What type of rod and reel to get- press button, spinner, baitcaster
What type of line- mono, braid or floro
What type of bait- live, cut or lures
Terminal tackle
Easy knots and snaps, swivels and speed clips
This guide will be focused on getting you started for fishing from the dock, pier, or shore.
Type of rod to start with.
Press button rod reel combos
I started with a 29$ Zebco 202, this rod is 2 pieces, 5'6 when put together, has medium light action and is rated for fish between 6-10 lbs. This rod and reel combo comes prespooled with 15lb mono line so no need to worry about line with this option. It also comes with a small tackle box with weights, baits and bobbers, which is nice. Its press button cast makes it super simple to operate. this rod is at Walmart and is perfect for someone who just wants to casually fish, ive caught croaker, whiting and even baby sharks on this rod.
There is a cheaper Zebco option called the Dock Demon (9.98 at Walmart), this rod is good for someone who just wants to catch any fish, this rod has caught me sea trout, small bass and several Atlantic croakers. It's small size and medium action make it perfect for agile bait movements. You can bounce and skip lures easily. the casting range isn't as great but the verity of ways you can cast or just drop from the dock make up for it.
Spinner reels
once youre comfortable or want to advance the spinner rod is the next step up from push button. The set up looks upside down from the push button spincaster rod, the reel hangs down from the rod allowing you to grab the line. These reels must be filled with line before use, you can do it yourself or sometimes the store you buy it from will spool it for you for free.
i paired the __ reel with the shinomo soujourn rod, the rod is 6'6 medium action and is only 32$. great action on the rod, caught tons of fish so far with it.
Baitcaster reels
Baitcasters are the hardest to use. To set it, first attach a lure or test plug, then set your breaks to max and set drag to about the middle, press the button and slowly release the breaks until the lure falls to the ground freely with out your reel exploding into a tangle of line called a birdsnest. to fix a birdsnest grab the line and pull and reel occasionally untangleing and picking at the knots in the reel. A really bad birdsnest may take time to work out or even need to be cut off.
Line
Mono
Monofilament line is the cheapest and has the most give. By far the best line for beginners, this line has a low visibility making a clean bait presentation for the fish. This line will become damaged and cracked by the sunlight if left out.
Braid
Braided line is a little more expensive, has no stretch to it whatso ever, but has super high sensitivity. It is also in per inch stronger than mono braid. This braid has a resistance to uv light though so you can leave it out on the porch or in your car with out damage.
Floro
Floro is expensive af and just not worth it dont get it.
Live Bait
Fun to collect, you can get it for free!
Shrimp as bait
Live shrimp can be caught with a cast net, i use a 6 foot diameter one from a grassy shore.
Live shrimp is controversial to some (kids on TikTok) as they say parasites may live in the shrimp and contaminate the waters. If the shrimp are locally caught (like most live bait stores sell) then this shouldn't be an issue. Because of this some people prefer grocery store bagged cooked shrimp to fish with. Either way shrimp is shrimp, use whichever you prefer.
These are the 3 ways i rig up a shrimp, through the back if the shrimp is alive and active, through the underside out the neck of the shrimp if the shrimp has become limp but you want a natural profile and through the tail and midbody for a worm like effect.
Many people swear by ripping the heads off and peeling the shrimp before hand but i've tried both ways and i feel you loose the bait more with just the glob of shrimp meat. The reasoning behind this is two fold, the head adds mass that the fish can hit and rip off easily missing your hook entirely, and removing heads and shells is said to increase the scent trail in the water.
Shrimp will catch any type of fish. Everything eats shrimp. These are the 3 ways i rig my shrimp, Like this under the belly through the back and through the tail and upper body like a worm.
Fiddler Crab as bait
Fiddler crabs can be caught by the shore under rocks or bought from the bait shop, you hook them through the underside of the stomach out the top of the back. These are eaten by sheepshead, black drum and reds.
Sand fleas
Sand fleas are little crustations which somewhat resemble a large flea. They can be easily sifted out of the beach sand, go to where the waves are breaking on the sand and scoop a sieve or net full of sand and sift away. You hook them through the body then out the top of its back shell much like a fiddler crab. And like the fiddler crabs they catch many of the same fish, sheepsheads, reds, black drums, and pompanos.
cut baits
Cut baits are cut up bits of small fish youve caught which other fish in the immediate ecosystem eat. These are very effective, many types of small fish can be used as cut bait. Except catfish, dont try to use catfish as bait not even tiny ones. Other fish just dont eat them. I've ended up catching a shark on cut bait once.
Lures
Lures are just fun. Buy it once use it a million times, cheaper than buying live bait all the time.
Voodoo Shrimp Lure
This weighted soft plastic shrimp looks realistic and easily catches fish in all conditions. You can drop shot it or jiggle it and retrieve it all the way back to shore.
Keymaster
This spinning oval of metal resembles a baitfish when retrieved in a moderate pace. Use this lure in the middle water colom and take slight pauses randomly during the retrieve.
Topwater
The classic topwater lure is the heddon spook, this lure comes in a wide variety of colors and has two treble hooks. This lure is used to zig zag over the water by moving the rod tip as you retrieve. Once you see an explosion by the lure pause for one second before setting the hook by pulling up on the rod. The timing of topwater catches is one of the harder lures to master.
