How much do I need to spend?

[rarepleasures]

I agree with rarepleasures on the figure of about £100 but I'd start with a 'normal' rod and line. Poles can come later if you 1) enjoy fishing and 2) want to try different methods.

 

I just think some people find they take to pole fishing far more that rod and line , in fact a whip/pole is often recommended to start kids off.

A beginners margin pole will only set you back £20 tops.

[Haven't a Clue]

Email addy sent to Rusty.

 

Thanks very much.

[Tony U]

What about this from Chapmans Angling for £80 plus postage: http://www.chapmansangling.co.uk/acatalog/...ll_Outfits.html

You will still have change out of a hundred notes to buy some floats feeders etc.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Tony U

[Guest tigger]

If i was you I'd buy bits of good quality tackle over as long as it takes to get what you want rather than a load of cheap not so good kit. Trouble with cheap stuff is once you've got into fishing then you'll want good kit so you'll have wasted your money on the cheap stuff as when you try to sell it it's not worth a carrot. If you buy good tackle from the off and shop around, getting it at a good price and then you find your fed up with fishing and decide to sell it on then at least you'll get a decent wedge back for it. That's just the way i'd look at it. Also buying it in bits will let you get to know what's available and what you like rather than just buying it for the sake of it then finding out later you don't want or need it.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Have to go with Tigger here. Cheap kits are a false economy but that doesn't mean you can't put a decent kit together yourself within your budget.

[Haven't a Clue]

If i was you I'd buy bits of good quality tackle over as long as it takes to get what you want rather than a load of cheap not so good kit. Trouble with cheap stuff is once you've got into fishing then you'll want good kit so you'll have wasted your money on the cheap stuff as when you try to sell it it's not worth a carrot. If you buy good tackle from the off and shop around, getting it at a good price and then you find your fed up with fishing and decide to sell it on then at least you'll get a decent wedge back for it. That's just the way i'd look at it. Also buying it in bits will let you get to know what's available and what you like rather than just buying it for the sake of it then finding out later you don't want or need it.

 

There's lies another problem. How do I determine good quality tackle? At the moment all rods look much the same to me as a complete newbie.

 

My initial thoughts were to buy mid-range price gear, from known names. Like I said earlier, I want to avoid going into a tackle shop, saying i've got "X" amount to spend, and coming out with a ton of gear that I don't really need.

[Guest tigger]

There's lies another problem. How do I determine good quality tackle? At the moment all rods look much the same to me as a complete newbie.

 

My initial thoughts were to buy mid-range price gear, from known names. Like I said earlier, I want to avoid going into a tackle shop, saying i've got "X" amount to spend, and coming out with a ton of gear that I don't really need.

 

 

 

People on here will tell you of good quality tackle. It just depends on how you want to start fishing......match rod & reel for float fishing trotting etc or a feeder/ledger rod for fishing the bottom. It all depends on what style of fishing you would like to start with. Personally if I was after gear then I would look in the for sale ads in the A times or ebay is good rather than going to the shops paying top dollar (before anyone moans saying you should buy from a shop, don't bother, If I can save money then I will). Just as an example if I was to buy a float rod and reel I would get a shimano stradic 3 or 4 thousand (which can be used for both float and feeder fishing) The rod would be maybe a drennan series 7 match 13ft rod as Drennan are good quality and the series 7 are very competitive;vly priced. Those are just an example other people would disagree.

[Peter Waller]

A difficult one. I have a John Wilson Prime 10' float rod, brilliant bit of kit, cost me £16.00! If I buy a 'good' rod with a much higher second hand value then I shall probably loose more than £16.00 resale value anyway. Get catching, its the only way!

[Tony U]

To be fair the Chapman's outfit isn't made up of rubbish fibre glass rods or such like and has generally got positive reviews in mags like Coarse Fishing and IYCF.

Not everyone can start off with top of the range rods and they are not easy to find second hand either; a sensibly priced and sourced piece of kit would be an ideal starting point.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Tony U

[Anderoo]

My advice, for what it's worth, is to spend as little as possible. Nearly everything on sale these days is decent quality, and as a beginner (please don't take offence at this) you're not going to know if anything is good or bad anyway! I spent the first 6 or 7 years of my fishing life with a 10ft fibreglass float rod and a very cheap fixed spool reel (both from from Argos), had a wonderful time and didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. If I'd have had a £100 rod I wouldn't have been a better angler, and I wouldn't have really appreciated it either. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed myself any more. I'm going against the grain here, but I don't think cheap kits are a false economy for a beginner. Also, you can give an expensive rod to a poor angler and it won't make them better. Give a cheap rod to a good angler, and it won't make them any worse.

 

I'd also beware of buying second hand unless you know exactly what you're after. New tackle is cheap enough these days, plus you get a receipt.

 

As a guide, I'd look to buy a 12 or 13ft carbon match rod and a small fixed spool reel that comes with a spare spool. I reckon you can get both for about £30, leaving plenty for line, floats, hooks, weights, rod rests, etc.

 

Also, don't expect to actually catch much at this time of year - it's hard going at the moment. Things will be very different in Spring and Summer! I'd suggest starting off float fishing for anything that fancies maggots - you'll get lots of action, a wide and interesting variety of fish, and learn how to unhook and release fish that are small enough not to worry you. Many beginners spend hundreds of pounds on carp gear, go to heavily stocked carp lakes, catch a load of carp and quickly lose interest. The fact that a lot of these carp have missing lips is not a coincidence...

 

This is a good site to have a browse around: http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/ (for example, you can get a 13ft match rod, reel and line for under £30 here http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/info_1433.html )