How to Set Up and Use a Fishing Pole: Beginner Step-by-Step Guide
Shaye Baker with Field & Stream
How to Set Up and Use a Fishing Pole: Beginner Step-by-Step Guide
When it comes to fishing poles, there are three main types. You have the spincast, spinning, and baitcaster. There are specialty rods also, like fly rods, trolling rods, and saltwater rods. But, by and large, if you’re talking about grabbing a fishing pole and heading to your local watering hole, these first three cover the bases pretty well.
How to Set Up a Spincast Rod and Reel
For spincast reels, like the iconic Zebco 33, most of the work is already done for you. These reels usually come pre-rigged with line, and you can use them by simply pressing the button on the reel, bringing the rod tip behind your head, and then flinging it forward quickly while simultaneously releasing the button.
There’s not a lot that can go wrong with this setup, so it’s great for beginners. But it is limited in what it can do. While this is a great rod for bream fishing and a serviceable one for catfishing, when you get into the bass space and even the world of crappie fishing, you’re going to want to transition to the next level of rod and reel—spinning.
How to Set Up a Spinning Rod and Reel
Spinning reels are the easiest to step up to if you’re looking for more capability from your rod and reel. While some of these rods and reels come together as a combo–sometimes already spooled up with line–most come sold separately without line.
If you purchase a rod and reel separately, you can connect the two by putting the spinning reel foot in the reel seat on the rod. Then tighten the lock collar on the rod down to fully secure the reel.
If you are transitioning from a spincast to a spinning reel, be sure to let the reel hang down beneath the rod. The spincast reel sits on top of the rod, with the rod’s eyes facing up. But the spinning reel hangs below the rod, with the rod eyes pointed down.
To spool the reel with line, run your line down through your rod guides to the reel. Flip the bail of the reel open, then tie a loop knot around the spool and cinch it down. If you’re tying braided line to your reel, it’s a good idea to use a small piece of tape to secure the line to the reel, but this is typically unnecessary with fluorocarbon and monofilament lines.
Lay the spool on the ground in front of you, usually with the label facing up. This will allow the line to come off the spool and go onto your reel in the same direction. Occasionally, you’ll find a spool of line that has to be flipped upside down. Just note how the line comes off the spool to see how it should go on the reel. If you do not do this, your line will twist really badly and create problems when you cast.
Spinning rods and reels are significantly more capable in certain situations than spincast setups. These combos are great for finesse presentations, whether you’re targeting crappie with 1/32-ounce jigs or you’re targeting bass with dropshots and Ned rigs. You can cast lighter baits farther with these rods and reels than with any other. If you want to throw big baits though, you’re going to want to use baitcasters.
How to Set Up a Baitcasting Rod and Reel
Baitcasting rods and reels are the most capable of all three of these, but they are also the trickiest to use. While these reels still work fairly well with light baits, they excel with mid-range to heavy baits. There’s no exact tipping point when it comes to bait size, but once you get above 3/8 ounce, suffice to say it’s worth looking into a baitcaster.
Like the spinning rods and reels, casting rods and reels are usually sold separately, and without line. To spool this reel, send your line through the rod guides, starting at the tip and then ending at the reel. Then you’ll want to take your line and stick it down into the reel through the line guide. This next part can be a little challenging, but tie a loop knot around the spool and cinch it down. If you’re using braided line, you’ll again want to use a small piece of tape to secure the line, but mono and fluoro should cinch down tight enough.
As you did with the spinning reel, you’ll want to orient your spool of line to prevent line twists. However, since the orientation of the reel is different, the orientation of the spool of line needs to be different too. You want the line to come off of the spool and go onto the reel the same way. To do this, turn your spool on its side so that the line is coming off the top of the spool. This will allow the line to go onto the top of the reel and wind onto the reel the same way it’s coming off the spool. It’s helpful to have someone run a pencil through the hole in the center of the spool and hold the line for you while you spool up the reel.
Baitcasting rods and reels can effectively pair with a broad spectrum of lines and lures. You can throw a small crankbait on 10-pound test with a baitcaster, or you can move to a 6-ounce glide bait on 25-pound test. In this way, baitcasters are the most versatile of fishing reels. There are a few things they can’t do, but there are a lot more things they can do.
How to Cast a Spinning Rod
To cast a spinning rod, pick up the rod and determine which hand you’ll reel with and which hand you’ll hold the rod with (Most anglers reel spinning reels with their non-dominant hand). Reel your bait up until there’s about 12 inches of line between the rod tip and the lure. Using the hand that will stay on the rod, wrap your index finger around the line just above the reel and hold it there.
Now, flip the bail open, bring the rod tip behind your head, and then quickly send the tip back out in front of you, releasing the line from your finger when the rod is pointed at about a 45-degree angle. Now flip the bail closed and begin reeling.
This all sounds more complicated than it is, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Just be patient and, if you are having a hard time, there are lots of videos online that illustrate this well.
How to Cast a Baitcaster
A casting reel can be the most intimidating reel to cast for beginners. But, don’t shy away from these reels on account of the challenge. These are again the most capable reels out there, and it’s not really that hard to cast them if you set them up well to start with.
There are three main components used to adjust most casting reels: the drag star (five-spoke object on the reel handle shaft), the spool tension knob (small cap on reel handle side), and the brake control (on sideplate opposite the handle). The drag star has little to do with casting the reel, and has more to do with how much tension is needed for the spool to slip during the fight of a fish. It’s important, but for the purposes of this conversation, we will just say tighten it up until you’re having a pretty hard time pulling the line out with your hand.
With the drag star talk tabled, there are now only two other controls: the spool tension knob and the brake. The spool tension knob determines how much tension is needed for the spool to start turning on the beginning of the cast. The brake, naturally, has to do with how much friction is applied at the end of the cast to slow the spool down. Both of these are important when trying to prevent backlashes.
To set the reel up, turn the brake to about half way. Then tighten the spool tension knob all the way down. Now, reel your bait up until there’s about a foot of line between the rod tip and the bait, and hold the rod level, straight out in front of you. Clink the thumbbar to disengage the spool and, if the spool tension knob is tightened all the way, the bait shouldn’t move. Now, slowly start to back off of the spool tension knob until the bait starts to fall gently towards the ground. Now, reel the slack back up and you’re ready to make a cast.
With about a foot of line out, press the thumb bar and hold your thumb on the spool. Then, bring the rod tip back behind you just like you did with the spincast and spinning reel, and again send the rod forward, this time lifting your thumb off the spool when the rod is pointed out and up a little in front of you. You may need to be ready to stop the spool with your thumb when the bait hits the water, but if the reel is set correctly, the spool should stop on its own. Over time, as you get more comfortable, you can back off the spool tension knob a little and the brake a little to increase your casting distance.
Final Thoughts for New Anglers
This is quite a lot of information, but we’re hoping it will be a great resource to come back to as you grow as an angler. Remember, there’s a lot you can do with a spincast, and you may never need to use anything else. But, if you do want to branch out and try taking on other species with other techniques, the spinning and casting combos will greatly broaden your capabilities. Overall, fishing is supposed to be fun. Fight for patience and show yourself grace as you’re getting the hang of it, and you’ll do just fine.
