use of a button to release the line when casting. These reels are the best for children learning how to cast. The rod should be 6' to 7' long and light to ultra-light.

The fishing line should be clear mono-filament up to 4lb breaking strength or braided up to 15lb breaking strength.

Terminal tackle should be suited for the size of the fish, making it as small as possible to keep the bait or lure looking natural. I have a preference for circle hooks as they are easier and faster to remove fish caught from the hook. If you intend to simply catch and release fish, a dehooker will help you release fish faster without needing to touch the fish.

The most popular and the bait of choice for inland pond and small lake fishing is earth worms. I prefer fishing them on an 1/8oz jig with most of the worm hanging down from the jig to keep it looking natural.

These fish are often referred to as "pan fish" and for a good reason. There is nothing tastier than a frying pan full of perch or trout lightly battered or breaded and fried up crisp.

Fishing in Inland Larger Lakes

In larger lakes you find fish species such as salmon, pike walleye, steelhead and lake trout that require a different selection of fishing gear.

These fish species can all be caught using the same rod and reel combination when drifting or when stationary on a boat. When trolling it is a little different as you need to control the depth of your lure with the amount of line you let out. For this we use a conventional reel of the 30 size with a line counter. If you're not going to troll, just a conventional reel size 20 to 30 is sufficient. A medium rod between 6' and 7' long is essential as the rod bend helps control the fish when reeling in. Keeping a bend in the rod keeps the line taunt.

When fishing from the boat while stationary I prefer using live bait, either small fish, worms, minnows or crayfish on a jig (sinker) head anywhere from 1/4oz to 3/4oz depending on the depth and bottom current. The deeper or stronger the current the heavier jig you need. Try using mono-filament line between 8lb and 12lb in strength with a 6' 20lb fluorocarbon leader and a 50lb barrel swivel to prevent line twist.

When trolling you will need a heavier line such as 16lb to 20lb mono-filament with a 50lb ball bearing swivel.

There are hundreds of lures available to choose from for trolling. For walleye I prefer the Bomber Long A for deep fish or a wiggle wart when they closer to the surface. For salmon I like King Spoons in various colours to match the day and water clarity. Dark colours are used for cloudy water and bright colours for clear water in sunny conditions. For steelhead and lake trout anything fast and shiny will work such as King Spoons.

Salty Backwater Fishing

For salty backwater fishing you can use the same reel and rod combination, as most fishermen are after red fish or similar species. For this kind of fishing I like using a good medium heavy, one piece carbon rod between 6' and 6'6" long with a light handle and a saltwater spinning reel of size 10. Anything heavier will just tire out your arms before in no time. For this kind of fishing you want to purchase a good reel as hope to fight with fish around 15lb in weight with a rig of around 10 lb. A reel with ball bearings and a front drag is preferred.

For salty backwater fishing I prefer using 15lb braided line due to it only being as thick as 5lb mono line and just as light, plus it is almost impossible to get cut off in the weeds or mangrove roots. To that we tie directly, a 6' leader of 20lb fluorocarbon leader, then the hook, jig or lure of your chose. The less terminal tackle the better to keep things natural.

The preferred bait for this form of fishing is live shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook below a weighted popping cork.

For larger fish species such as the Grouper, heavier and more expensive tackle will be needed, which can be used for most medium heavy saltwater fishing.

Surf Fishing

Surf fishing is one of my favourite fishing methods.  For surf fishing you need to buy gear that enables you to reach the trenches where the fish lie in wait for your bait. Your target fish can be a distance out from the beach so you want a medium to heavy spinning rod from 10' to 12' long with a size 30 spinning reel wound with 30lb braid fishing line (again due to it being thinner) and 6' leader of 30lb fluorocarbon and your terminal rig needs to include a pyramid shaped lead sinker to hold your bait against the current. A spiked rod holder is essential to stick into the sand so that you do not need to hold the rod all day as the rod can get quite heavy after a few hours. 

I hope this article has been helpful and as they say “tight lines”!