Fishing is one of the most relaxing pastimes you can enjoy. What’s better than going out on the lake with a few friends and enjoying a calm evening of fishing?
Whether you prefer to fish alone or with a group of friends, it always makes for fond memories.
It is important to make sure that you have the right fishing equipment or tackle before you decide to go out and start angling. Some of the most important tools at your disposal will be your fishing rod, your hooks, your lures or bait and your boat.
As you can see, fishing is a little more complex than many beginners assume. It is not as simple as casting a line and waiting; you have to be alert and prepared.
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Fishing Rods
Your fishing rod is one of the more valuable tools in your repertoire as it is the method with which you interact with fish before catching them.
Fishing rods can range from a simple piece of wood with loops and a line attached up to carbon fiber works of art which feature advanced reeling systems and composite construction, allowing you to get optimal flex and mechanical advantage over your catch.
While the fishing rod certainly does not make the fisherman, it indeed helps to use a good fishing rod, as this will increase your chances of catching a fish once it has bit onto your hook.
A cheap fishing rod will simply make a difficult task even more difficult and result in unnecessary problems when you try and pull in a fish.
Fishing rods can get very pricey on the higher end of the spectrum, so it certainly helps to know your budget and to know whether you will be using your fishing rod often or if it will simply be a once-in-a-while type of fishing trip in which you will not necessarily need a rod with long-term durability.
A good fishing rod is essentially an investment, and you will find that it pays to invest in a good one if you are a serious fisherman. As fishing rods are often exposed to the elements, durability is a key feature to search for when purchasing one.
A long-term investment which will last you a lifetime is better than multiple short-term investments which will end up breaking after a short period of use, so make sure that you buy a high-quality fishing rod if you see yourself going fishing on a semi-regular basis.
Fish Hooks
The next piece of your tackle you will need to consider before you go fishing is your selection of fish hooks. A hook is necessary to catch a fish in most rod-and-line-based forms of fishing as it digs into the mouth of the fish and gets them to your line.
Your hook will work in conjunction with either your lure or your bait to catch a fish, so it is not the only piece which will be attached to the end of your line.
Regardless, we are sure that most of you are aware of how a fish hook functions but many beginner fishers are not aware that your hook will necessarily vary from fish to fish that you attempt to catch.
Upon closer examination, this is not necessarily a large surprise as different species of fish will have different sizes of mouths, so it makes sense that different sizes of hooks will work better for certain species.
There is also a wide variety of shapes for fish hooks, including but not limited to circle hooks, treble hooks, siwash hooks, worm hooks, Aberdeen hooks, jig hooks, and a large variety of other ones.
As we stated earlier, it helps a lot to know what kind of fish you intend to catch before you select your hook.
This is due to different species having different shaped mouths, so the shape and size of your hook may be too big or too small to effectively snag the mouth of the fish you are attempting to catch.
While the choice of a hook is indeed a relatively minor decision to make, it certainly helps to optimize your fishing tackle to give you the best possible chance of catching the fish you are targeting.
As everyone who has tried to fish before will know, it certainly helps to have every last bit of your tackle working to your advantage when you are trying to catch a particularly resistant fish.
Lures & Bait
Some of the most crucial parts of your tackle are taken up by this category. Lures and bait are the way that you attract fish to your hook in the first place so that you may catch them.
They function a little bit differently from each other, but they have the same basic objective in attracting fish.
The essential difference boils down to the way these get fish to come to your hook. Lures are brightly painted and sometimes in the shape of possible prey for fish, and they tend to be made of artificial materials or sometimes even wood.
Bait, on the other hand, usually takes the form of living or dead creatures that fish find appetizing.
There is no best choice when it comes to choosing between bait and lures. Both bait and lures apply to their particular situations, however, we will try to run down a few of the differences quickly.
Bait tends to be cheaper, but if you want to catch your own bait, it can take some patience and effort. Bait is also easier to use for beginner fishers as fish tend to be more easily attracted to it than lures.
Unfortunately, if you are fishing for a particular species, you will find it harder to target a certain kind of fish as bait fishing is quite non-discriminatory.
Lures, on the other hand, tend to be more expensive than bait, harder to use and only useful with clear water conditions and they tend to be easier to use for catch-and-release fishing.
There are also designated fishing areas which mandate fishers only use lures as opposed to bait, so it helps to have both bait and lures as part of your tackle.
Fishing Tips
Depending on the size of the fish, fishing can take some upper body strength, if you are angling or using a similar fishing method to reel in your fish.
Some fish can grow to huge sizes depending on their species, and they can sometimes even take the strength of you with some of the help of your friends to be caught and subdued.
Angling also takes good reflexes as you must know when to react when your line has been tugged. Once you are sure a fish has taken the bait, you must waste no time in reacting and beginning to pull and reel in your catch.
Keep in mind that every fish you hook is a small battle in of itself between you and the fish. You are working your hardest to catch the fish, and the fish is trying to escape from your hook and line.
If you are just starting off as a fisherman, you should not expect your every catch to go perfectly smoothly so do not expect to perform flawlessly on your first few catches.
Learning to become a great fisherman comes with a lot of time and practice. There are many fishermen who will tell you that even after thirty years of experience it sometimes feels like luck helps more than anything.
There are plenty of things which can go wrong. The fish can escape the hook, your line could snap, and a wide variety of other things could happen, so it helps not to get discouraged when something goes how you weren't expecting it to.
If you have been fishing for quite some time, you will, of course, know that this is simply the way of things when you are first starting off unless you are a naturally gifted fisherman.
There are many ways to fish, including fly fishing, angling and a large variety of other methods. You can either fish from land or the water, and it is up to you whether or not you choose to employ a boat.
Fishing in shallow water usually restricts the variety of fish you will encounter, so many fishers opt to fish from a boat.
Our Top Recommendations
Finding the right boat for your fishing excursions is usually one of the first things you need to consider when purchasing your fishing gear. It is not as difficult as it may seem at first to find a boat which fits your needs.
Classic Accessories Roanoke Inflatable Pontoon Boat
Features
- Armrest pockets
- Rear storage container
- Adjustable Footrests
Overview
If you are looking for an affordable fishing pontoon boat for your pontoon fishing excursions, the Classic Accessories Roanoke is an excellent option.
This is one of many mini pontoon fishing boats which features multiple storage areas and pockets for your gear, which is an excellent feature for inflatable fishing pontoon boats.
If you are looking for the best pontoon boat for fishing, Classic Accessories is a very reputable manufacturer in this field.
The most crucial aspects in small pontoon fishing boats are durability, light weight, ease of access and maneuverability in the water, which are all present in this Classic Accessories Pontoon boat.
Along with the low price of this fishing pontoon boat, you will find that the many extra features are very amenable to fishermen such as the adjustable footrests, which allow users of different heights to remain comfortable while fishing.
Features
- Removable gear bags
- Mesh bag anchor system
- Fishing rod holder
Overview
The Classic Accessories Colorado XT pontoon boat is one of the best fishing pontoon boats available online.
This model of fishing pontoon boat is essentially the bigger brother of the previously reviewed model. Coming in at almost twice the price, you will find that this is the king of fishing pontoon boats within its price range.
Included are a wide variety of features which will help you improve your fishing experience.
These features include a mesh bag anchor system so you can stop and enjoy your fishing experience without worrying about whether or not you will drift away in the current.
In addition to this, the rod holder will help you out when you need to get something out of your bags, and you need your fishing rod to stay in position.
Features
- Two-position trolling motor mount
- Rod holder
- Padded fold-down seat
Overview
If you are looking for fishing pontoon boats for sale and you need one which comes equipped with a trolling motor mount, look no further than the Classic Accessories Colorado.
This is one of the most efficient fishing pontoon boats with a motor mount as it combines Classic Accessories highly successful pedigree for building fishing pontoon boats with a sturdy, two-position motor mount.
This fishing pontoon boat is the middle-ground between the two previous models, being more expensive than the Roanoke but less expensive than the Colorado XT.
We would only recommend this model over either of the other ones in the case that you would prefer to use a trolling motor with your fishing pontoon boat, as this model is optimized for use with one.
It can still be used without a motor, but you would be paying extra for a feature which you will not use in that case.
Conclusion
If you are looking for inflatable pontoon fishing boats for sale, we would highly recommend that you search for any of these three models as they all feature excellent build quality and a variety of extra features that will help you further enjoy your fishing journey.
We hope that we have helped you find the best fishing pontoon boats for your needs.