Buying your fishing pole

First you need to figure out the level of fisherman you are. Are you a novice, someone that may go fishing once or twice a year and what type if equipment you are now using and do you understand how to use it. Next choice is the experienced fisherman, that would be to person that goes fishing several times a year and you know how to use your equipment well and have a well stocked tackle box. Next choice is expert. This fishermen has several types of fishing poles and reel and know how to use them all. He will pick out different types of equipment depending on the type of fishing he want to do that day.

Most of us do not fit in the expert class of fishermen. There is a large number of fishermen in the novice class. It is to this type of fishermen I hope to talk to today. When you go to the sporting good store looking to buy a new rod and reel I recommend you pick out  an 8' salmon/steelhead rod with a medium action. Get the best rod you can afford. Don't go over board with the price but on the same hand don't buy the cheapest. Although, I have caught salmon on a $15.00 rod and reel and one of my favorite rods for trout was only $10.00 for rod and reel. The inexpensive salmon rod I steel have and use now and again.

Most of the time you will purchase a spinning rod and reel which is the easist to use and is used for every type of fishing you will do. Please be sure the rod and reel fit well together. Don't get a reel that is to small or to big for your rod. Generally they come as one unit. Hold them and purchase the one that feels good to you. Be careful not to pay attention to what someone else is telling you about the different outfits. Purchase the one that fits you well and is easy to operate.

Next, take the rod and reel home and rig it up and do and couple of practice cast in the yard and then load up the car or truck and go fishing. Remember this is a outing and I want you to enjoy yourself. It doesn't really matter if you catch a fish or not, although that is why we are there, at least you got out of the house and into the outdoors.

Fishing With Friends

Shortly after graduating from high school is when I started fishing. Never was able to go fishing with my dad so after graduation I bought a fishing pole and went fishing. I loved it and went as often as I could.

I often went by myself. Actually I did not really care if I caught a fish. I enjoyed being at the river and just enjoying the morning. The sunrises were beautiful and the smell of the air was awesome. Many times I would fall asleep for a little nap. Fishing is the most relaxing thing I have ever done.

One day a couple of friends and I decided to go fishing down on the Columbia River by the big boat dock. We were fishing for bass and not doing very well so we moved around hoping to do better. Looking back on it I think it was the fishermen not the fish was the problem. No matter we were have a great time. I remember standing on a rock, casting my lure and slowly reeling in and my buddy about five yards from me cast his lure. Well a few seconds later something hit me on the side of my head so hard it blurred my vision. I turned around, thinking some hit me with a rock and I was going to beat the guy into the ground. Well, no one was there so, I turned back facing the river and started to reel my lure back in when I saw my shadow on the water. I called to my friend and told him to stop reeling. He didn't stop so I yelled at him to stop reeling and then he yelled back and asked why. I told him to look at me and when he turned around he and my other friend start laughing because I had his lure stuck in my ear. Well, after they had their laugh, they both came over to see if they could take the lure out. Luckily the hook had not gone pay the barb and the were able to remove the lure. We continued fishing but I change spots with my friend.
Another time I went fishing with another friend down by a place where there was a railroad crossing over the river. We both picked out a comfortable rock and cast our worms into the river. Neither of us really caring if we caught anything or not. We both had a few little bites but had caught nothing. Well finally it looked like a fish was being serious about taking my bait. I waited for the right tug on my line and set the hook. The fish started running and taking line. I could not stop it so I clamped down on the reel and broke off the line. I geared back up and cast back out. It only took about five minutes and another serious taker of my bait started in and I set the hook again and again the fish took off running away from me and I was unable to turn it or change its direction. Before he took all my line I once again broke off my line and my friend and I packed up and went home. We decided it must have been a big sturgeon and with the pole and line I had there was no way for me to bring it in.
These are great memories.

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Fishing With a Guide

I moved from Kennewick, WA to the Everett, WA area about thirty years ago. I was used to fishing for small trout, bass and perch. Not sure of where to go fishing I first went to different sporting good stores in the area and they all gave me ideas on where to go fishing and what to use. Most of the information turned out good until one sales person said he uses a guide to find the good spots.

I decided to try that and was extremely pleased with the results. The first guided trip I went on was out of Everett and they fished for salmon in the Puget Sound. I chose that because I had never been on the Sound and never fished for salmon. Will that hooked me on fishing for salmon. Even through it is like combat shoulder to shoulder fishing, the deck hands handled everything very well. Everyone was good about following the deck hands orders and we all caught fish. Also, the reason I chose to try this first is because I did not have a boat  and even if I did I didn't know where to go. I enjoyed this so much I started going fishing on the Washington coast using charter boats.

It didn't take long to decide to go with a guide on some of the rivers. The advantage here was I could ask the guide a lot of questions and watch him rig up his line and see how he hooked up the bait. If you pick a good guide you will find they are very good and even eager to share their knowledge on how to rig up and showing their best spots for fishing. All the guide I ever went with would do everything they knew how to get you your limit of fish.

Once a friend and I went out with a guide fishing for steelhead on the Snohomish River. We were early for the run and we knew it. As the day went on with no luck the guide want to know if we had ever fly fished and we both told him we had fly fished a few times but we were not real great at it. He dug out two fly rod and we anchored on a small island in the river. We got out and he gave a few lessons on fly fishing and we walked to the narrow side of the island. The guide showed us where there were several pink salmon and let us just have fun. We were catching pinks on just about every cast. They varied in size from five to twelve pounds. We were doing so well that the guys fishing on the other side of the river wanted to know if we wanted to sell them some salmon. Can't say we weren't tempted even though I believe it is against the law to sell the fish.

Guide fishing has several advantages. One is usually all the gear and bait is provided. Another it is cheaper than paying for your own boat. It seems if you have your own boat everyone is your friend and wants to go fishing but no one want to pay for the gas or anything else. Another good thing is the guide usually will fillet your fish out if you want.

I have moved back to Kennewick and thought I would be disappointed about going back to fishing for the small fish again. Not true. I enjoy trout fishing with the grandchildren and I have found a great fishing guide to take me out on the Columbia River fishing for salmon and I caught my first sturgeon. So, it seems I have the best of both worlds.

Fishing with the Grandkids

   I never got to go fishing with my dad. He was always working trying to pay the bills. My brother and I  had to work after school and on the weekends with dad. He had a landscaping business on the side and we mowed lawns and removed trees from the clients yard. So there was no real play time.

   I never went fishing until I got married and several of my high school classmates and their wives got together and went fishing. I had a ball. When children came along we still went fishing but mom stopped going and stayed home with my daughter and then work got in the way and then another child, a boy. I worked in the retail field and was always promoted to management and that meant  a lot of hours and weekend working. Then a divorce came along when my daughter was seven and my son was two and I moved away so no fishing with my children.

   I moved to Wenatchee to work in the jewelry retail field as an assistant manager. That meant a lot of hours too. I meet a guy in Wenatchee who just fished all the time and I started going fishing with him. We fished for about every kind of fish, mostly trout, salmon and a little steelhead.

   I meet a young lady who after a period of time fell very much in love with. We got married after a couple of years and I bought a small 12 foot boat. I put on a fishing pole holder on both sides and fished the Icicle River up in Leavenworth. No motors allowed so I learned how to row a boat. Not an easy thing in fast water.

   My wife and I moved to Lake Stevens, WA. Most of my fishing ended except for some charter fishing. It was good and probably cheaper than a buying a bigger boat. That went on for several years. One day I went to my wife and said our grandchildren were growing up and I didn't want to miss their childhood like I did with my children. She agreed and we put the house up for sale and a week later it was sold.

   We moved back to Kennewick, WA  and bought a new home. Going fishing with 5 grandchildren is a challenge. There is really no need for you to take your fishing rod because they want your attention all the time. After all, the fun is watching them.  If you can get them to put the fishing pole in the fishing pole holder for any longer then a minute you have made quite an accomplishment.  I'm hoping that some of what I tell them gets thru to them. Especially that they learn patients and leave the pole in the fishing pole holder a little longer each time and maybe they will catch a fish. They are awesome.

   I have made from scratch each of them a fishing pole. They got to pick out the color of the rod and the color of the thread. I am hoping they will teach there children to fish and maybe pass the fishing rod down to them if the pole last that long.

Choosing a fishing reel

  Choosing a fishing reel can be confusing because there are so many to choose from. Most of the time you will purchase your fishing rod and fishing reel together as a package. Then all you have to do is decide what type of fishing you are going to do and buy the set and go fishing.

   I did this for a lot of years and was happy until I decided to buy a new reel because one of the reels broke that came with the set I bought. I want to move up in quality a notch or two to what come with the sets. I bought a spinning reel that had a finger catch on it so all you had to do is hook your finger around the line and pull back on the lever and that pull the bail back so you could cast, I didn't have to flip the bail with my other hand. I thought that was awesome.   

   Now picking out a reel for my grandchildren was easy. I bought them all closed face fishing  reels. They are a lot easier for them to operate at first, they only have one thing to do and that is push down the button. Now know when to let off the button is very important but you will have to coach them on that. This usually take practicing at home before you go fishing. As each one get good with that reel I move them up to a regular spinning reel. When they get good with that fishing reel I will move them to casting reels.

   When I purchased my first bait casting reel I purchased the rod and reel separately. Choosing the rod wasn't hard but picking out the right fishing reel was more difficult. I had to try them out to see if they could be adjusted easily and if it balanced well with my fishing pole. Once I figured that out using it was fun. With a casting reel, the better you get the more you can back off on the brake a little the more experienced you get and the farther you can cast with it.

   When I bought my first fly fishing outfit I just went for a medium price range sent and thought that was okay until that reel feel apart. I went to the sporting good store and boy did I get a lesson on fly fishing reels. Will the salesperson must have done a good job because I bought a much higher priced fishing reel than what I was going to buy. I am pleased I did.