The Top 5 Most Essential Pieces of Saltwater Fishing Gear Needed to Get Started Cheap

This list will include the top 5 most essential pieces of fishing gear to get started - cheap. Once you get your feet wet and catch a few big ones, then you will be ready to upgrade. In the meantime, let's get started with the bare essentials at record low prices.

1. Fishing pole - you will need a sturdy pole that will hold up to medium to large fish and the saltwater surf. If you want to increase the length of life for all your fishing gear and tackle, you will need to rinse all of it off with some freshwater after your fishing trips. In general most people start with a pole between 5 feet and 10 feet. If the pole is too stiff, it will be hard to cast from shore or a pier. Pole combos or buying a pole and reel separately can range from as little as $10 for a combo if you catch a clearance or a store closing up into the hundreds.

I recommend the Shakespeare Alpha Bigwater Spinning Combo for him or the Shakespeare Ladyfish Bigwater spinning combo for her. This Alpha is a sleek 8' 2-piece medium-heavy rod with 20 pound line. It casts well from both a boat and from the shoreline or a pier. These poles run in the $30 - $40 range and are available at Walmart and Amazon.com online.

2. Fishing Net - this an essential piece of equipment that prevents the "oops, I lost him" scenario. A net with strong netting that has a 2 foot to 6 foot handle will be perfect. The handle length will depend on your fishing application - are you fishing from a boat, shore, dock, shoreline, or a high pier? I have two nets to ensure that I always have the right one to get the job done right.

I recommend the Maurice Net for $10.16 available at Amazon.com online. There are many net to choose from at Walmart or various Sporting Good stores and they range from $5 to $50+ depending on the length, durability, material, and whether they fold compact. Some of the newer nets also float which is nice feature in case you drop in the water.

3. Fishing Gloves - these are essential to getting an easy grip on your catch as well as keeping your hands from getting cut and scraped up while fishing. I use a pair of Renegade gloves that I bought at Walmart which are perfect, they are a neutral gray color and have the pierce resistance material on the hands. They are the perfect weight and thickness so that you can still tie your line and change tackle with complete ease. This pair is also very flexible, the pair I have can fit an XL man's hands down to a small woman's hands with ease.

On Amazon.com online there is a pair of blue and gray Tsunami Sure Grip Utility Fishing Gloves Large for $7.99 which are very similar to the Renegade pair that have worked so well for me. The Tsunami pair have a puncture resistance latex gripping surface.

Fishing gloves can range from fillet gloves which run $5 to bigger bulkier gloves in the $50 range. I personally don't prefer the bigger gloves because they inhibit my ability to handle small items like weights, tackle, and bait as well as tie knots.

4. Tackle box - This is essential for keeping your fishing supplies together. I have had the big plastic tackle boxes and the water resistant material tackle bags. The tackle bags have worked better for me because they don't crack, bust, or rust. Plus I like to get the kits with lures, tackle, jigs, weights, etc. that come in the plastic containers with compartments which fit nicely in a large water-resistant fabric tackle bag.

For the beginner to the professional, I would recommend the Berkley Strap-on Tackle Box which is $16.95 and eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping from Amazon.com online. It is much more convenient to have your basic supplies in a Strap-on bag rather than a big bulky box if you are walking the ocean shoreline or wading in a salt marsh to get to your fishing spot. Other retailers have a similar strap on bags. You can pick and choose what you need for your trip, put it in the Strap-on, and fish hands free without having to worry about losing or misplacing your stuff. If your line breaks, you have all your need packed in your Strap-on on your body. This is convenient and saves your time so your can have your bait in the water longer.

5. Lure kit - All fisherman will need lures and hooks. Many times I used a lure as well as attaching a little fresh bait to the hook my lure is on. When you are starting out fishing or just want to be cheap, go for the kits. There are Saltwater Squid kits and Saltwater Shrimp kits which range from $6 on sale from $26 to kits near $100. The pieces can range from 4 pieces to over 100 and many also include weights, hooks, and other items.

One of my favorite kits is a 111 piece kit with heads, bodies, and hooks by Ocean Logic in divided up in a plastic compartment called the Pro Series Saltwater Kit 111 Piece Coastal Kit available at Walmart. This kit is usually around $20; however, I picked it up a few months ago for $9 on sale. The Saltwater Squid kits and Saltwater Shrimp kits mentioned above are available on Amazon.com and some of the kits are eligible for their Free Super Saver Shipping.

Though I use the heads and lures from my Saltwater kit, I usually attach some fresh fish, meat, cheese, etc. to the hook depending on the specific catch that I am trying to attract at the coast or off the pier on the bay. Different lures and different bait attract different fish.

This is a guide to starting your Saltwater fishing hobby cheap and frugally. As you catch more fish and test out what works for you in your area, you will find out what is worth investing greater money in. Certain colors and jigs work well in some waters and don't get a bite in other waters. With the kits, you can test out many colors, shapes, and sizes to find out what works before investing too much.

Enjoy your fishing experience and check out my website for more information on fishing. I enjoy fishing off the coast of Texas - I moved to a home "smack dab" between the ocean and the bay so that I had easy access to the water. Prior to that I fished in Florida and Tennessee. If you catch a big one with my advice, drop me a line by sending me a picture and I will be happy to post it on my website in the fishing section which is listed in the resources here. Now you get going fishing, you hear? You sure don't want to miss that big one!