Let me paint you a picture.
I show up at the river looking like I’m moving out of my apartment. Rods everywhere. Bags on bags. People stare.
But there’s a method to the madness.
First, I bring a proper angler rod and reel for serious fishing. But I also bring the lightweight stuff. Because sometimes you find a tiny pocket pool that needs finesse.
When I’m shopping for weird gear, I hit up b fishing tackle online. It’s like a digital garage sale. Old guys selling their collections because their knees finally gave out. Sad for them. Great for me.
My carrying system? A backpack tackle box cabelas for the dry stuff. And a backpack tackle box with cooler on top. Yes, the cooler is for drinks. No, I’m not ashamed. Yes, the ice melts and wets everything. That’s why I have two bags.
For hiking trips, I use a backpacking fishing pole rei. Tiny. Fits in a pack. Great for mountain trout. Terrible for two-pound smallmouth. I learned that the hard way. Now I bring both.
I also bought basic equipment for fly fishing two years ago. Used it once on my lawn. Wrapped line around my legs. Nearly hooked my neighbor’s cat. The gear is now in my basement. I’ll try again next year.
Bass fishing is where I get serious. I have bass fishing rods for different techniques lined up in my garage. Flipping rod. Spinnerbait rod. Topwater rod. My wife thinks they’re all the same. I don’t correct her.
The best resource? A real bass fishing tackle shop with an old guy behind the counter. He’s forgotten more about fishing than I’ll ever know. Listen to him. Buy nothing. Learn everything.
When I can’t get to a shop, I browse bass fishing tackle websites at midnight. That’s where the weird lures live. The glow-in-the-dark frogs. The soft plastics that smell like garlic. The stuff you don’t need but suddenly can’t live without.
And for beginners? Bass rod and reel combos are the way to go. Cheap. Simple. They work.
So yeah. I look ridiculous at the river. A backpack tackle box cabelas on my back. A backpack tackle box with cooler on my chest. My backpacking fishing pole rei strapped to the side. My basic equipment for fly fishing still unused in the truck.
But I catch fish. And I have fun.
That’s all that matters.