Fishing Gear

I am blessed to be able to afford to fish, and I have been the recipient of a significant amount of gear provided gratis for the purposes of reviewing. Here are some of my thoughts on gear I have used. These links are free of affiliate advertising.

• Shakespeare Micro Series
  This is the current #1 recomendation from me for those starting to fish. The blanks are strong, it is very affordable, and will likely stay with the angler who purchases it as long as they do any ultralight fishing. I use a 4'6" rod regularly and it's fairly fast. Fast enough that other ultralight rods are noticably slower in comparison. My only caveat here is that it uses stainless steel guide rods, and current wisdom regards these and unusable with braided line, as the line could pick up dirt and groove the guide rings. That being said, these are often sold in combos with monofilament line already spooled to them, and these reels usually only last a season anyhow- meaning that there really is no compelling reason to use braid with this rod anyway. I drive up to Pure Fishing regularly to grab replacements ($6.00) but I would bet that if you reached out to them they would put a bunch in a box for you and ship them for a discount.
  
  
• Fenwick Eagle 5'6" Ultralight Moderate Fast 2 Piece Rod
  This one is a little tricky because technically I have an Eagle from before they did a major brand refresh. The link is the closest equivalent. My rod is labelled as a moderate speed, which I think was relabelled as a moderate-fast during the refresh. It is very comfortable and great for rolling crankbaits and spinners. I love using treble hooks on this rod over the Shakespeare Micro, but jigging is not as responsive.
  Having a 2 piece rod makes it easy to transport, and the colorway is beautiful, muted, and pairs perfectly with a Pfleuger President. Sadly I think the new Fenwicks changed their colors and now only the ELite matches the Plfueger's colors.
  
  
• Sougayilang Fishing Rods
  This is a Chinese brand that has difficulty understanding what a fishing rod is. They constantly run into problems speccing rods so nothing written in the ad copy or printed on the rod itself is useful information. I have one of these telescoping rods and it is good for one thing only- snagging. I keep 30lb braid and a secondhand Shimano FX on this rod for hauling heavy things out of the water, like logs and garbage. I imagine it might be useful for snagging carp, or as a saltwater rod. Don't buy this.
  
  
• Pflueger President Spinning Reel
  Best reel I have ever touched, easily. Not that I have gotten to use that many high end reels- this one is just the best so far. The hardware is solid but still light. Reeling is smooth and the drag works excellently. I have mine spooled with high-vis yellow braid and a blue/clear mono leader.

• Northland Tackle Gum-Ball Jigs
  I am a big fan of whipping out a small jighead with a nub of bait and working it up and down the water column as I bring it in. With a Northland Tackle jighead I can jig up and down, crank it for extra wiggle, or suspend it. I like these because they are always on sale, come in 15 pack cards, and are durable. All my other ultralight hooks have been bitten in half by catfish except these. My favorite colors are Shrimp and Bubblegum.

• Creme Fishing Favorites Craw
  These small baits smash panfish for only $2.00. But you get what you pay for. These are some of my favorite crankbaits but unlike higher end hard baits, these have problems. The biggest problem with these lures is the double hooks tangle eachother constantly. They will tangle on cast and you won't know until you reel in without a bite, or you can sense the crank vibrating differently as you reel it, which usually happens when the hooks and line tangle. Creme makes other types of hard bait, I suggest avoiding the single treble fish shaped baits. They are poorly balanced.
  
  
• LUCKY CRAFT JDM Hard Baits
  A Japanese company, these baits are made in Japan and used to great effect in bass tournaments. The bulk of my tester lures came from LUCKY CRAFT and my favorites are their crankbaits, specifically the LC 1.X divers and the LC 0.1 FTS. They are about 10x the price of a Creme hard bait but you do in fact get 10x the bait.
  
  
• Hipster Pro Pack Inline Spinners
  These are nice inline spinners, similar to the Rooster Tail. There's not much to say about inline spinners in general, other than they work great on slower ultralight rods for consitent cranking through the water.
  
  
• Johnson Beetle Spin
  The classic 'upgrade' to a lone jighead, this adds a safety pin offset spinner to a jig with a soft plastic. As you drag it through the water the blade spins, causing vibrations and flashes. Crappie love them.

• Bobby Garland Baby Shad in ELECTRIC CHICKEN
  This is the only soft plastic I currently use that isn't included in any kit. Works great on a jighead. Works great on a micro-EWG. It just works great. So great that I invented a drink and called it the Electric Chicken.

• Berkley PowerBait Chroma-Glow Crappie Nibbles in HOT PINK
  This is my number one bait for fish, bar none. It's essentially a pre-rolled trout bait full of UV reactive dye. Stick it on a hook and go. People call it cheater-bait because it is.

• KastKing HyperSeal Tackle Box
  This design is fairly brand agnostic. Any box with a wide latch, gasket, and moisture absorbent chamber is going to be really great for holding gear, especially hard baits. I have one from Kast King and one from Kingfisher. I especially like that they provide enough dividers to segregate gear how I want and not how the manufacturer prefers.
  
  
• SF Tackle Box
  These boxes are lighter and better for bulk storage. Again, tons of dividers. The latches work well and I prefer these over the Plano boxes.
  
  
• Ozark Trail Fishing Forceps
  I have nothing to say about these except they are what I use, and I have not been looking to replace them with anything else. They grip great.

• FINS 4lb Crappie Braid Hi-Vis Yellow
  I pretty much use only use 3 types of line on my rods. The only braid I use is this 4lb braid from FINS. It's a U.S. made 4 strand braided fishing line with good strength and fairly acceptable color retention. Over the past season the first few yards have faded a bit but it is still visibly yellow. Fraying is more or less non-existent and this line has been excellent. I lead it with Stren 4lb Clear/Blue.
  
  
• Stren 4lb Clear/Blue Monofilament Line
  Classic monofilament is Stren. It's thick, it's flexible, it's stretchy. Provides great shock resistance and is easy to tie off. I use this with a blood knot to lead my braid.
  
  
• Vicious Fishing Panfish 4lb Hi-Vis Yellow
  I use this exclusively to spool my mono-only reels for stainless guide rods. It's thinner than Stren and stretches longer. Really great for knocking around. It's not as visible as the braid I use, but it works well and in murky waters has no effect on my fishing productivity.