Bobbers and Floats

Bobbers or floats attach to your line and basically do two things: they keep your bait suspended at a particular level, and they jerk, dance or "bob" to indicate a bite. Small ball bobbers can be clipped on the line at the bottom and the top, and are easiest to use, as well as the longer stick floats.

Snap Swivels

Swivels basically do two things as well: they keep your line from twisting, particularly with lures that spin, and when tied to the end of your line, they allow you to easily switch hooks and lures. Our experience has been that the swivels that come attached to specific lures, do not swivel properly and we generally advise to add a snap swivel to all spinning lures.

Lures

When you walk into a tackle shop or a sporting goods store, you can literally look at aisle after aisle of fishing lures. To state that there is a wide range of artificial lures available is an understatement. There are so many different kinds, for every kind of fishing imaginable, that the beginner can easily be overwhelmed or pick the wrong one for the kind of fishing they intend to do.

There are basically four major categories of lures for freshwater fishing, and they are: plugs, spinners and spoons, jigs and finally soft plastics.

Spinning and Spin casting

For most beginners, Spin casting and spinning are two different methods that are easily and quickly learned. Both Spin casting as well as spinning tackle are generally available in packages where the rod is matched with the reel. For additional detail please refer to our detailed pages on spinning and Spin casting Again, ask for assistance when unsure.

The nice thing about these methods is that you can present the bait or the lure fairly accurately where the fish are. You can cast good distances with reasonable accuracy and work the bait and lures effectively, especially in deeper water. In addition, you can also accommodate larger fish on the end of your line relatively easily, due to the nature of the spinning and Spin casting equipment.

We generally encourage children who are starting to fish to begin with Spin casting equipment, since the Spin casting outfits generally use a rod with a grip similar to a pistol and top mounted reels which release line with the push of a button.

Spinning gear can be a little trickier to learn, however, is our favourite and most often used with the crew at Fishresource.com. It uses a relatively straight handle and bottom mounted reel that hangs off the rod. The line is released, not through the release of a button, but by your index finger.

Both spinning and Spin casting are excellent methods to for beginners that can be learned quickly and the equipment can be found at almost any tackle or sporting goods store.

Fishing Accessories

There is an almost endless list of fishing related accessories and almost endless space to store them. There are glove compartments in your car or truck, tackle boxes, storage areas on boats, pockets and pouches on fishing vests, and the list goes on. Tackle boxes store everything from lures, hooks, weights, swivels, scissors, pliers and wire cutters, etc. You may need live bait containers, such as minnow buckets or worm containers, fish chains (stringers) or coolers with ice to keep your catch fresh. Nets to land fish are always a good idea; rod and reel cases to ensure no damage when transporting, and of course first aid kits. Don't forget film for the camera! We could go on and on about accessories, because, at the end of the day, you can never have enough fishing stuff!