How To Set Up A Fishing Rod for Beginners – Hook, and Sinker

Fishing is one of the best outdoor activities. Either you’re fishing for catch and release or for food, it is a fun activity. With the fishing season right around the corner, right now is the perfect time to go through this article about how to set up a fishing rod for beginners. Fishing is not as easy as it looks through pictures and videos. The most tedious part has to be the full setup you need to do with your fishing rod. 

With the proper step-by-step guide, a good fishing rod, and other tools and equipment, you’ll be good to head towards your nearest lake in no time. It is recommended to set your rod or at least practice beforehand. This article will cover cleaning your fishing rod, attaching a reel, adding a line, tying bait, and hooking the bait. In no time, you’ll be catching all kinds of fish. 

Let’s get into the detailed guide on how to set up a fishing rod. 

Checklist of Items That You Need

Fishing Rod:

The primary basis of fishing is the rod. The rods are used to cast the line into the water, controlled and swayed against the movement of a fish. There are different kinds of fishing rods available in the market, each with different strengths, lengths, and characteristics. 

The main two types are; Casting rods and Spinning rods. Some other minor special types include; Fly rods, jig rods, ice rods, etc. The choice of your fishing rod depends on the type of fish you’re trying to catch and the water body you plan to fish on. 

Reel:

Secondly, you will need a reel. A reel is a cylindrical attachment to your rod which holds, casts, and reels the fishing line. The reel is an essential aspect of fishing, and without them, you won’t be able to fish for fish. There are different types of reels that are either meant for freshwater or saltwater. 

The main two types of fishing reels are; Spinning reel or a Baitcaster reel. Both of these mentioned reels have their own uses; however, a spinning reel is more suited for beginners because bait caster reels are quite an advanced method of fishing. 

Fishing Line:

The fishing line is self-explanatory. It serves as the connection between you, your fishing rod, and the fish. The fishing line is applied on the reel’s spool, and the other end is attached to a hook and a bait. Fishing lines are available in different lengths, weights, durability, and material. For example, braided lines are much thicker and heavier. 

However, the type of line you use greatly relies on your reel. Every reel has an indication on it that shows how much of a line it can carry at different lengths. So, it is best if you read the indication and then buy a relevant line. Also, lightweight lines are better suited for beginners as they are much easier to control. 

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Lures or Baits:

To finish up your basic fishing setup, you will need a lure or a bait. Both lure and bait have the same primary purpose, although they act differently. The lure is an artificial item that attracts fish towards it due to its shape or movements. Bait is usually live food clipped onto the hook. The most common types of bait are a worm, crickets, and minnows.  

Other Items:

You would also need some other important tools when setting up your fishing rod. The first would be a pair of scissors or a knife to cut the line from the barrel. Knife or scissors will also come in hand to cut off fish from the hook. For beginners, it is also suggested that they get a bobber. A bobber will help suspend your bait in the water, and it will also serve as an indicator when a fish tugs on the line.

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Setting Up a Fishing Rod for Beginners (Step by Step)

It’s time to start learning how to set up a fishing rod now that every item is in front of you. 

Clean the Equipment: 

If your equipment is brand new, you can skip this part. But if you’ve had your kit for some time now, then the first step is to clean it thoroughly. With a soft cloth, gently wipe the rod and the reel clearing off all the built-up debris and dust, and following this step every time before fishing will significantly enhance the durability of your equipment. Again, it is important to use a soft cloth and apply gentle pressure so that the rod or reel doesn’t get scratched. 

Attach the Rod:

There are multiple kinds of rods; some rods come in a single piece, whereas some come in multiple pieces; there are even retractable rods. If you have a single-piece rod, you’re good to go, but if your rod is in multiple pieces, you will have to attach it by clipping it together or spinning it together. It is safer to follow the instructions.

Attach the Reel:

Next up, you’ll have to attach the reel to your fishing rod. Your fishing rod will have an insertion point over the grip handle or between the grip handle. This point is known as the reel seat, and it will be pretty easy to find. Different rods will have other methods of tightening the reel with the rod. You’re ready to move on to the next step now that the reel is firmly set on the rod. 

Applying the Fishing Line:

This is the most important and tedious step when learning how to set up a fishing rod for beginners. With practice, you will get much better and faster with this. After reading the indication on your reel, you can go on and get the relevant line. No placing the line barrel on a table, you will start passing the line through the eyelets from the top of your fishing rod. After you properly pass the line through the eyelets, they are commonly four or five of them. Now before you wrap it around the spool, you’ll have to tie a knot. There are several kinds of knots, but we find the fisherman slipknot the easiest. 

To make a fisherman slipknot, you’ll take the loose end and create a loop. Then you will rotate that loop, which should be wide enough to smoothly fit around the spool. Now grab the open end, turn it towards the big loop, make a smaller loop, and make the loose end go through it. This will give you your simple slipknot, which you can pull to tighten. 

The bale is the ring on top of your spool. You will pop the bale open, make the fishing line loop fit around it, and pull it to tighten it so that the line is firmly around the diameter of the spool. You’re done putting your line on, and now all you have to do is pull the bale back and then reel the line in until the spool is almost complete. Make sure the line doesn’t overflow the spool. 

Now you just need to cut the line off from the rod’s tip, allow some residue of line to hang off of the tip. 

Pick a Lure or Bait:

Previously we mentioned a few different lures and baits that you can choose from. Many factors come into play when picking the right bait or lure, the weather, the water quality, and the targeted fish. After going through these factors, you will end up with a bait or lure of your choice. Like we mentioned before, we suggest that you get a bobber. You can attach it in the middle of the suspended line simply by wrapping it around the clip. 

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Attaching the Lure or Bait:

Once you’ve picked up a lure or bait and attached the bobber, you can now move on to the final step of your setup connecting the bait. Make sure you have two to three feet beneath your bobber and add a split shot on your line; this will add some weight to your fishing line. Now at least six inches or a foot below your weight, you will apply the hook. A size one hook is good for beginners, and you can use the fisherman knot technique again here and tightly make the line grip the hook. 

The size one hook is suitable for hitching worms and can catch good-sized catfish and bluegills. 

In case you go ahead with a lure or bait, you can use the same knot technique that you used on the hook. 

Conclusion

Well, there you go, that’s the full step-by-step guide on how to set up a fishing rod for beginners. The setup has many tedious steps involved, but once you get used to them, they’ll feel pretty easy to do and will become a routine before every fishing trip. With experience, you will learn even more methods and become an even better angler.