Talking tackle: What I use when I rod, reel, and repeat

The other day, after a cold morning of fishing, I was warming up at Agaves Cantina with a large bowl of chicken tortilla soup. A patron at an adjacent table asked if I was the fishing guy in The Daniel Island News newspaper. I replied that I was. 

Of course, the next question was, “Does Brody really find fish and trade stocks?” I shared a few examples of how Brody finds fish and trade stocks, and how it is tough to live in the shadow of your dog. We had a good laugh together.   

After we finished laughing, my new friend asked about my fishing tackle. I laughed again and asked, “How long do you have?” For the next few minutes, we talked about all things fishing tackle. As the patron left the restaurant, he thanked me and said, “You should put that in your article.” So, here it is. 

For me, fishing tackle selection begins with the lure and the target species. First and foremost, the rod needs to cast the lure effortlessly. It is important to match the lure and rod characteristics. Typically, I fish smaller and lighter lures like the Z-Man Finesse TRD on 1/6-ounce NedLockZ jigs, so my everyday rod has a light and sensitive tip section. The light tip makes casting the small lure easy. This is important because I will cast a lure hundreds of times per fishing trip. 

Target species is another aspect of rod selection. The rod should have sufficient backbone in the butt section to effectively fight the fish. These days, high-tech graphite and carbon fiber provide lots of backbone in very light rods. Most quality rods check this box. 

In the picture to the right, my son Elliott is using a 7-foot Shimano/Loomis NRX+ 840S rod matched with a 1000 frame Stella reel. This combination is our everyday inshore fishing outfit. 

FISHING CLASS UPDATE 

Thanks to all who sent email messages about the free community fishing class. Interest is high. I am planning to hold the class in March. Seating is limited. If you would like to attend, please send me a note at captgregp@gmail.com. I will put you on the list and share details as they become available.