As a full time guide the
one question that I get asked many times by my clients
is how to bass fish on a limited budget. Let's
face it the cost of living is not getting any better
and with fuel prices and insurance costs very high it
is hard for one to justify spending $600.00 on a rod
and reel combo and $13 to $15 dollars on a spool of line
that has 250 yards on it.
I would like to give you
a few suggestions on a few items that will help you ease
the pain of sticker shock when you go shopping for tackle
the next time. As a guide I cannot afford to use
high dollar rods and reels so that someone can walk across
the boat, step on it and break it. The same goes
for the weekend angler. One great place to start
is Bass Pro Shops, they make quality equipment
at a great price, much of my equipment comes from
them.
Bass Pro offers a line of
quality rods in the $29.00 to $40.00 range. I have
many of these rods for my guide trips and my own personal
use. When my clients use these rods they are amazed
at how they perform and even more amazed when I tell
them the price. Another area is the reel you choose. Again, Bass
pro has many models to choose from in the $29.00 to 50.00
range. When we watch television fishing shows and
see the pros using and recommending certain brands of
reels we think we have to use them, then we check
the price and see that can be from $200.00 to $350.00
a piece! Keep in mind that most of the pros are
sponsored by those companies and have the luxury of getting
10 of those reels shipped to them.
There are a couple of areas
where you don't want to compromise and that is with your
hooks and your fishing line. Don't use the line
that is 1,000 yards for $5.00 in a day and age of
so many lines to choose from if you keep it simple and
use monofilament for most of your fishing you will be
fine. I recommend Berkley XT or Berkley big game, they
are quality lines at a great price and can be found at
any Wal Mart in the United States. The hooks you
choose are also very important, again don't use
the ultra cheap specials. Mustad is a great hook
and again can be found at Wal Mart. Bass pro also
makes great hooks at a great price.
It is very easy to get overwhelmed
by all of the high dollar products on the market, but
if you keep it simple you can get quality tackle without
breaking the bank or having to sleep on the couch because
the Mrs. found out about the $600.00 rod and reel combo!! You
can check out Bass pro at www.basspro.com or
if you have a store in your area.
Good
fishing,
