Shoreline Fishing – Tackle Prep and Gear Selection
Before you leave the house, you’ll probably need to reorganize your tackle to make it more portable. As a boat angler, I’m used to being able to store 25 rods and 40 tackle boxes in my boat. That obviously is not an option when shore fishing.
The first step in tackle prep is to gather the lures that you think you’re really going to need and get them into a few Plano 3600 or 3700 type tackle trays or a single, multi tray tackle box. Grab your go-to lures and leave the boxes of maybes and experiments at home. You’re also going to need to get a variety of lures ready to face any condition changes you’ll have throughout your trip. It might start out cloudy and windy, then get calm and sunny. The same lures likely won’t work for both types of conditions, so plan ahead.
Another thing you’re going to have to whittle down is your rod selection. Depending on where you’re going, you may only be able to carry one or two rods. Pick out the most versatile rods and reels in your arsenal. Something you can throw a lot of different styled baits with. When I shore fish for trout, I usually carry two rods. One baitcaster with 10lb fluorocarbon and one spinning rod with 15lb braid with a long leader of 8lb fluorocarbon. (I also carry an extra spool of leader material with me). I’ve got two rods that I can throw anything from jerkbaits to swimbaits to tiny marabou jigs and anything in between.
Some other must-have items in my fishing arsenal include pliers, scissors/line cutters, sunscreen, and a few extra treble hooks and split rings. – Andy Cochran
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