What tackle do I need to start coarse fishing?

Tackle shops sell a bewildering amount and almost none of it is needed to start. A single float rod and a modest kit will catch fish on almost any stocked water in Britain, and the skills you learn with it transfer to everything else. Buy the short list, catch some fish, and let your interests decide what comes next.

What you'll need

• A 10–12ft float rod
• A 2500–4000 size fixed-spool reel
• 4lb main line and hooks to nylon
• A landing net with a fish-safe mesh
• A disgorger and forceps
• An unhooking mat where carp are present
• A seat box or folding chair
• Bait — maggots, sweetcorn, pellets
• Waterproofs and a hat

Step by step

1. Start with float fishing, not a feeder or a pole.A float shows you a bite unmistakeably and teaches you to read depth, presentation and where the fish are. It is the most instructive and the most enjoyable way to learn, and it needs the least equipment.
2. Buy a 10 to 12ft float rod.A general-purpose float or match rod in this range casts a light float comfortably and handles most fish on a stocked water. A starter combination of rod and reel sold together is perfectly good — you do not need an expensive rod to learn.
3. Get a small fixed-spool reel and fill it properly.A 2500 to 4000 size reel with a smooth drag. Fill the spool to within a couple of millimetres of the lip; underfilled spools cast badly and overfilled ones tangle. Any tackle shop will load it for you when you buy the line.
4. Use 4lb main line for general coarse fishing.Around 4lb breaking strain handles the great majority of fish on a day-ticket water. Heavier line is less easily hidden and casts worse; lighter line breaks in weed and snags. Replace it at least once a season, because line degrades in sunlight.
5. Buy hooks to nylon rather than tying your own at first.Pre-tied hook lengths in sizes 14 to 18, barbless where the fishery requires it, save you learning knots on the bank. Match hook size to bait: 18 for a single maggot, 14 to 16 for corn or a couple of maggots.
6. Get a few wagglers and a set of split shot.A waggler is a float attached at the bottom only, which is the standard stillwater float. A couple of sizes plus a dispenser of mixed shot covers everything. Shot the float so only the tip shows — that sensitivity is what makes bites visible.
7. Buy a proper landing net.Never lift a fish out on the line. A net with a soft, knotless, fish-friendly mesh on a handle long enough for your bank is essential and is often a fishery rule.
8. Get an unhooking mat where there are carp.A padded mat that a fish is laid on to be unhooked, so that it is never on hard ground. Most carp fisheries require one and it is basic fish welfare.
9. Carry a disgorger and forceps.A disgorger slides down the line to push a hook out; forceps grip and reverse it. One of each, on a lanyard so you can find them instantly with wet hands.
10. Choose the bait simply.Maggots catch everything. Sweetcorn is cheap, visible and excellent for carp and tench. Pellets suit commercial fisheries where the fish are fed on them. Bread, either as flake on the hook or as punch, is free and underrated. Start with one or two and change if nothing happens.
11. Take a small amount of groundbait or loose feed.Feeding a small amount frequently — a few maggots or a walnut of groundbait every cast — holds fish in your swim. This matters more than tackle. Little and often is the rule.
12. Sort out the sitting, the shelter and the safety.A folding chair or seat box, waterproofs, a hat and sunglasses — polarised glasses let you see into the water and protect your eyes from a flying hook. A first aid kit, and antibacterial gel because river and canal banks carry Weil's disease.
13. Put it all in one box and keep it that way.A seat box or a hard tackle box with compartments. The most annoying part of early fishing is losing small things in wet grass.

Tips

• Fish shallow water near features — reeds, lily pads, overhanging trees, the margins — rather than casting as far as you can. Most fish on a small water are close in.
• Plumb the depth before you start. A plummet on the hook tells you exactly how deep the swim is, and setting the bait just on or just off the bottom accounts for most bites.
• Barbless hooks are required at many fisheries and are much easier to remove from fish and from yourself.
• Buy the bait fresh on the day from the fishery or a local shop. Maggots do not keep well in a warm car.
• One rod, well fished, catches more than three rods poorly watched. Add tackle only when you know what you want it for.

Common mistakes

• Buying a huge starter kit with fifty items — Most of it is unsuitable and it teaches you nothing about what you actually need. A rod, reel, line, floats, shot, hooks and a net catch fish on day one.
• Using line far heavier than necessary — Thick line is visible, casts badly and presents bait unnaturally. It also means a snag pulls the whole rig off rather than breaking at the hook length as it should.
• Lifting a fish out of the water on the line — It damages the fish and frequently loses it. Use the net for anything above a few ounces — it is what it is for.

Questions people ask