Beginner Fishing

Now that you have an idea of which type of fishing is for you, you are ready to buy some tackle.
Your first port of call should be a tackle dealer, he or she has a wealth of product knowledge and no doubt a great deal of personal experience in catching those fish.

It's also worth noting that most online fishing shops have a enquiry button next to products and you can email your questions "out of shop hours" if you wish. (E.g - Is this product suitable for....or can you recommend a product / package for...?).

If you don't get a friendly, informative response, then move on and find someone prepared to answer your questions, you may occasionally experience an elitist attitude (I don't know mate, I'm into fly fishing myself, Ive never bothered with carp, mackerel etc.) but do not let this deter you, you need that information and there are many tackle dealers (both traditional retailers and online) who are genuinely interested in helping you to make the right choices in your purchases, not only from a sales point of view but often because they have a genuine desire to share the pleasures of angling.

Catalogue type shops, supermarkets and discount retailers have all recently "jumped on the bandwagon" and started to sell fishing equipment, whilst there are sometimes bargains to be had from this source, their philosophy is to pile it high and sell it quickly - with no one on hand with any knowledge of fishing to help and advise you, you may well be wasting your money buying an unsuitable product.

(To be perfectly honest, I have come across instances where some of the products from these outlets are designed only to look suitable, when it comes to catching fish you would stand more chance with a brush pole, some string and a bent pin with a worm on it!)

In time you will learn what is and isnt suitable for fishing with, (as well as your own preferences) when you have that knowledge you will be able to spot the genuine bargains.

The same is true of internet auction sites, car boot sales etc - again there are bargains to be had but it is wise to remember that, usually, the item is for sale because its no longer required by the vendor, it may be that they have lost interest or wish to upgrade, it may also be that the item for sale is simply rubbish, not working properly, or unsuitable for your purpose. Will you know or can you trust them to tell you?

Good tackle dealers on the other hand have a vested interest in giving you the help and guidance you need, they want you to happy with your purchases and keep you as a customer. It's important that you buy the tackle that you need, to do the type of fishing you wish to do, its no good, for example, trying to catch a large cod on a light weight fly rod or conversely, trying to float fish your local pond with a 12ft beachcaster and 15lb line.

Whilst its true that you may pay a little more from a reputable source, when you try to go fishing with that "bargain" reel you bought at the boot sale (or the Internet equivalent) and the angler next to you tells you that its worn out or was designed by someone whose only experience of fish was on a plate with chips, the chances are you will end up at your local tackle shop or tackle website finding out that a suitable reel might only be a little more, new with a guarantee.

If your fortunate enough to have a larger budget, there are bargains to be had across the price spectrum, its not unusual for previous models of rod or reel to be discounted by a hundred pounds or more and unlike most other things you might buy, for instance, electrical goods, fishing tackle does not date as quickly. So if that rod you fancy was a quality item last year, then this year (and that discount!) makes it an even better bargain.
Its also worth noting that whilst expensive equipment can, in certain circumstances give you the edge (and is without doubt pleasurable to use and own) it is not necessary to buy the "best" available in order to catch fish.

Consider this :-
Provided you are not hampered by the poor performance of a badly designed product -
Does a fish know or care how much you've paid?
Remember that the marketing of fishing equipment is meant to catch anglers - not fish!

It makes sense therefore, to seek advice or obtain that product knowledge, so ask those questions either by speaking to your local dealer or emailing your product queries to that online tackle site and make sure you find yourself a genuine bargain to suit you, the type of fishing you want to do and your pocket!