(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best fishing tackle products

Ah yes it will definitely help. You can still do it well the way you are, but it takes practice. Though it all does I guess.

In that case, if you want to continue on as you are, first thing to do is use less weight. keep using less until you feel you aren't hitting bottom at all, then put a little more back on.

Also use round split shot if you can find it. The kind with the little wings is easier to take off but is slightly more likely to hang up. You can still take off the round ones by pinching the sides with the small pliers you always carry with you. You can always use a regular small needlenose but the ones with the cutters too are even better.

Anyway it's very doable but using a float is definitely the most deadly way to target fish in a stream. Really, read up on floatfishing, most of what you'll find will be about steelhead but you can use it on any trout and any fish in moving water. There are different systems for adjustable floats, the old spring loaded red/white round bobber, to pegs or what I like, which are these, which have little tubes, or (something similar)[https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Claw-Balsa-6-Inch-8-inch/dp/B008MIMTXI/]. Tall skinny floats are more sensitive to bites than round ones.

With that technique you can fish artificial lures like jigs, to any live bait, or whatever you want. You can shorten the float up and add a little lead for the fast water and take a little off and slide the float back for the deep pools. Alrighty then

Everyone's budget is different, so I'll leave that decision up to you. Having said that, tying my own leaders is something I've entertained in the past. I purchased this Maxima kit last summer. I finally got around to using it last night to repair my little 6x leader. I'm glad I had the kit on hand.

If you're really set on building your own leaders you'll need a good tippet gauge, a solid proficiency in tying a blood knot and a few good formulas to follow.

Most folks grab a few tapered leaders and spools of tippet and call it a day. Depending on how much you fish that should last you a good while. Tying in a tippet ring will extend the life of your tapered leaders even longer.

Ironically the cheapest no-rolls I've ever found were at a mom and pop shop where everything else was pretty marked up. I never shop at super outdoor world places like bass pro, but I go there with my friends to get inspiration from their overpriced shit. Walmart is the best overall prices you will find. Second to that is aliexpress, but the shipping times are killer. Amazon has some good deals. I got these JSHANMEI 5 Sizes 120 Piece 3 Way Swivels Crossline Swivels Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S4CFZB0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_m8LU1CRAGHarj

Anyway. Simpler is generally better for me. Many of my friends have just a hook on the end with a single no roll.

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.

I used to fish in W NC quite a bit. If I were going to give a beginner a box of flies to start in that area, they would be: elk hair caddis, bird of prey caddis, prince nymph, little black stones, hares ear, yellow sally, parachute adams, PMD, mayfly emergers, a few hot spot jig nymphs with heavy weight, a couple of simple streamers, and terrestrials. I've had banner days in NC with just a #16 adams (or haystack, similar mayfly pattern but takes about 30 seconds to tie). You could give her a box of flies and a little pack to hold those with 4X-5X tippet and some hemostats. Throw in a couple of leaders too, 9 foot 4X for the bigger rivers like the Nantahala, New, or Hazel Creek, and 7.5 foot 4X or 5X for the small mountains streams like the stuff you find in the Smokies. Good luck!

Redington Crosswater combo ($132 with Prime)

If he likes smallmouth and catches them in his favorite creeks then get the 6wt. If he prefers trout then get the 9' 5wt option. This rod in a 6wt will also work for pond/lake fishing for bass. If he went to a bigger river then he would do fine with it as well, whether wading or in a boat.

He will also need a leader and some tippet. For $8.61 you can get him an individual leader, or for $16 you can get him the three pack. For tippet, if you get him the 8 pound leader then you should get him the 8 pound tippet for $7.57.

For leader longevity he will want tippet rings for $11.72. This will allow him to use his leaders for much longer rather than needing to re-buy leaders sooner. I know we're outside of your budget at this point past the leader, but if you can swing it then all of these things will provide what he needs outside of flies. Maybe someone else is getting him presents and could supplement the rest. Sometimes fly rod combos will come with leaders, but I didn't see it mentioned on the Crosswater combo. You'll notice I tailored it more to bass. If you find out he's more of a trout guy, then read on.

For $10.78 you can get a 3-pack of 9' 4x leaders. He can fish small streamers and nymphs with these, but would want a thinner leader for dry flies. For creeks he will probably fish small streamers and nymphs most of the time anyways, so this is a good choice (in my opinion). You'll still want the tippet rings listed above to make the leader purchase last a long time. For tippet, a spool of 4x tippet material for $11.43. The tippet prices seem high to me so you might want to dig around some more for options.

Other doodads to consider would be nippers and a zinger, hemostats, and a net. Teeth are a substitute for nippers, but biting through fishing line does wear your teeth. Hemostats aren't as necessary if he pinches the barbs on his hooks. You can get away with not using a net, but it is easier on the fish and the fisherman to use one.

Hopefully this helps and points you in the right direction. If you have questions just send me a message.

I'm not sure if Amazon links are still blocked but I'll try. I ordered these some time back and have a pretty good bit of wire done on them by now and they are holding up great. I also put two in series so if one binds, the second has a chance to spin and keep the core spinning.

In case it doesn't work, it's Matzuo brand, pack of 5 for about $10.

Matzuo Stainless Steel Ball Bearing Interlock Swivel - Pack of 5 (3, Nickel- Black Finish) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P15DY0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sy1ezbPGTR2E9

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!

This would look pretty clean. I'd go with this but also add in a square/stepped picture rail molding on the bottom 1/3 of the pine board. This will allow you to hang pictures and paintings without having to drill/nail into the wail. Plus you can move/adjust at will. Have these in my place and can't imagine not having them.

I use basic molding hooks with 90lb nylon-coated stainless steel leader wire attached via aluminum crimp sleeves. Thread the wire through a spring loaded picture hanging hook that attaches to a painting via a single or double screw D rink or its hanging wires. Once you have the right materials, it is easy to put up a picture and painting. Plus you can effortlessly and endlessly move laterally and vertically.

Here's a diagram of various hanging options. Prefer A for smaller paintings and B for larger ones as I like the clean lines.

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.

ponds with lots of vegetation cut down the options to topwater and weedless imo, unless you want to spend all day cleaning the hooks.


topwater = I usually target 1-8ft water depth when fishing theses with a rocky or sandy bottom if I can, works great over vegetation or along grass lines. Long rocky points also produce Small mouths on the reg.


My favorite top water lures =


heddon baby torpedo gold with black back


this is a very easy lure to use. Cast it out and wait for the ripples to disappear. You can either real it back as slow as you can so that you still hear or see the prop spinning, walk the dog or simply pop it and let it sit, pop and let sit. You need to try each out to see what the fish want that day.


Arbogast Jitterbug in black


this is another easy to use topwater lure. Cast it out and try out retrieving it at varying speeds until you dial in the speed that will trigger hits.


for fishing in the weeds I usually throw spinner baits

I prefer these tricolor “Bobber Doggin Chubbys” for presenting a drag free drift of a variety of nymph patterns. Plus they cast well on spinning gear if you like to fly fish with mono like a true tenkaraeuronympho.

ALEXA PASTE LINK TO BOBBER DOGGIN CHUBBY FROM AMAZON OH SHIT WHAT IS ON MY TV. BARB, HELP!

Aero-float Bobber Doggin' Chubby Guide Pack (4 Floats Per Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAL9X1X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Z4G3DbTHRCPN4

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 .

Yeah thats good stuff. Someone else mentioned rigging foams which also look pretty handy.

So you like to just tie them on. Any thoughts around using a quick snap to attach them?

https://www.amazon.com/100pcs-Barrel-Swivel-Connector-Fishing/dp/B00AEGE9C0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1493403170&sr=8-4&keywords=fishing+snaps

this is the lanyard: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-River-Lanyards-Lanyard-Fishing/dp/B006UM0B38?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3

this is the lumbar bag i'm using today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076QN3ZYF/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_VZDxCb25AXS9G - i don't use the sling strap or little tool patch right now, but for wet wading i might wear it that way for comfort. i'm still struggling with my net retractor on this bag, i have it on the orange grab handle at the top (shown better in the 2nd photo on amazon), i'll try using their net handle sleeve the next time i go to see if it's comfortable picture

I like any lures that glow. Jig heads with glow jerk baits. Catch 2000 that glow.

A lot of times if you are only catching smaller fish, switch to a heavier jig head. Larger fish line to suspend 3-5 ft under the surface.

Also. A fly rod can slay the fish.

Another lure that I have great luck with are buggs lures. I like to use a small glow trailer like these bass assassins.