Reddit mentions: The best fishing hooks

It's a broad and general question, so you are likely to get similarly broad advice.

I am assuming you are talking about spin-fishing rather than fly fishing. I'd say:

Get a spinning (not casting) rod, and a spinning (not 'baitcasting') reel. Match your rod to your fish, your reel to your rod, and your line to your reel. The easiest thing to do is buy a combo LIKE THIS because the components are matched already.

If you want to roll-your-own setup:

ROD The rod will say what "weight" it is: ultra-light, Light, ..., heavy). Trout are usually light or ultra-light depending on the size they grow where you are fishing. Unless you know the trout are > 2 lbs. in weight, go with "Light"

REEL The reel should match the rod, look for a 1000 series for Light, or an ultralite for UL. More important though, the spool of the reel will list the how much of which line it can hold in terms of pounds of test. and length. e.g. My ultra-light reel will hold 100 yards of 4 lb. line (still on Imperial measurements here in US). For a Light rod, look for a reel that shows 6 - 8 lb test. About 150 yards of 6 lb is a good target.

LINE Get what is listed on the reel. Monofilament is fine, don't worry about flourocarbon, coated or braided lines.

TIPPET Do get some flourocarbon "tippet" and the smallest barrel swivels you can find. Trout have excellent eyesight, and the tippet is much harder for them to see because it is smaller and flourocarbon is invisible in water. This makes your terminal tackle less 'spooky.' 5x tippet is a good match for 6 lb test. 6x for ultralight. Do this even if you bought the combo above.

RIGGING Generally you will put your main line on the reel's spool and out to a swivel, then a few feet of the lighter, more expensive tippet to your terminal tackle. e.g. My ultralight setup is 4 lb. mono main line to a size 7 swivel and 7x flouro tippet to the terminal tackle. You probably want 6 lb to 5x, and 8 lb. to 5x is totally fine if you buy a combo with 8 lb.

TERMINAL TACKLE For reservoirs you want to use floating bait, tubes/jigs, and lures (inline spinners and/or spoons) from shore. From a boat, same, but more emphasis on spoons. Lures are a blast, but will cost you a LOT of money to acquire a good variety of them. I recommend bait and tubes/jigs if you are just starting out.

Floating Bait If you are shore-fishing, this is going to be your friend. Get some floating bait (real worms, dough, nuggets, etc.) and set up a Carolina Rig. Real worms are the best bait IMO, but they do not float naturally. You have to put air in them with a hypo. If you are just starting out, the artificial baits are fine. Rig it up, throw it in, take the slack out of the line and wait for the lunkers to come get some.

Tubes & Jigs These take more skill, but can produce a lot of fish. If you are fishing snaggy, moving water like rivers I recommend these as the top way to fish (lures are expensive and easy to lose in rivers.) Get a Trout Magnet or Crappie Magnet kit and you have everything you need.

Lures Inline spinners like Panther Martins (esp. the black/yellow dot & yellow/red dot) and Mepps Algias crush Sierra trout, not sure what their Eton comrades prefer. Keep the weight between 1/16 oz. and 1/8 oz. unless the trout are big (match the lure weights that are often listed on your rod) Good spoons here include the Acme Kastmaster, Thomas Bouyant and Super Duper. The rule here that the heavier the lure, the better it casts and the more potentially off-putting it is to a smallish fish like a trout.

Lure Selection The specifics of lure size, color and action can have a big impact on whether you get bites. What works one day may not work the next. This is how you can end up buying a LOT of lures. In general, you want to use light/bright colored lures in clear water and/or bright days and dark lures in turbid water or dimly lit days. THIS THREAD as well as THIS OTHER THREAD has some more detailed info on lure colors, sizes and brands I recommend.

You may also want to check out Fly and Bubble fishing which lets you use a spin rod to cast flies. It's a hoot and pretty effective: Get some adjustable spin floats, some flies and start fly and bubble fishing. Elk Hair Caddis sizes 12 - 18 are good, as are nymphs, and Mayfly imitations. Talk to local fly fishermen to see which bugs are good for your reservoir.

GETTING THE STUFF THAT WORKS Talk to the fishing outfitters near where you fish. They will tell you how the bite is, what the fish like, and where to do your fishing. Invaluable advice to prevent buying the entire world to cover all the bases.

HOW TO FISH This is super situational, but in general trout want to ingest more energy than they expend, i.e. they don't want to die. They like cold water near sources of food (bugs) and cover (rocks, brush, etc.). If you are fishing moving water, take the time to learn to READ THE WATER. Trout use moving water as a conveyor belt that brings them food. In reservoirs, you want to look for spots that are shallow enough to support plants and bugs, with deep water and/or good structure/cover nearby. Trout here will generally be cruising slowly or hanging in the water. Ideally, you will put your bait or lure near enough to entice without spooking them. If the trout are jumping or rising through the surface, they are eating insects from the surface film (emergers or fallen fliers), this would be a great time for the fly and bubble technique mentioned previously.

Generally THERE ARE TONS OF VIDEOS that cover whatever specific scenario you are going to pursue.

The most important technique is getting good at SETTING THE HOOK. It's hard to catch fish if you are bad at this.

FISH HANDLING

Trout are covered in protective slime:

• Wet your hand before touching them to help preserve it
  
• Use a rubber mesh net if you are netting them
  
• NEVER put them on the ground.
  
  Mash the barbs on your hooks if you are doing catch and release.
  
  Hemostats/forceps are the easiest way to remove hooks from fish
  
  Turning the fish upside-down will make them less frantic in their flopping.
  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  
  I hope that helps, have fun!

Maybe.

I'd set up somewhere in a National Forest in my general area (NC/SC/TN) with plenty of water sources, some fish and game, and an escape route if wildfires get too close.

I have enough Boy Scouts and armchair bushcraft experience to work with an axe and cordage to put together a decent enough shelter--it probably wouldn't take more than a month--and I'd try to setup a decent camp latrine away from water sources.

In addition to my BOB gear*, I'd spend some of the money on a used wheelbarrow, shovel, axe, splitting wedge, $50 worth of cheap cordage/bungee cords/carabiners/tarps/duct tape from Harbor Freight, $10 worth of BIC lighters (can still be used as firestarters once the fuel is gone to supplement the fire gear in my BOB), a gallon of bleach (santize the latrine, backup water purification), a decent cheap WalMart fishing rod/tackle (plus the license). Let's estimate $200 for all that.

Can I scrounge? I'd get a dozen or so free 5-gallon buckets from food service operations and several Arizona tea jugs out of recycling bins. I'd hit up the bulk Goodwill office to grab extra clothes/blankets/bandanas/towel for $.80/lb. I could probably even score a decent pot/pan and plate/flatware/coffee mug to go with the minimal cooking gear in my BOB, maybe even a grate from an old rusted grill. If you're going to be there a year, it's probably worth the couple of bucks.

I don't know much about trapping, but a handful of connibears and steel wire snares aren't too expensive and I'll be there a while so it might be worthwhile to spend $25 on those and a cheap bottle of musk. While I'm at it, let's get a couple of spring-loaded rat traps while we're at Harbor Freight to nail to trees and try get some tree-rats for dinner. At this point, I'm probably going to have to get a hunting license so let's upgrade to the annual premium fishing + hunting license for $50 as it has more privileges.

Let's add some speed-fishing hooks for $11 as well, assuming they're legal in the area.

Oh, I'd better total up what we have so far - $200 for misc tools, $75 for licenses/trapping stuff, and let's drop $25 on a basic cheap slingbow, $5 for an extra band, and $25 for a few cheap arrows from Walmart. Let's guesstimate we're at $300 at this point on tools and food procurement.

I don't plan on catching a lot of meals this way, but I need something to do with the time and if I can catch one critter a month it'll be great for the fresh food to supplement the beans and rice. Another guy in this thread did a cost analysis for a year's supply of rice/beans/oil for $227.88. Let's add a few iodized salt containers and cheap multivitamins from Dollar Tree and then go hit the salvage grocery store for cheap spices/teas. Say $250 for my food supply.

That leaves around $450 left. At this point, I feel like I have some of the basics covered and can start spending money/effort on a few things to make that year go by easier. I love coffee, but it's an expensive habit on a tight budget. Since I'll have an abundance of time, I'll get my coffee fix by buying green unroasted coffee beans - the cheapest bulk bag of green beans from Sweet Maria's is $5.50/lb but is $87.70 for a 20 lb sack and they have a 15% coupon code so let's estimate $90 shipped for 20 lbs. That gives me just under an ounce a day so it's a splurge but I'm willing to spend $100 to get the beans and a $10 french press from Ikea and I'm pretty sure it won't take me too long to find a couple of river rocks that would work as an impromptu mortar/pestle.

I also like to smoke a pipe maybe once a day which is maybe an ounce a week. I already have a spare pipe and tobacco in my EDC bag so this would go with me, but I'll make do with the cheap drugstore pipe tobacco marketed for RYO cigs at $14/lb shipped. We'll grab 3 of those 1 lb packs for $42 to keep me in my daily smoke.

I have a handcrank radio in my BOB and I could kinda cheat and say I already have that folding solar charger I plan on buying someday, but let's not and I'll cough up the $38 for this one. I'll have my battery bank and flashlight that's in my BOB plus my iPhone in my pocket and my Kindle I keep in my EDC backpack. The plan will be that I'll find a nice sunny spot to permanently mount the charger and I can go plug in the battery bank each day to keep my phone topped off. That way I have a radio for news and I can load a lot of music/audiobooks/ebooks/games to help keep me sane. I'm also going to buy an extra pair of earbuds from DollarTree as well as a few bars of Ivory soap a $9 Solar Shower from Amazon. Gotta stay clean and having a shower is a huge morale boost.

Speaking of books, I'm probably going to hit the library on my way out of town and check out a few survival/homesteading books. I'll have plenty of money to pay the late fines after I win the boatload of money from my uncle.

At this point, I've spent:

$350 on Tools/Food Procurement
$250 for boring basic calories food supply
$100 on coffee (important)
$50 in tobacco (likewise important)
$50 for electronics

So $700 total. Do the rules state I have stay in the woods, or can I walk into town from time to time? If so, I'll keep the rest of the money for a weekly walk into town to spend my $3.85 allowance and visit the library. If I can't, I'm going to probably spend the rest on a cheap used rifle and as many rounds as I can buy. I'll have my 9mm Glock and a few clips of ammo from my BOB, but that's no fun to hunt with. I'd also try to figure out a way to get a cheap guitar from somewhere if possible - I could probably figure out a song or two in a year.

Let's say the above plan is approved, and I'm going to the woods for a year. Hoo-rah! That's a lot of sacks of beans and rice - I'm glad I bought a used wheelbarrow! Once I get to a campsite I like, I'll start divying out enough rice/beans/salt into empty 5-gallon bucks and dig a pit to bury them in--probably two or three to make sure it's not all in one place if I didn't bury it deep enough and a bear smells it. The next order of business would be setting up a semi-permanent lean-to glamping shelter, cooking pit, latrine, a sand filter for pre-filtering water before adding into my Sawyer and storing it away in the Arizona tea containers.

I'd spend my days playing around with the hunting/trapping/fishing gear, reading, playing guitar badly, and writing in my journal. Once a week or so, I'd shower, put on my best shirt, and hike to town for a visit to the library and to buy a beer or some other treat. If could access Wi-Fi it'd be great to set up a blog--I could take pictures and write on my phone and upload to a free WordPress site whenever I'm in town. I'm pretty sure I could get a book deal out of this as well.

I've only been fishing for a little over a month. My young kids wanted to so finally bought some rods, hit the internet to learn, and we're obsessed. OK, rather I'm obsessed lol, but my kids love it nearly as much. It's great to spend time with them and a blast when they catch one. So what I've learned in this short time...

Step one is to get a license for where you fish! Buy online and you can fish your whole state. Next equipment.

Most of the cheap rods I bought for the kids broke already :(. So I've resorted to buying gear that I'd personally find useful and will hold up. I replaced one with an ugly stick dock runner. Only $15, dinky but it's super strong so my 5 year old won't break it. I use it for bluegill (small fish) but it also held up great when I unwittingly hooked a decent bass! It's a spinning reel which is more prone to tangles. Unfortunately I also spend a lot of time untangling my 5 year old's reel. Alternatively you can get the dock demon spincast which is less prone to tangles.

I'm mentioning these rods because I'm kinda guessing your daughter is young if you want her to fish too but it's still appropriate for an adult to use. Full size ugly stick combos (rod & reel) are around $50 if you're will to spend that much for something super durable. Otherwise you can spend $25 for any combo at a sporting goods store and be able to catch fish no prob. Most popular is medium-fast action 6ft-7ft probably.

Easiest way to start catching fish is exactly what' you'd think, hook and a worm. I'm a fan of jig heads so you don't have to deal with a weight (weight is attached to hook). The improved clinch knot is seems to be the most popular way to tie the hook (but there are other knots). Grab some night crawlers - gas stations, convenient stores, grocery stores will have them by you (I'm in Chicago area so assuming it's the same). Just look for a live bait sign. Cut a small piece of the worm (maybe in half or quarters), stick it on the hook, give it a few wraps then hook it again, cast it (or just drop it from where you're standing), wait for that bobber to move, lift up to set the hook and reel it in. Take care unhooking it and go for that next one! It should be easy to find bluegill in shallow areas or right off of docks next to pillings (he uses slim jims in that video). You don't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn either for these small fish and can basically go whenever. They'll magically steal bait of the hook but be persistent and you'll hook one. Oh you might want to bring small scissors and needle nose pliers as well. Not necessary but sure makes things easier when you have to retie a hook or unhook a fish.

This is how we got into fishing because it's just a thrill to catch a fish no matter how small. If you enjoy it you'll probably want to catch bigger or different fish. Each fish has different behaviors so generally you'd target one species, learn what it eats and lives, then fish for it. Largemouth bass is the most popular but of course there's tons of fish out there all with different challenges.

As for places obviously you have Lake Michigan. I've personally never fished it and to be clear my suggestion comes from small lake or pond experience so might be more applicable there. They are everywhere around here though! I literally load up google maps, look for bodies of water, and bam, never realized there are dozens of places to fish within 10min or less. I'm sure it's the same for you.

Youtubers I've been enjoying so far Catfish and Carp, Hey Skipper, KickinTheirBassTV, Flukemaster, TacticalBassin, & just today discovered 1Rod1Reelfishing (probably one of the biggest ?).

Good luck. Even if it doesn't turn into a new hobby, you can spend $30 and have the thrill of catching a fish. Totally worth it.

Hello, welcome back to fishing! I'm going to answer your questions directly, paragraph by paragraph, and then if you have additional questions/concerns answer them as we go.

Rod: For you dad, I would get a medium heavy(MH) fast action 6'6" in whatever you want to afford. I'll tell you right now, any rod will go as far as you need it to. I fish 3-4 days a week, so I don't depend on cheaper equipment. But if you can only afford a $10 shakespear, don't sweat it. For the boy, let him pick something out that he thinks is awesome. Build his interest now, keep his interest later. My daughter's barbie pole has netted a ton of fish this season, and she's had a blast every step of the way because she made the choice.

Where to start: New York DNR - Check this place out for places to fish in your area. Just about every local pond/lake is going to have fish that you can catch. Don't be afraid to post to social media for spot suggestions.

Hooks: Sorry to say, but you and everyone else is going to get poked and stuck with hooks. It's part of the sport. What you can do is be prepared. Buy a light weight first-aid kit and practice patience. Being in a hurry is how I get stuck, EVERY TIME. Don't worry about filing the barbs. Human skin is extremely resilient and the chance of the hooks going all the way through are very rare. It's only happened once in my entire life and I had my brother pull the hook out with pliers. Along the same lines, this is why I do/did the majority of my 4 kids' casting until they were comfortable with the consequences.

Gear:

• Line - Reaction Tackle If you need braid, I would get Reaction. But I would start with like a 4lb mono, middle of the road price, to get started. Until you're comfortable with casting and reeling.
  
  
• Tackle Box - It's a nice box, but I would wait until you know what your needs are going to be. At this point you need a rod, line, hook, bobber, and maybe some weight. A $15 Plano from Bass Pro would give you some extra cash for other pieces of your journey.
  
  
• Hooks - The circle hooks that you linked would be great for catfishing, but a small light weightt bait-holder hook may be a better option. I understand where you're coming from, wanting a variety, but it may not be worth it until you know what you're targeting.
  
  
• Tools - I'd like to add that you will want to pick up some nail clippers or scissors to leave in your bag. Everything else you listed is a good start. Again, your needs may differ so don't get too crazy with buying everything until you know exactly what you're going to want to do.
  
  After reading all of that, the ideal setup for you would look something like this: 6'6" MH Rod with any spinning reel. 75-100YDS of 4LB Monofiliment Line. 24"-36" from the end of the line, you'll have a medium size bobber. 12"-18" from the end of the line, you'll have a 1/8oz split shot sinker. On the end of the line, you'll want a 1/0 bait-holder hook tied on using a palomar knot. On the hook, you'll want about 1/4-1/3 of a night crawler worm, or wax worm. Everything else is just a bonus.
  
  Fishing at the very core, is about being in the outdoors and interacting with nature. Having all this stuff is fun to research, fun to shop, and fun to think about... but at the end of the day if you're not enjoying your time outside, then it's not worth it.
  
  

I'm with those who say stay away from telescoping rods. A two piece 6.5' isn't too bad to carry around when camping.

The most-universal combo you could get would be a 30/3000 series spinning reel and a 6.5-7' 2-piece Medium power fast action rod.

30/3000, 25/2500, 40, 60, etc, all refer to general sizes of the reels, with the bigger numbers being bigger, except a 25 is the same as a 2500, different manufacturers have different conventions.

This will allow you to do most freshwater fishing and a little saltwater.

I can't really recommend a specific cheaper combo but most major manufacturers are okay. If you want to fish salt look at Penn reels, they're made for it. The Battle II is popular though I've never used it.

Weights- those are fine for split shot. Depending on what fishing you do you may want more variety later, like a slip-sinker which slides on the line.

Hooks- those are actually circle hooks, I know they say octopus but that's a little misleading in this case. Those are probably fine but are limiting to bait fishing mostly. Regular octopus hooks are a little different and are more universal. Both are better at certain things. Size matters. A variety pack with different sizes may be good to get you going. Looking at stuff in the store often helps. What fish you are fishing for matters. Bass hooks are larger than trout hooks.

The snap swivels, sure. They are one of the most popular useless items. You don't need one most of the time, though there are situations where you do. I'd say that both regular swivels, without the snap, and snaps without the swivels are more useful. But this depends on what fishing you want to do.

The floats are the universal panfish floats. They work. They aren't the best. But it depends. In fishing... it all depends. What you have here is a good list for basic panfish fishing. Drifting bait from 2 to 6 feet under a bobber. You can even get some other species this way, put on a big hook and a minnow and get pike or bass. So it's a good place to start, but I'd also recommend some lures. A shallow running jerkbait like a Husky Jerk will attract a lot of things. Basic black / silver is always a good place to start, so is perch color. But it depends.

I'd say think about a different combo, get some regular hooks, circle hooks are good too... I mean if you keep fishing you'll end up with many many kinds of hooks. This is a hobby that tends to accumulate stuff. Stuff you haven't seen in 20 years but you still know where it is just in case you go back to that one lake...

I'd go Saw instead of Axe, less exersion/calorie use, better cuts.

Dump the gill net, in the case of season 3, your inland, not on the ocean, if you don't get lucky enough to get a stream on your site you wasted one of your 10. If you are lucky and get a stream, building fish traps is easy.

Maybe Bow, but only if your skilled in it's use

Definately cordage should be added, there are too many things that you can do with it.

Here is the list of what I would bring...

• 1 Survival knife: My personal Knfe is a Gerber Strong Arm Fine Edge, I've picked up a mod for the sheath to allow it to be attached better in a verticle fashion (on a belt for ex.) from a Chamdar17 on YouTube that makes it. Definately worth getting as the factory design is very flimsy awkward.
  
  
• 1x5 lbs Food Rations: Beef Jerky (protein) Generic "Oh Sh!t backup". Can be re-consitiuted with water and "bulked" back up, but may switch to another source away from protien as that may be the only nutient source collectable during the contest, and one needs diversity to survive/thrive.
  
  
• 1 300-yards of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted Hooks: they don't say what types only overall length in the posted rules, so I would divide it up as such;
  
  1, 100 Yard 30lb test (Additional Cordage, Snare wire)
  
  2, 100 yard 20lb test (Additional Cordage, or use as heavy line)
  
  3, 100 yard 15 lb test (for actual fishing)
  
  for the 25 hooks, get the "red" colored hooks [Here is why] as they may be a built in attractant, a bonus within the rules is a bonus...
  
  
• 1x2qt pot with lid: Found this one that has a lid that can double as an additional pan, Note the 2liter pan is too large, and the 1.5 liter is a little small for the qt conversion. but I get the 2 for 1 lid as a fry pan. Maybe look for someone to make a custom pan set. Another possibility is getting a very deep pan with cover like the Lodge Logic Cast Iron Skillet, 5 qt (aparently there is no size limit of skillet/fry pans in the rules, weight would suck, but it would most likely fit in/on the pack)
  
  
• 1 flint or ferro rod set: Best I can find (big and thick rod 1000s of strikes)
  
  
• 1 multi-seasonal sleeping bag that fits within provided backpack: My Choice is a Cabela's bag rated to -40 it's a rectangular extra large bag for comfort.
  
  
• 1 saw: Hand Made Bow Saw, 30 inch blade, wooden. I created a 30 inch bow saw out of hardwood based loosly on the following plans from the ToolsForWorkingWood.com Site, note I upscaled the design to utilize a 30" Bacho Green Wood Bow Saw blade
  
  
• 12x12 ground cloth/tarp: very heavy, rubberized and aluminized tarp for heat reflection and durabiity (Add Grommets every 12 inches all the way around)
  
  
• Paracord Cordage: Actually a Hammock, I found instructions for creating a paracord based hammock that is a single piece for the main field of the Hammock. Doing this would give me a minimum of 330' of paracord and within the rules. plus the braided ends for attaching to trees as additional length. Special Note, The rules I've seen states "Paracord", but not the type. If you get the 750lb instead of the 550lb it has 11 triple strand core fibers instead of 7 double strand...
  
  
• Lastly I have one open slot, Need to consider where I'll be. Possibly a Bow (rather a good shot), maybe more rations. Possibly a water container/canteen (which would be a 38oz Nalagen with a mod to hang over the fire). There are lots of posibilities...
  
  
  My Start
  
  Day 1, job 1: temp shelter and fire building Prep for first night... NOTE! If in an area of Large Predators (Boar, Big Cat, Bears, etc) First order of Business Make a Boar Spear! 8 feet long, and mount a cross bar about a foot down (Boar Spear, else they will climb the spear torwards you)
  
  Day 2, water production and evaluate the site, dig into a little of the rations for food for the day. Plan out the permant camp (if located), fishing/food prep/trapping areas, Freshwater sources. Try to make the permant cam centrally located between food and water, but away from food prep area and possible larger predator areas.
  
  Day 3, Water Production, Hunting gathering morning, Camp building after noon. Food prep and bed.. Basically I'll follow the rule of 3s mostly (3 minutes air, 3 hours exposure, 3 days water, 3 weeks food) everything has it's priority, Shelter fire 1st, water 2nd, food last, beyond that is comfort to survive and thrive in the situation.

The most basic all around set up I would recommend for fishing in a lake would be to go buy some crankbaits, jerkbaits, a couple topwater lures (I recommend jitterbugs, and poppers), and some softplastic worms and worm hooks (they have the little angled shaft by the eye of the hook). Get some 12lb monofilament fishing line (it's good for mostly everything you'll catch in a lake).
Also, get some hooks and splitshot sinkers.

In terms of color for the baits, try to mimic the types of baitfish that are in the lake you're fishing at. Shad are pretty common in lakes near me, so 2/3 of my tackle box are filled with shad colored crankbaits and jerkbaits. Bluegill colored bait is always good because most lakes are full of bluegill.

That should help you target almost anything you could want to catch in a lake until you start getting more experience. Once you get more experience you can start tweaking things and buying more specialized stuff. But with the stuff I told you to buy, you really just have to locate the fish and you should be able to catch them.

EDIT:

Here's a pretty good assortment of hardbait to get you started. I'm not sure how wonderful the quality is, but they should catch fish for you and give you a foundation to build on until you get some more experience.

these and these are pretty decent rubber lures that will work for a wide variety of fish. Buy these hooks for them and these weights to help get your rubber lures to the bottom of the lake.

A package of bait hooks like these will help you catch stuff like catfish and bluegill using live bait. [Bobbers] (http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Claw-Floats-Assortment-1-Inch/dp/B0009V5QEA/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1462166419&sr=1-1&keywords=Bobber) are pretty good for catching bluegill as well. Catfish suck food off of the bottom of the lake at night, so skip on the bobber if you're fishing for those and I wouldn't waste time fishing for them in the day time.

And some basic 12 pound fishing line. Stick to the clear stuff.

All that gear should help you get started. There shouldn't be a fish in a lake that you can't catch using that stuff.

Sure! 40-ish bucks worth of hooks swivels and weights and braided mainline and mono leader. 5 bucks worth of powerbait(worms are free if you wanna dig) 30 dollars a year for fishing license(depending on what state you live in). Carpool with a couple friends to a lake or river, if one has a boat that's cool but you don't need one. A 30 dollar rod and reel set works. Don't need a 400 dollar rod to catch 2 pound trout. If you go once a week and catch a few fish then you more than break even. Start out cost is low as well as accruing expenses. You only need to keep buying bait and a yearly fishing license

Lines: [braided main line] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPKT9I0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1) - [Mono leader line] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000T7WAN4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Hooks: [#8 baithooks] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186XEATY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Sinkers: [assorted sinker set] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009V2R2E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Swivels: [These even have swivels, which aren't pictured] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YMJ6ONC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) - [heres a picture of the snaps] (http://i.imgur.com/BJeHUso.jpg)

Powerbait: [Take your pick of different colors and scents to see what works where you fish at] (https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-Powerbait-Glitter-Rainblow-1-75-Ounce/dp/B0000AV1L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478070992&sr=8-1&keywords=powerbait)

Rod and reel:[If you go to an outdoors store you can find even cheaper] (https://www.amazon.com/Okuma-Spinning-Combo-Medium-7-Feet/dp/B00LV00CZG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478070582&sr=8-4&keywords=fishing%2Brod%2Band%2Breel&th=1&psc=1)

All of those one time expenses comes up to 63.30, that includes a rod and reel, lines, hooks, weights, sinkers, snap swivels and a jar of bait. The only thing you need to buy after that is bait every now and again for 4~ dollars

As for the license, it depends where you are, some places it's as cheap at 9 dollars a year, some places its 40.

As for getting my monies worth, I think I do, fresh fish is expensive. That's not even including the experience of it. I love going out into nature and relaxing with friends, catching a few fish and eating them for dinner is pretty fun

As mentioned by another user multiple rods would be ideal for what you want, but I understand wanting a universal kit.

https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Medium-Action-Bigwater-8-Feet/dp/B000LG0G3E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473786425&sr=8-3&keywords=ugly+stick+combo Rod and Reel Combo: Shakespere is a reputable company, they aren’t the bottom or the top but they work really well. Ugly Sticks are super popular and can be found anywhere. This specific rig is a little large for freshwater IMO but there are many more options available.

Line: Anywhere from 10lb to 20lb mono will work depending on what species you are targeting but a 12lb would be able to land much heavier fish, just not from a pier.

bait holder hooks https://www.amazon.com/Baitholder-500pcs-Freshwater-Fishhook-Fishing/dp/B00CK5RIN0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473787160&sr=8-3&keywords=bait+holder+hook this will get you most species with this style of hook but you don’t need as many as that kit offers. Having a variety of hooks is useful for species with weird mouths or for certain methods of fishing.

Lures: Spinners, and spoons are amazing for almost anything that swims, but jigs like mister twisters and beetle spins can be good too. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on crank baits and stick baits, personally I have never caught much on them. I also like soft baits, but those often need special jigs and hooks for them.

I am not super familiar with fishing saltwater but, I know the water itself can be bad for the gear so you have to spend time cleaning afterwards. A lot of fishing is experimentation with what works for you.

I'm just gonna add personal tips/ideas based on my 10+ years of fishing experience. Just a small warning I haven't fished a whole lot of different areas just local stuff so my range of experience isn't "huge"

Okay, patience is the biggest thing. I've let my pole sit for two hours before moving it or reeling it in. You gotta let it sit there much longer than 10 minutes.

For baits, any live or fresh cut bait is amazing. I use bluegills, shad, and ESPECIALLY skip jack if i can get my hands on it. I also use chicken liver, cherry garlic hot dogs (literally take a pack of hotdogs cut them in to 3 or 4 pieces put 2 packs of cherry jello and a bunch of garlic powder in the bag and shake it up) Raw shrimp with the shell and tail still on, occasionally chicken liver, and you can't go wrong with a night crawler from time to time.

Also I HIGHLY reccomend secret 7 from team catfish. It slays catfish no matter what. It just smells extremely bad, so if you have a strong enough stomach I'd use it. Heres a link to the bait and here's a link to the hooks I use with it personally I don't like using treble hooks so I swap those out for a size 6 circle hook and take a sponge and cut it up into squares and add that to the bottom of the hook to soak in a little bit of extra secret 7.

Weights wise, it depends on the river. The rivers I fish here aren't too strong so I can get away with a half ounce sinker. I use egg sinkers with a split shot about 16-18 inches away from my hook with a small bead in between the splitshot and my hook to protect my knot incase the split shot breaks or comes off. I'm not too experienced with stronger rivers but the biggest tip I have there is don't cast against the current

As for fishing with floats, i do not recommend it for catfish unless you're on a lake or a pond. It doesn't really work with catfish in rivers. However if you do I recommend using slip bobbers so you can adjust the height that the bobber will hold and it's a lot easier to cast than a normal float.

Fishing line: I have one pole with 25 pound test and a second with 40. You don't really need to go higher than 25 to be honest because in the event that you hook into a fish bigger than that you're gonna spend some time fighting it and wearing it out anyways so you just have to be patient and use your drag to your advantage.

That's all the basic stuff I can think off the top of my head, I'm about to go fishing myself so feel free to ask me any questions and when I get back I'll answer them to the best of my ability!

Hahaha sorry. If you look up Texas rig worm it will give you a bunch of links and images of how to hook the artificial worm. Owner's Twistlock Black Chrome Centering Pin Hook (Size 4/0, 4 Per Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SHWO36/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_nOrHwbFF942RN. This is a pretty cool hook I use that just makes it super simple. You put the head thru the twist and put the body in the hook. If you look up inline spinners you'll get a good idea of those as well. You want to just reel those in at a pretty decent pace. You can play with it a bit and alternate fast retrieval, stop to let it sink, and continue retrieving. A circle hook is just a type of hook that is better for catfish/snakehead. For the worms you want to cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Let it sit for a little bit and just bounce it up, pull in excess line, let it sit again repeat. The color of the worm matters depending on the clarity of the water. If it's nighttime you can use a brighter worm. During the day I've pretty much stuck to watermelon red with success. At night I get a lot of mosquitos so I usually don't stay out too late but when I do I'll switch to a chartruese colored worm.

Thanks for the reply!

I currently live in a major city so I have few opportunities to practice with game that could be considered safe. I am however skilled in skinning and processing birds, fish, and things with 4 legs.

What is your opinion about speed hooks? Based upon what I've read they seem like a great survival tool. How do they compare to the yoyo?

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Video data:

Field|Data

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Title|FISHING New Jersey CREEKS (Surprising Catch!)
Thumbnail|Link
Views|25
Length|09:36
Likes/Dislikes|3/0
Comments|1
Description|We took a couple combos to the creeks and had some fun! ⤶⤶Gear List:⤶⤶Rod - ⤶⤶https://www.walmart.com/ip/Micro-Graphite-Spinning-Rod-4-6/17472626?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2651&adid=22222222227015423116&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40970224952&wl4=aud-566049426705:pla-78912754952&wl5=9003515&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=17472626&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKB1-kTYJecl2xi8-L_few2m1QBdLTOHC5RinUZBW_tzFOkBFmRruxRoCDLQQAvD_BwE⤶⤶Reel - ⤶⤶https://www.amazon.com/KastKing-Centron-Spinning-Fishing-Powerful/dp/B06ZZ29RH4?th=1⤶⤶Lure - ⤶⤶https://www.amazon.com/Leland-Lures-Trout-Magnet-Neon/dp/B0010FFKXG/ref=asc_df_B0010FFKXG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242000375746&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2761659617666427376&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003515&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-521568264190&psc=1⤶⤶Camera Gear:⤶⤶GoPro - ⤶⤶https://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHN-301-HERO3-Silver-Edition/dp/B009PK9S90⤶⤶Big Camera - ⤶⤶https://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Camera-Screen/dp/B01BV14OXA⤶⤶Music - ⤶⤶https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daWvummA8ZQ⤶⤶https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puFdqFrQOmI⤶⤶https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HiP-Sdtbck

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This is fantastic, thank you!

I have a few questions about some of the items:

• Is this the kind of yarn I should be getting, or should I get the fly fishing stuff?
  
• Does it matter if I get red hooks like these Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks? Are octopus hooks the right style of hook?
  
• Any particular size on the corky?
  
• How do you attach the lead to the line? I saw some people use surgical tubing.
  
• Drifting and flossing seem to be very similar in style, just that drifting has bait, and you let the current move your line. Is that accurate?
  
  Thanks again for all the help!

Awesome, thank you! So I am an Amazon addict, I assume these are perfect?

Hooks

Senkos I was hoping for something brighter because of the dark water, but I will look around a bit more. Thanks again!

Wal-Mart carrys those combos too. Don't know how much ur looking to spend, but at Wal-Mart a $40ish Quantum 6'6" medium heavy spinning rod is a good product. It says what the rod's specifications are on the rod. on the cheaper side, you can get him some of these http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-inch-Ultra-Speed-Baits/dp/B003607MPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311703988&sr=8-1 preferably the green pumpkin color. They sell those at Dick's or other major sporting good stores. Wal-Mart has them sometimes too, but the colors are often goofy. But any green colored craw should do good, and get him some weighted hooks for them, like this http://www.amazon.com/Owner-Beast-Hook--Weighted-Oz/dp/B003DS35MG/ref=sr_1_8?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1311704259&sr=1-8 not this http://www.amazon.com/Weighted-Superline-Hook-Black-Nickle/dp/B0010XDKYE/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1311704259&sr=1-4 the later isn't for these types of plastic lures. It doesn't have to have the screw, sometimes it's just a piece of metal with a barb to hold the lure. Wal-Mart sells them too. if this stuff looks a lil pricey, it is, but that's b;c it works and they know you'll pay more to catch fish.

Here: https://www.amazon.com/Zebco-Quantum-33MCK505TEL-FB4-33Micro-Telecast/dp/B076MNS7WF/

Ultralight and ultraportable setup. Easy to learn to cast and good distance with the right lures.

The right lures are Trout Magnets, easy to tie, don't snag a lot and you can add a bobber to the line and let it drift. If there's anything else besides trout (young bass, bluegills, etc), you'll get them too.

It's my "fall back to having fun" kit for when bigger bass isn't in the mood or I don't want to bother hauling stuff. Two rod combos and a TM kit will have both of you fishing for a year.

You've got too much hardware on there. You want to tie your line directly to the hook. You're using a swimbait there, and the only really effective way to fish a swimbait in grass and remain mostly weedless is with a weighted swimbait hook... like these...

https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-Fusion19-Weight-Swimbait-Hooks/dp/B012MCUI1Y/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=weighted+swimbait+hooks&qid=1566933103&s=gateway&sr=8-7

You screw the wire into the front of the head, then rig the hook like you have it in the picture. The weight on the hook helps the baits swim upright. The weighted swimbait hook is really versatile, allowing you to fish it slowly to keep it near the bottom or even jig it up and down. I've even put it on a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw and reeled it fast across the top of the water like a buzzbait.

I would also recommend using a jig head built for swimbaits, like these...

https://www.amazon.com/Reaction-Tackle-Swimbait-Swing-Heads/dp/B07L2G6SKF/ref=sxin_1_ac_d_rm?ac_md=4-4-YmFzcyBqaWcgaGVhZHM%3D-ac_d_rm&keywords=jig%2Bheads&pd_rd_i=B01MYGZR0P&pd_rd_r=2653de38-18e0-40df-a3b5-c3e6b3fc4335&pd_rd_w=gCoOq&pd_rd_wg=ElmVW&pf_rd_p=404c4843-2c96-4d0d-a5fe-2b0598693e61&pf_rd_r=6HEAEV4H8WXM3QB165KP&qid=1566933271&s=gateway&th=1

These are pretty weedless, too, but over time, the push of grass against the nose of the bait will pull the bait down the hook shank. Not a deal-breaker, just something to be aware of. You can use standard jig-heads, but as the hook is exposed at the top of the bait, you won't be even close to weedless.

I use the [Gamakatsu wide Gap finesse hooks] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FRK2IU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-8WDxbHMJYYXY) for my wacky rig, and I Face the same problem, the lakes I fish are relatively vegetive. I wont lie and say these hooks are completely weedless, because they aren't, but compared to other hooks, they seem to be a lot more weedless than most. I definitely recommend these hooks paired with o rings and a good stick bait. I never miss a hook up .

Something like this but smaller 2"-3" is best. Use with an #1 offset hook. Likethis.

Can you use a gut hook? Like a big safety cutter hook?

HAVEL'S GHC-3 Piranta Gut Hook Replacement https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG839LI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eF.HDbDYV9D1R

There’s a multitool that will accept this blade called a havalon evolve. Looks like a skeletool but it accepts a replaceable blade

Fishing tackle box! Our shop builder uses one and just stuffs it in his backpack. They come in tons of different sizes and most have fold-in "shelves". If you're unfamiliar, they look like this. Stick the tools on the bottom and then organize types of wire, cotton, finished coils or whatever on the "shelves".

e- If you don't think you'll have that much to store, you can pick up smaller flat tackle boxes like this one with customizable splits/walls so you can stack tools and just have a few slots for cotton/wire/stuff.

Here is what I purchased:
Eagle Claw Snap-On Floats Assortment 12pc
Water Gremlin Removable Split Shot Pro Pack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AMGGBO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Fishing Lure Kit 234pc
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0785S5MMY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and the EAGLE CLAW ROD

I will definitely update when it all comes in and let you all know how it goes. Can't wait to use this stuff!

Trout Magnets kill it with bluegill.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010FFKXG/ref=sxts_kp_bs_tr_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=yskcP&pf_rd_r=BTC2VNVSP58WJZ9FB834&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B0010FFKXG&pd_rd_w=3ZKuM&pf_rd_i=trout+magnet+kit&pd_rd_r=b629a0f3-95bd-4c1d-a1bf-8e55909edbc5&ie=UTF8&qid=1538426392&sr=1

$10 gets you this kit with 3 different colored jigheads and several colored grubs.

Rebel crankbaits are also really good.