Gear

Must Have Rod and Reel Combos for Inshore Saltwater Fishing

Equipped with three rod-and-reel set-ups, consider the nearshore salt covered

Before I start this column, let me say I am a believer in high performance equipment and tackle. In the world of bass fishing, especially competitive fishing on public lakes, the critical differences in rod actions and sizes as well as the smoothness and lightness of reels all make big differences in catching pressured bass. No doubt about it.

However, in the saltwater world, it’s a different story. That’s not to say quality equipment is not important, but rather the premium high-end equipment is simply not a necessity to get in on some great inshore action.

In fact, one of the primary aspects of inshore fishing I relish so much is the simplicity of it in terms of equipment and tackle when compared to the complexity of tournament-grade bass fishing gear.

Bass fishing has become so technical that most rod and reel combos have a specific job: cranking rods, flipping rods, frogging rods, swimbait rods, topwater rods, drop-shot rods. Trying to use a cranking rod as your flipstick, or frogging rod as your drop-shot rod is going to result in some hurt feelings along the way.

So here is the great news about inshore fishing, it’s not nearly as niche specific. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say a good 7 to 7 1/2-foot spinning rod in a medium action can be used for about 75 percent of the inshore fishing you might encounter. Add in the same length and action casting rod, now you have 95 percent of your bases covered.

If you’re looking to acquire some solid inshore outfits to get the job done, here are a few general rules to keep in mind.

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