Looking for advice on gear

[Golfwriter]

Hi everyone. I am totally new to the sport of fishing - well, not totally, I have been out a couple of times and landed some Walleye with borrowed gear at Sturgeon Lake and am now hooked - so I need some help in selecting the right gear for the recreational fishing I am going to start doing.
I have a basic idea of what I should get for a pole and reel, but beyond that, I am not sure what to buy/not buy etc. I plan on doing some shore fishing in the area around Edmonton, and have plans on buying a small inflatable and motor, but beyond that I am in the dark.
Any help anyone can give me with suggested lures, line, jigs and so on and so forth will be gladly welcomed.
I am excited about entering the world of fishing and look forward to many years of relaxation and seeing this area's lakes and streams.
By the way, I am a catch-and-release guy.

[EZM]

Assuming you are going to want to target all species, a general list of tackle would include;

1) Spoons of various sizes and colors - five of diamonds is a must in a few sizes

2) Jigs - various sizes, colors and some assorted rubber tails

3) Crankbaits - buy deep runners, shallow runners, countdowns, floaters and Rapala is a good brand as they tell you the running depth to eliminate any guesswork - one rule of thumb, the larger the lip, generally, the deeper they will run when trolled on retrieved.

4) Fluorocarbon leader material, swivels and snap swivels to make up your own leaders. Make sure you buy leader material - not just plain old fluoro line.

5) Pliers - needle noses, curved and long ones or a combination of something to get the hooks out of the fish quickly and safely

6) Good set of general tools - knife, nail clippers, etc...,

I'm sure there will be a few more other that will come to mind ....

[Golfwriter]

Thanks for this. I appreciate the help/advice.

[binnzer32]

Originally Posted by Golfwriter

Hi everyone. I am totally new to the sport of fishing - well, not totally, I have been out a couple of times and landed some Walleye with borrowed gear at Sturgeon Lake and am now hooked - so I need some help in selecting the right gear for the recreational fishing I am going to start doing.
I have a basic idea of what I should get for a pole and reel, but beyond that, I am not sure what to buy/not buy etc. I plan on doing some shore fishing in the area around Edmonton, and have plans on buying a small inflatable and motor, but beyond that I am in the dark.
Any help anyone can give me with suggested lures, line, jigs and so on and so forth will be gladly welcomed.
I am excited about entering the world of fishing and look forward to many years of relaxation and seeing this area's lakes and streams.
By the way, I am a catch-and-release guy.

I don't really want to give away what i use a lot on this forum but you can get by with a lot less than EZM stated. .. I am more of a text person. PM me if you want me to text you a few things.

[marty1]

Well fishing kinda like golf where you will need different rods for different situations,but for the most part a 6-7 foot rod medium action will do for most cases,as for reels 50-80doller range is all you need and in fact I've got a 20$ reel I've been using for years,point is you don't need to spend a lot on gear i fish a lot more than your average guy and my set ups are no more than a 120$. For lures panther martins,rapala cd7, and a box full of jigs and spoons.rapalas in the count down or sinking models are really all you need they catch everything and I's my #1 lure when I'm not fly fishing. Good luck

[Xiaro]

Originally Posted by marty1

Well fishing kinda like golf where you will need different rods for different situations,but for the most part a 6-7 foot rod medium action will do for most cases,as for reels 50-80doller range is all you need and in fact I've got a 20$ reel I've been using for years,point is you don't need to spend a lot on gear i fish a lot more than your average guy and my set ups are no more than a 120$. For lures panther martins,rapala cd7, and a box full of jigs and spoons.rapalas in the count down or sinking models are really all you need they catch everything and I's my #1 lure when I'm not fly fishing. Good luck

Not to hijack the thread but to hopfully add to the lure issue, what do you use when Countdowns/sinking dont work due to water being shallow? Or do you just rod tip up and crank? Been using floating/suspending instead for that reason.

[marty1]

Originally Posted by Xiaro

Not to hijack the thread but to hopfully add to the lure issue, what do you use when Countdowns/sinking dont work due to water being shallow? Or do you just rod tip up and crank? Been using floating/suspending instead for that reason.

Rapala original (floating)

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Xiaro

Not to hijack the thread but to hopfully add to the lure issue, what do you use when Countdowns/sinking dont work due to water being shallow? Or do you just rod tip up and crank? Been using floating/suspending instead for that reason.

That's correct ..... I use the floater in shallow, give the lure a few cranks on the reel and/or a few pumps to get it down and then pause and the lure will float up and repeat ...... that's why, in my opinion, the crank baits are a huge benefit to shore fishing.

I will also add spinners - like mepps - they are great as well.

A guy doesn't need thousands of bucks worth of stuff to get started but a few lures of each kind and some hooks, rigs and sinkers and you are set.

You can find most of the stuff at Canadian Tire or Walmart for far less than the big box stores ( if you don't mind shopping at these places ).

[dean2287]

I'm also new to fishing and appreciate the advice here. As of yet I haven't been using a leader...I just tie my lure to the end of the line. Is that ok? Not sure what the leader is for.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by dean2287

I'm also new to fishing and appreciate the advice here. As of yet I haven't been using a leader...I just tie my lure to the end of the line. Is that ok? Not sure what the leader is for.

Leaders are used to prevent toothy fish, primarily pike, from biting through you line, which they often will do. You will end up losing the fish, and your lure, which ends up stuck in it's mouth, likely resulting in death to the fish. It's a good idea to use a leader in any waters that contain pike.

Fluorocarbon Leaders are also helpful in making your line invisible to shy species, or finicky fish like trout and sometimes walleye. Many people believe fluorocarbon leaders increase the amount of fish they catch preventing "line shyness" or "lure rejection" - so you might catch more fish.

On almost every one of my spin casting set ups, I tie a swivel snap to the main line. After that I snap on a fluorocarbon leader. One side has a swivel on one end ( the end that attaches to my main line) and a swivel snap on the other, so I can quickly change out lures.

[Xiaro]

Originally Posted by EZM

Leaders are used to prevent toothy fish, primarily pike, from biting through you line, which they often will do. You will end up losing the fish, and your lure, which ends up stuck in it's mouth, likely resulting in death to the fish. It's a good idea to use a leader in any waters that contain pike.

Fluorocarbon Leaders are also helpful in making your line invisible to shy species, or finicky fish like trout and sometimes walleye. Many people believe fluorocarbon leaders increase the amount of fish they catch preventing "line shyness" or "lure rejection" - so you might catch more fish.

On almost every one of my spin casting set ups, I tie a swivel snap to the main line. After that I snap on a fluorocarbon leader. One side has a swivel on one end ( the end that attaches to my main line) and a swivel snap on the other, so I can quickly change out lures.

Was actually wondering if people still used a swivel snap on the end of their leaders, thanks for the answer =)

[dean2287]

Good stuff, thanks.