Basic Fishing Kit

Okay, I know I said I wasn't planning on getting a license till next year, but this week is just too nice to miss.  Besides, I spent 2 hours on the water on Monday and I think I must have paddled around 1/5th of the shoreline of my small 680 acre lake.  I'm gonna need something to do on Friday, so I think I better get my fishing license.

Now, I won't have a fish finder, so I'll just have to try guessing and hope for the best.  I don't plan to keep anything I catch.  I do hope that I can devise a way to take my non-waterproof camera with me and take some pictures somehow.

What I do need is basic gear.  I need suggestions on a rod/real combo, and basic tackle, and a tackle box suitable for the kayak.  I'd like to troll for a bit, and possibly do some fishing around structure/island.  I'd like to go with artificial lures, and stay away from live bait for the moment, but I'd be willing to go with worms and possibly PowerBait.

The lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout ,Bass, and other common lake fish.  There are supposedly Coho of some sort in the lake as well, but the spawning run doesn't happen until Dec-Feb or something, so I heard.  I need to avoid the Grass Carp at all costs.  The lake is stocked with hybrid sterile Chinese Grass Carp to control vegetation.  It's a $5000 fine or so if caught with one in possession, and I believe you can get in trouble for even attempting to target them.

So what can you guys suggest for a basic starting kit for a newbie who hasn't fished since he was a kid?  I'd really like to get a nice, simple setup for less then $100.  Less expensive is better, but I'm not interested in the super cheap stuff that isn't going to last long.  At this point, a smaller selection of lure options would be better, so I don't get too confused.  I plan to purchase on Thursday at possibly Joe's, or maybe just BiMart or something.

Heck, maybe we can turn this into a NWKA Basic Lake Fishing Suggested Gear list for Kayak Beginners or something.

Thanks guys!

Just thought it as funny about the carp.
 When I lived in Texas they introduced the SAME species into lake Conroe.
The carp ate ALL the vegetation to the point that other fish were declining. (obviously some fertile fish mixed in)
 They now have an annual carp kill competition, take em any way you like short of dynamite!   The law on that lake is now the opposite of what you state; if you catch one it is illegal to return to the lake ALIVE.
 Fun to catch, we used dough balls as bait.
 Have fun and be safe on the lake!

This is the setup I started with. The reel has been a champ and is still running super smooth. The rod has been through it all as well and done well from bass to trout to salmon. And exactly $100 . Would like to hear what everyone else has to say too. Nice to hear the different ideas.
Z

Shimano Sahara Spinning reel. $60


Ugly Stick 7' lite spinning rod $40

Yeah, what Z said.  Nice recommendation.   I have a few of those Saharas in various sizes.  Works great for me.  And I've owned a few ugly sticks over the years too.

-Allen

Hmm, basic freshwater setup for under $100.

While you can buy a spinning rod and reel combo for as cheap as $20, I'd probably suggest looking at the combos that cost about $40-$70 from a brand name if you want something that will last a bit longer.  If you can spend the whole $100 on a rod and reel combo, the one Z mentions would be a good one.  For a durable inexpensive rod, it's hard to beat the Shakespeare ugly sticks.  Just be sure to match them as much as possible (i.e. don't pick a reel that is rated for 30 lb test and put it on an ultralight rod designed for 4 lb test line).

For general small lake bass and trout fishing, I'd probably suggest a combo that's is generally rated for about 8 lb test line in a medium action and about 7 ft long so that you can easily play a fish around the nose of your kayak.  You'll probably find that most rods are 6ft 6in and that's okay, it's just that I find that a 7 ft rod is a little nicer in a kayak. 

I just checked on ugly sticks and something like the following models would probably work pretty well...

model #	length	pieces	action	line	lure weight	num of guides
SPL 1100	7'0"	2	M	6-15	1/8-5/8	5 + Tip
SP 1170-2M	7'0"	2	M	6-15	1/8-5/8	7 + Tip

As for reels, take a look at the cheap ones as well as the nicer ones.  Pick them up and give them a try.  What you want to do is find out what you like about the expensive ones and try to find those characteristics in one of the cheaper ones.  I look for smooth reeling (i.e. the whole reel doesn't wobble), a smooth drag, and anti-reverse (i.e. when you stop reeling the reel doesn't have to wind backwards to stop.)

Assuming you spend $70 of your hundred on a rod and reel combo, you can spend the rest on a small tackle box ($5), some line ($7), and some lures (the remaining $18).  For trolling you might want to get some small minnow like plugs like a rapalas, a small spoons, and a small spinners.  If you can find hold off on the lures for a bit, try buying them from a local tackle shop.  Sure you might spend a few dollars more, but they can often provide some intel that will help you select just the right lures for the lake you'll be fishing.


Brian

On the carp, they started putting them in in 1986.  They dumped another batch in 1987.  I don't know how often they add more.  The sign I read says they keep a population of roughly 4 fish per acre, but that seems rather low.

So far as I'm aware, there's no local fish/tackle only shop in town, possibly because you can just drive 5 minutes to a Bimart and get the same stuff cheaper.  There's also no ocean boat launch, so no ocean tackle places.  There is a marina on the Siletz a little south of town that probably carries some stuff, but it may focus on river and bay fishing.  Likewise there's a couple tackle places north of town around another river that is pretty much constantly fished for salmon right now.  I'm pretty sure if I walk into either of these stores and ask about intel on the lake, that they'll all laugh at me for not Salmon fishing the rivers like everyone else is doing.   

All of my fisherman friends (who bank fish) say they generally get their rods and reels from Bimart, and lures from there, Walmart, or Fred Meyers.  They all agree that Walmart's rod selection is poor quality and they tend to break easy.  There are 2 businesses on the lake itself.  One is the hospital (which I don't think is right on the lake, but does have a large lake view) and the other is Blue Heron Landing, which has a boat launch, moorage, and in the summer rents SIK Kayaks (cheap crappy ones too), canoes, paddle boats, and has a little bumper boat area.  They don't sell fishing stuff.  In fact, I believe it's for sale.   

The west side of the lake is inside city limits, and the east side is outside city limits, but inside the urban growth boundary.  In fact, Oregon State Parks has a campground, that's actually in the center of town.  It's the only Oregon State Park Campground inside a city limit in the state.

I can probably afford to drop $100 on a rod/reel combo if the rest is only going to run $30 or so.  One of my local friends suggested I get an ultra light rod of some sort.  There's probably going to be a large selection of Rod/Reel combo's.  I think I'll be more confused on the lures though.  So many different things to get in that category. 

For bass and trout and ultralight can be a lot of fun.  However, ultralights are pretty short (~5 ft) and if you hook into a really feisty fish you can have issues if he runs under your kayak.  I believe they make rods called "crappie rods" that are basically really long ultralights.  I doubt you'll find these at anything other than a specialized tackleshop (Cabela's and BassPro both have them online).

As for lures, if you can find out what kind of baitfish might be in the lake that can be useful in terms of picking out sizes and colors.  If you're going to be trolling, you can't go wrong with a few small plugs like rapalas, rebels, and yozuri crystal minnows.  They come in a variety of sizes, colors and depth ratings and will cost you about $5-7 each.  I would probably start off with something like a small shad rap in a fairly natural looking color.    Other trolling lures to consider would be spoons and spinners.  If you find yourself wanting to stop to do some casting for bass you might also want to try out some jigs and swimbaits.  A company named Storm makes some pretty natural looking swimbaits that come in packs of 5 or so already set up with a weighted hook inside.  There are of course a million different types of lures you could try out, but I think these few should get you started.

Brian

Brian,  there aren't as many baitfish in westside lakes up here.  Most lakes have a few sticklebacks and some sculpin.  I had to learn a whole new style of lake fishing when I moved to CA and all the shad.

-Allen

The other guys made some good recommendations on tackle. In freshwater lakes I tend to use UL gear for the fun. I would stress getting high quality line- it becomes critical with light gear.

For lures I think small curly tail jigs make a lot of sense, and have worked well for me in mixed species lakes. I use sizes from 1/32-1/4 oz. most regularly. Chartreuse green works well for all species. Brown, yellow and white are useful, too. Best of all, they're real cheap. They can be fished under a sliding bobber, or just cast and let sink to near bottom then retrieve slowly. If bait is allowed, tipping with a little piece of worm will increase your hookups.

Good Luck.

For a spinning reel, Shimano makes awesome stuff, but you might be able to save a few bucks by going with an Okuma reel.  I concur on the Ugly Stick rod (great rods and very, very tough).  If you want a more sensitive (but less tough) rod, check out the Berkeley Lightening rods for around $40 bucks as well.

For the kind of fishing you are looking at, a quality basic line like Berkeley Triline would work fine.  I caught a bajillion fish as a kid on a 6' light action spinning rod set up w/ 8 pound test Triline on it as a kid, including some large (6+ pound) largemouth bass.

Curly tail grubs and rooster tail spinners are your friend (though I'd avoid the rooster tails when fishing in areas with native fish like wild coho and cutthroat trout--small treble hooks cause too much mortality).

rod, check out the Berkeley Lightening rods for around $40 bucks as well.

I've heard a lot of good things about their rods. Even from local guides.

Z