fishing line

[jbm]

I just went through this myself, so I'll give you some advice not based on years of saltwater fishing experience but just based upon what I learned and the decisions/mistakes I made.

If money is a serious concern, which I believe you said it was in some of your other posts, I would start with cheap serviceable equipment. Go fishing, figure out what works for you and what causes you difficulties. Then just upgrade your equipment to solve those problems.

You'll probably want at least two rod/reel combos with you. I would start with a penn jigmaster on a cheap 30# rod for live bait, and a Daiwa sealine 40HA or SHA on a cheap 40# rod for irons. Spool them both with mono. Bring a 3rd bass rod for swimbaits/krocs if you want to catch the smaller fish in the kelp. The bass rod could be a spinner with spectra so you don't have to sweat too much about picking out spectra birds nests while your lure sinks into the kelp forest. You can use any of these rods for catching bait with a sabiki rig.

Used equipment can save you a lot of money, but since you never know what equipment is for sale at any given time it is hard to give specific advice on buying used equipment. It's also hard to know what is a good deal and if something has been well cared for if you're not familiar with the gear already.

For rods, I have heard good things about the californians from Turner's. If they break, you can walk into any Turner's and get a new one. If you watch their ads (sign up for their email list as their Wednesday specials don't get posted online) you can get some really good deals on these rods.

Some people are going to tell you don't bother with cheap rods and reels because they will rust out or break within a year or two. But frankly, if you're still fishing regularly in a year or two, you're going to have figured out what you like and don't like about your equipment and will be able to make a decision on new gear based on personal preferences you have developed rather than trying to wade through a bunch of conflicting advice based on other peoples' personal preferences and no experience of your own.

By the way, this advice could be all wrong because I still don't know what I'm doing. Good luck!

[sasha]

Thanks JBM i were figuring out about same thing execept wanted to get a starting point with everything.

Sasha

[bubblehide]

Sasah, a good tackle shop in La, would depend on where in LA you are. I'm in the valley, there is Bob Sands, and Fishing Fools that I would recommend amongst the many in the valley area. If your just starting out, I'd have to agree with JBM; but if you know your going to target larger fish (25 pounds and up), I would buy at least one good new reel. Something like a Avet MXJ, JX or Shimano Tyrnos 8, 10 or 12. From 40 pound line and down you don't really need a 2 speed reel, it might be nice from time to time, but it's not really needed unless you have a physical injury/handicap. I'd look for a good 8 foot jig stick for throwing irons, and a 7 foot stick for most everything else; and a spinning outfit that will hold up to salt water, and you should have all the basic bases covered.

[tagyak]

Originally Posted by sasha

Thanks lots of info to read and learn. What is a good tackle shop to look at in the LA area??

if you're in the san gabriel area, there are two that i would recommend. first Johnny's sport shop in pasadena. they have been around for years, bunch of guys with lots of knowledge. then there is richards in rosemead off of the 10. he has great stuff and if you go in there with cash......so if you're in the area take a look