What is there to conceal – now the prices for tackle and equipment bite, and they bite painfully. It is good for someone who has a clear idea of what he needs, goes shopping, compares and, in the end, finds both better and cheaper. Woe to beginners or their relatives who are about to make a gift: qualified sellers are still tight in most stores. Let’s try to figure out how to get a universal tackle with minimal costs.
A rod for all occasions
The most versatile of the inexpensive rods can be considered fiberglass or “composite”, telescopic, with rings and a reel seat, 3-3.6 meters long, designed for casting weights from 20 to 40 g (these numbers should be indicated on the butt knee). The brand does not matter, because almost all such products are manufactured today in Korea, China or Southeast Asia. You can also ignore the material of the handle, although, of course, the cork is the most pleasant thing. It is better, if possible, to take the rod in hand, spread it out and shake it: it should not:
– be too “liquid”;
– tapping at the joints;
– creak or crackle. Ceramic guides are standard on these rods today, but they shouldn’t be too narrow.
Coil
The reel must be spinning, have a rotating line guide roller and hold about 150 meters of 0.30 mm line. It also requires a spare spool. Wrap 100 meters of 0.20 mm line on one spool and 100 meters of 0.30 mm on the other. In order for the line to reach the edges of the spools, use cheap domestic line or any old line that has become unusable as a reel.
Spinning
Of course, our rod is suitable for spinning only with reservations, but it is quite possible for them to fish with small and medium-sized oscillating and spinning lures, as well as twisters. It may seem a bit long, but when fishing from the bank, the extra length is a big advantage. Thus, with a single rod, you can be ready to catch almost any fish found in our freshwater reservoirs.
Roach and crucian carp
Roach and crucian carp stand together here, as they are famous for their careful bites, and they often have to be caught not from the bottom, but above it or in the middle layers of the water. A fixed float can be used up to a depth of two meters, a sliding one can be used deeper. Don’t be tempted to buy miniature models; at 0.20th line, the float must be of sufficient lifting capacity to cast easily and far. Let’s say a 5-gram sliding and a 3-gram fixed. But you need to immerse them so that the very tip of the antenna protrudes from the water. For stagnant water, the best are peacock feather floats with a balsa body on the bottom (“waggler”), for flowing – oblong balsa floats with a thickening in the upper part. On the main line there are 1-2 pellets and a small olive, on a leash – a small pellet. For leashes, buy twenty-five meters of 0.15 and 0.12 mm line; 0.12th for small hooks when fishing with bloodworms directly to the 0.20th it is better not to tie it, but use the 0.15th as an “adapter”. Several bags of hooks from # 12 to # 18 complete this piece of equipment.
Bream and tench
These are mainly caught from the bottom, both with a float (“bream”), and without. On the reel, the same spool with 0.20 line remains, but for the line it is better not to put the leash, especially in the grass, and choose a larger hook (No. 6-12). Bream in clean places can also be caught with a 15-cm leash (hooks No. 8-14). Large white crucian carp, perch, ide, chub require about the same tackle. For fishing without a float, you must, of course, have several sliding weights and swivels.
Pike on live bait
Observing some caution, it is quite possible to catch pike (and zander) with live bait with a universal fishing rod. Here, of course, 0.30 mm fishing line is used: a cork float and a medium olive are put on it, a carabiner is tied to the end, and a metal leash with a tee is attached to the carabiner. Larger livestock should be cast smoothly so as not to break the tip of the rod.
Carp
The same spool with 0.30 line can remain on the reel when fishing for carp. Carp can be fished with a “bream” float, without a float, with a bottom sliding sinker or from the surface onto a floating crust, with a transparent float ball. Hooks are used here single, strong (forged) Ne№2-8. If you foresee transportation problems when traveling on vacation, business trips, sanatoriums, etc., look at the portable telescopic rods that folded into any suitcase.
Fishing without unnecessary hassle will bring you a lot of vivid impressions!
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