If you have ever been into fishing, you know how joyous and peaceful it can get. Fishing is one of the best ways to spend your vacation time and to find peace of mind. It relaxes your mind, body, and soul.
This reminds me of the quotation, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can go fishing, and that’s pretty much the same thing.” But when you are a beginner, you got to have a basic knowledge of fishing before starting your journey. First of all, this question might dawn upon your mind “ what do I need to go fishing for the first time?
No worries buddy, in this article, we will cover up the basic requirements, do’s and don’ts, beginners’ tips, and best fishing gear for beginners for you. So, let’s get started.
What do I Need to go Fishing for the First Time?
If it’s the first time you are going fishing, you must be quite anxious about the whole process. Starting from the gears, you need to buy for fishing to how do you catch fish. When you go to the big retail store, it could get pretty intimidating, as there’s a ton of options to choose from.
Well, first and foremost, you got to gather the essential gears for your fishing. Next comes finding the perfect location for fishing. After that, an essential matter comes, which is how to catch your desired fish. Let’s get started with the fishing gear list for beginners.
Best Fishing Gear for Beginners– Gear List
When it comes to finding the necessary fishing gear, first of all, you need to get introduced to the types of fishing gear. Therefore, it will be a lot easier for you to select the ones you need. Fishing gears come in five main categories. Here’s more in detail:
1. Nets
Net has many shapes and sizes. The one that can be used passively lets the fish and other animals directly swim into them. And the one that’s used actively is mobile and needs to be dragged through the water. The most common types of nets are beach seines, dredges, trawl nets, gillnets, purse seines, and cast nets.
- Trawls
Trawls are made of a frame with net a net bag which you get to pull from a boat to get the fish and other marine creatures. Most of them are usually gets to dragged from the seat bottoms. But you can also use them in mid-water to catch certain species.
- Dredges
Dredges are a kind of shovel-like iron frame that is attached with fine nets. To collect different species in the ocean, you need to rake the seabed.
- Seine Nets
Seine nets fall into the category of bottom-weighted nets. Fishermen place it in the water surrounding a group of fish to capture them. Then they use a purse seine to draw the bottom of the net in and get the fish inside.
- Gillnets
Gillnets have to be placed in the water and capture those fish that try to swim through the net. You can set the net in line, drifting, a circle, or stationery. Most of the salmon in the ocean are captured by using the gillnets.
2. Hook and Line
People prefer this gear mostly when it comes to fishing especially, hobbyists. Hooks and lines also have different forms, such as handlines, longlines, poles, and trolling lines.
- Loglines
These are sets of long lines of baited hooks. They are widely used in hook fishing. You will find two types of longlining: surface (pelagic) longlining, and bottom (demersal) longlining. If you want to catch tunas, swordfish, and other surface swimming fishes, you got to use the pelagic longlines. And for cod, halibut and rockfish, you will need the demersal longlines.
- Poles, Headlines, Trolls, and Jigs
These are shorter than long lines, and all are part of the one fishing line. You can catch any species using these that can be caught by longline.
3. Traps
Using traps is one of the most common techniques of catching fish. The process usually follows the passive method and contains baits to lure the target to enter. Some of the common examples of traps are stow or bag nets, pots, and fixed traps when it comes to catching shrimp, lobster, and sablefish.
4. Grappling Device
This is one of the ancient ways of catching fish. People have been using this technique to catch fish since the dawn of civilization. The grappling technique is used when it comes to catching individual fish or mammals. These gears are used mostly hand-held. Some of the examples of this device are spears, harpoons, and arrows.
5. Stupefying Device
In this technique, you will get to use chemicals or explosive devices to stun fish. But few regions still use this technique. Even many regions have laws against this technique of fishing. It could be highly dangerous for humans and nature. But the sad thing is still some people illegally use this technique to catch fish.
12 Fishing Gear Checklist and Essential Fishing Equipment
Before we move on to the list of fishing gear, first of all, we have to understand what is fishing gear? Fishing gears are tools that you need to capture aquatic or marine resources. However, the gears are highly used in the fishing method and, that’s all about fishing gears.
Here’s a complete list of the gears you will need for fishing. In this section, we will also get to know them in detail:
- Fishing Rod and Reel
- Fishing Line
- Hooks
- Bait
- Lures
- Bobbers
- Sinkers
- Swivels
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Line Cutter
- Sunglasses
- First Aid Kit
- Sunscreen
- Tackle Box
Well, now we have the fishing gear checklist. When you go fishing for real, you will realize how essential the right fishing gear can be. Now, we will get to know them in detail. So, what do I need to go fishing for the first time?
1. Fishing Rod & Reel
Fishing rods are made of durable but flexible material- usually, graphite or fiberglass and this allows you to cast your fishing line deeper and further into the water. They are categorized by their action, strength, taper, and responsiveness. Choosing the right rod for you depends on what kind of fishing you want to do.
If you are a beginner then, go for medium-strength so that you can angle various types of fish and have good responsiveness; therefore, you will easily get the alert when the fish bites. This will allow you to reel it out of the water much faster and increase your chance to catch the fish.
2. Fishing Line
I’m sure you are already aware that you will need a fishing line. One bad thing about the fishing line is they tend to get tangled up or sometimes break when they get caught on or bitten by stronger and larger fish.
You will need different types of simple strings with different weights and strengths. Most of them are categorized based on their visibility, cast-ability, and elasticity. And the one you need depends on what types of fish you want to catch.
3. Hooks
Besides lines, you will need to stock up different types of fish hooks to catch different types of fish. These hooks are used to catch fish by jabbing them in their mouth when they fall for the nibble, and if you are lucky enough, sometimes you might be able to get one stick in the fish’s body.
You will find different categories of hooks such as single, double treble, and circle. However, if you are just a starter then, it would be better to start with single hooks. You need to figure out how to set the hook with the uni-knot.
4. Bait
Bait plays the most significant role in drawing the fish towards your hoo and convincing them to bite. You need to attach it to the end of the line. The best idea is to utilize live bait. However, different fishes are attracted to different types of bait, such as small freshwater fish prefers worms and minnows.
5. Lures
Lures are one kind of bait but, they are artificial. They were designed to manipulate the fish by making them think this is live food. Fishermen usually use them in case of emergency when they run out of real baits. Also, the variety of baits can be helpful to draw different types of fish and suit them depending on different types of water and weather conditions.
6. Bobbers
Bobbers are also known as floaters. It helps you keep the bait closer to the surface and alerts you when the fish response to your bait. You will notice the bobber diving down when a fish bites your bait, and that’s when you start reeling to catch the fish.
7. Sinkers
Sinker is another essential material when it comes to catching fish. You will need to use one for every line you will cast, as it will help the line to stay stabilized when your bait sinks deeper. It would be wise to keep some extra as they tend to get lost often during a fishing session.
8. Swivels
You will find it quite annoying when your line starts spinning and turning until the line gets twisted. And that’s where a swivel arrives as your savior. A swivel works as a connecting tool between bait and line and lets the latter move and spin independently without causing any problem in your line.
The swivel contains a loop on each of its ends. However, you can attach a snap and, that will save a huge amount of time and effort for you.
9. Line Cutter
Fishing lines tend to be sturdy, so you will need a cutter when it comes to setting up any new line. It would be better if you have the smallest one, as you can easily fit it inside your tackle box. This tool also has other uses, so you won’t regret having one with you. Instead of this, you can also have a small sharp knife that will help you to chop the bait into small portions.
10. Sunglasses & Hat
When you are fishing under the blazing sun, it will get difficult for you to continue after a while. Also, the sun creates glares on the water surface at times which can cause you a problem seeing where the fish are. Try to get a sunglasses that is 100% UV polarized. Besides all these, it will also protect your eyes from dangerous UV rays.
A polyester-made hat can protect your head from the bright sunlight. Having a hat will help you to continue fishing for a long time. Besides that, it will also keep your face safe from the harmful UV rays of the sun.
11. First Aid Kit
Your safety should always be your priority, no matter whatever you do or wherever you go. You know, “better safe than sorry.” We would highly advise you to keep a first aid kit with yourself while fishing. Make sure it has band-aids, water-proof medical tape, small bandages, and antibacterial ointment. You might need those in case of any unexpected incident.
12. Tackle Box
Last but not least is keeping a tackle box. A tackle box will help you to store your sinkers, hooks, pliers, lures and, all other small tools. Besides letting you carry the tools comfortably, it will also keep your stuff oriented.
Essential Fishing Gear Must Have for Beginners
If you are a beginner, it could be quite stressful for you to manage everything on your own. But, no worries dear, here we have a complete guideline for you to start your fishing journey today:
- Remember to keep it simple. Have a look at our fishing gear checklist above and make sure you have everything.
- You can buy the baits online or any bait shop, but you would find it more enjoyable to catch some on your own.
- Chop off the line around a foot longer than the length of the pool. On the top of the pole, wrap an end-around and tie it as tightly as possible.
- Tie the hook on the other end of the line. You can use a knot that won’t slip, for instance, the Palomar knot.
- You are locked and loaded. If you want to catch saltwater fish then, look for them near the piers and big rocks close to the shore.
- When you are done baiting the hook, add the bobber above the line. Now, it’s time to roll. Let your line stretch into the water as long as the bobber starts floating in the water. Hold the pole steady and stay focused.
- Fishing will taste your patience. So, wait and pray for the fish to respond. If you see the bobber shakes or jumps, that means a fish has fallen for the bait.
- The moment the bobber dives into the water, set your hook by raising the pool faster. Keep the pole pointing to the sky so the fish will swing to you.
- Be careful! The fishes you will capture from the sore don’t have sharp teeth. But they have spiny fins. When the fish reaches your range, grasp it gently but firmly behind its head. Use your needle-nose pliers to get rid of the hook.
- Capture a selfie with it then, let it go where it belongs if it’s too small to eat. Next time you will be rewarded with a much bigger one.
FAQs- Frequently Asked Questions
> What are the tools I must need for fishing?
When fishing, here are some tools you must need. For instance, Fishing Rod, Reel, Fishing Line, hook, Bait, Bobbers, Sinkers, and First Aid Kit.
> What fishes to catch as a beginner?
If you are a beginner then, you might want to get started with the easiest ones, such as catfish, crappie, chub, bass, trout, perch, and burbot.
> Where do I get my fishing gears?
Good question! You will find a specific shop that sells fishing gear. And if you are not interested to go in shops, then you can find them easily just by making a simple google search. But before purchasing, make sure the site has a good reputation and the products have good customer reviews.
> How do I learn to cast?
Once I heard someone saying, “the best way of learning anything is by doing it repeatedly.” And we would like to suggest you do the same.
> What is the best time to fish?
If you are fishing in the summer season, then the best time to fish is in the early morning and late evening and, during the fall, the best time to start fishing is around the dusk.
Final Words
We won’t disagree that it’s always a bit challenging to go fishing for the first time. But with an essential fishing gear for beginners and more practice, you will get used to it. Fishing is an amazing task to do. It’s one of the best ways to spend your free time, especially during vacations.
We hope we have been able to provide you with the answer for, “what do I need to go fishing for the first time?” Wish you the best of luck with your next fishing trip.