Category: Gear

So you have decided to go fishing. It’s easy to start. You don’t have to run every day to get in shape like if you should if you are aiming for a marathon. You don’t have to lift weights to build up your muscles. And how much could a rod and reel cost? All of the above is true, but not for the serious fishermen. Choosing a fishing rod can be a little daunting for a beginner The serious fishermen spend days and weeks perusing the internet and magazines to find the right rod. Usually, the right rod of choice is handmade, and it is ordered with specifications to the serious fisherman. Beyond how long rod you want is how stiff or flexible you want it. It will be made of specific materials from wood to graphite. The rods will vary according to the type of fish that it will be used for. The serious fishermen can order a rod from everything from trout fishing to deep sea fishing. And these rods are not cheap. Starting at around hundred bucks, these rods can cost upward to thousands. Aside from the handmade rods, rods in fishing stores can cost up to hundreds also. Many recreational fishers who fish off the bank prefer to use a cane pole. It’s a long fishing pole usually without a reel. The line is attached directly to the small end of the pole. You just yank the fish up on the bank when you caught it. This is a cheaper way to start fishing. After the rod is purchased then the decision on the reel has to be made. Basic reels are either in a closed reel box or are open-faced where the string comes off an open reel. You just control it with your thumb. The beginning fisherman wants the one with the closed box since it will not tangle up like an open face reel. Again the reels will cost from about twenty bucks to the thousands. Avoid getting your fishing line tangled up The serious fisherman quickly knows which reel will hold up for hours of fishing. If your reel gets messed up, it’s very frustrating. And if you are tournament fishing you need reels that will perform perfectly when dollars are on the line for the winner. Use proper fishing line Along with the reel is the choice of fishing line. So when you purchase the fishing reel, load it with a proper line. You do not want the catch the big one and have the line break and you lose your catch. Fishing line comes in sizes called strengths. It is calibrated by pounds. This means if you are fishing for fish that are small you can use fishing line that is lightweight. On the other extreme, you can use a larger number weight to catch deep sea fish. Here you can find information on how to put a new line on a rod. So basically thread the new line down through the eyes of the rod and then attach to the reel. Carefully reel in the line until the reel is nearly full. Cut off the line between the last eye on the rod and the container. Necessities when going out with a boat If you are going to fish out of a boat, you will need all the things necessary for the boating trip. These would include life jackets, cooler, net, maybe clothing to keep you dry and warm if fishing in wintertime weather. And waterproof case and a backup battery for your smartphone. And don’t forget to check about a fishing license for the area where you will be fishing and the type of fishing that you will be doing. More about pier fishing in California.

Bad weather is one of the worst letdowns for any fishing and camping enthusiast. But don’t let it rain on your parade (pun intended) by always bringing a waterproof rain jacket that’s built for fishing. It can spell the difference between an easy breezy and a nightmarish fishing experience.   When shopping for a rain jacket, look for the following must-haves: Your rain jacket must be waterproof Of course, this is a no-brainer. However, this still needs to be pointed out because not all jackets that are labeled “waterproof” are indeed waterproof. A truly waterproof jacket has passed a hydrostatic-head test—it can withstand intense water pressure to prevent any leaks. Aside from the main jacket, also take a look at the small details like the stitching and zippers—they have to be waterproof as well so that water will not pass through doing heavy downpours. Your rain jacket must be breathable While most jackets offer waterproofing, the tendency is to compromise breathability. Non-breathable jackets are easily prone to foul odors because of sweat and lack of air flow. They are also very uncomfortable to wear because the lack of air circulation will make you sweat a lot. Breathability varies depending on how a jacket is manufactured, being measured in terms of the amount of moisture that can flow into a square meter of fabric in every 24 hours. The ideal breathability, experts say, is 5,000 grams of moisture. Make sure that you buy a rain jacket that can keep your body cool by diffusing humidity and sweat.   Your rain jacket must have layers of fabric The fabric layers—ideally two to four—should all be water resistant but are breathable and can get rid of sweat from the skin.

If you think GoPro is good enough as an underwater device for capturing your fishing adventures under the water, wait until you’ve gotten your hands on a rugged specialty camera designed specifically for fishing. Let’s see what the GoFish Cam has in store for every angler out there. The basic specs This teeny weeny 1080p HD color camera is completely waterproof for up to 150 meters and stable for steady video recording under the water. It comes with a 170-degree wide lens and mounts on the fishing rod to capture the beauty and action underwater. Its buoyancy is virtually neutral, so it will just float just in case your rod snaps. The GoFish Cam has an integrated lithium-ion battery that can last up to 4 hours, which is a much longer battery life compared to a GoPro. And when the battery runs out of juice, you can easily power it up using a mini USB. When it comes to connectivity, the action camera features an HDMI output and accommodates microSD cards with a maximum capacity of 32GB. The advanced features For night fishing and low-light conditions, the GoFish cam will not disappoint, thanks to its green LED ring around the lens of the device that comes with infrared. Similar to a GoPro experience, GoFish Cam has an app, both available for Android and Apple devices, that enables users to edit their video clips and instantly share them on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Not as powerful as a GoPro, but good enough for fishing purposes The GoFish Cam works best on a taught line, which means it is ideal for casting, trolling, and bottom fishing.