Fishing Gear List For Beginners

Summers are around the corner, which means It’s fishing time. Fishing is a fantastic way of catching up with your friends and relaxing your mind on a beautiful sunny day. But before you head out, you need to tick off everything on your fishing gear list.

Carrying the right fishing tools in your tackle box is important for a fun fishing adventure and catching lots of fishes. If you are a beginner, shopping for fishing equipment can be overwhelming. There are so many different rods, tackle, reels, and other tools available in the market that it gets difficult to pick the one you need.

We have mentioned the best fishing equipment list for beginners to help you find the right gear. 

Fishing Gear List

Fishing Rod or Reel

Fishing rods are slim poles made out of durable yet flexible material like graphite or fiberglass. These rods allow you to cast the fishing line further and deeper into the water. 

Fishing rods can be classified by their strength, action, responsiveness, and taper. Choosing the most suitable rod for you completely depends on the type of fishing you do. If you are a beginner, choose a rod with medium strength to angle different fishes. Enough responsiveness will help you reel the fish quickly out of the water. Choose an ideal length around 11.8 inches, one that is longer than your height.

The fishing reel is attached to the rod to allow you to wind the line and draw out the fish. Reels are lightweight, easy to handle, and affordable. Spinning reels are very versatile and are good for you to fish at the shore, at a pier, or on a boat.

Fishing Line

You will need a fishing line to fish. This is a basic fishing gear that comes already with your new reel. Fishing lines easily get tangled or break up by getting caught on logs or when bitten by fish. You need to carry various simple strings designed, especially for fishing cords with different weights and strengths.

Fishing lines can be classified on their visibility, castability, and elasticity. Harsh environment conditions require heavy and strong fishing lines, whereas clean water calls for thin and clear fishing lines. You can also try monofilament lines, which are easy to knot and also user friendly. 

Warning: fishing line should be no less than 100 yards on your reel.

Fishing hooks

No fishing tools are complete without a good hook. Aside from fishing lines, don’t forget to stock up on fishing hooks in different sizes and assortments. The hooks are used to catch fish by poking in the mouth whenever they come for a nibble.

There are many different types of hooks available like single, double, treble, and circle. If you are looking for beginners’ fishing equipment, then it’s best to start with single hooks first.

Bait

Bait is an essential part of the fishing equipment list. This is attached to the end of the fishing line to attract the fish. Live bait is the best option, but different types of fish get attracted to different types of food. The two most effective baits are minnows and worms. Some other cheap bait options are corn, grubs, smooshed bread, marshmallows, hotdog bits. You can easily get live bait at any nearest local bait shop or just dig up the soil in your backyard to find the worms, then store them in a tin with soil and grass. Make sure to keep the container in a dim, cold place until you are ready to fishing. 

Fishing Lures

Fishing lures are artificial baits designed like fish to get the attention of a predator. Fishers store these lures in their tackle box, in case they are out of living bait or simply prefer to use fake baits. Using a different variety of lures makes hunting for different types of fish easier and works in all types of weather conditions. 

For instance, using light-colored lures are good for a bright sunny day, and in clear water, dark-colored lures work best in murky weather on cloudy days.

Plastic worms in two-toned colors with long tails are effective when bass fishing. Many anglers swear by artificial lyres in certain colors.

Bobbers

Bobbers are also known as floaters. These help keep the bait close to the surface and signal you when the fish has taken the bait successfully. You will notice the bobber sink as soon as the fish bites into the bait, and you will now its time to catch in. this makes boober an important part of basic fishing gear list and fishing tools. 

Just like lure and bait, you will have several bobber options to choose from. Traditional bobbers are made of cork, with a stick to tie with your line. The most commonly used and popular bobbers are round in shape, red and white in color, made of plastic. These are easier to attach to the fishing lines and limit how deep you want to cast it. You can also find elongated bobbers that slide up and down the fishing line and helps to get the hook deep into the water.

Do not make a mistake of buying too large bobber. Buy a bobber that floats on the water and also sinks when the fish bites the bait, so its best to get small and responsible bobbers.

Read More- The Best Fishing Guide for Beginners

Sinkers

Another important fishing equipment for beginners in the gear list is Sinkers. For every fishing line you cast, attach one sinker to stabilize it, as the bait and hooks sink deeper. Grab a lot of sinkers, because you will surely lose at some point during fishing sessions.

Sinkers are made traditional with lead, but materials like tungsten, brass, bismuth, and steel are used with the increasing environmental awareness. These come in different shapes and weights. You can find small split shot sinkers that are round and are easily clipped on and off your line. 

Sinkers hold the bait to the desired depth and make the bobbers stand up the water.

Swivels

Sometimes baits and lures can make the line turn and spin until the line gets twisted. A swivel acts as a connecting tool between the bait and fishing line and lets the bait move freely without interrupting the line.

The swivel has a loop on every end, but you can use a snap to save effort and time in attaching different lure, lines, and baits. These are affordable, s make sure to get your hands on the best quality.

Needle Nose Pliers

Needle nose pliers are useful fishing tools for taking the hook out of the fish. It minimizes the risk of getting hurt with the sharp teeth of the cath or the end of the hook. You can use the pliers to remove the hook from the skin. 

You can use any pair of needle nose pliers, but make sure to invest in stainless steel with a bent and angled tip; this makes pulling easier.

Line Cutter

Fishing lines come very sturdily, this calls for the need of a line cutter. Lines cutter helps in getting snag out and setting up a new line. Any line cutter will work fine; however, fishers usually prefer to go with the smallest one like a knife or nail clipper. These fit easily inside a fishing tackle box.

Sunglasses

Fishing in bright daylight can be hard at times. Trying to see the fish and sun glaring at the same time on the water surface is a common thing. Don’t forget to add sunglasses to your fishing gear list. Carry sunglasses that are 100% UV Polarised and feature polarised lenses allow you to pinpoint the fish better. Polarised sunglasses also help to protect your eyes from the UV rays.

First Aid Kit

Having a fun and safe fishing experience is all that we want, but accidents are inevitable. Having a handy first kit to treat minor injuries is a great idea. Assemble some bandaids, waterproof medical tape, small bandages, antibacterial ointments in a box, and use it when you get hurt or poked by a hook. 

Sunscreen

Talking of safety, one last and important thing to go into the fishing equipment list, whether a professional or beginner, is a sunscreen. Even when you are covered in clothes, head-to-toe, sunscreen is a must to protect the skin. Slather on a sunscreen with SPF 70 on all exposed areas of the body when you go out for fishing on a sunny day. Carry a small tube of sunscreen that can fit in your tackle and keep reapplying after every 3 hours.

Tackle Box

Have you been wondering what is a tackle box? Tacklebox is used to store all your fishing equipment and tools in one place like, pliers, lures, sinkers, hooks, sunscreen, and bandaids, etc.

Tacklebox not only helps you to transport your gear but keeps everything in one place neatly organized. These come in different shapes and sizes, depending on the kind of fishing you do, your tackling style, size of the fish, and other factors. 

If you go fishing by the shore, then carry a small tackle box that fits in your bag nicely. When fishing at the bank, bring a small tackle box as it is easier to carry, unlike a large tackle box that needs to be dragged around. Always update the tackle box with the suitable fishing equipment for every trip.

Final Words:

Fishing is a fun and adventurous experience. With the right fishing tools, it can become even more fun and easier to catch fishes. If you are a beginner and don’t have any idea about the fishing equipment, then this fishing gear list is all you need. We have covered all the necessary equipment that you might need. What are you waiting for, GO Fishing!