Long story short, I come from a long line of fishermen but never really caught on, I was a gear junky spending most my time in the garage, however my 8 year old son has shown a great interest in fishing and I will do whatever I can to derail his video games and get him outside. We are looking forward to camping/fishing trips in the future but my first problem I have is that we have absolutely zero fishing gear. I have no problem investing in quality gear as I hope it will get used and used for some time but I have no clue on what to purchase.

I am a disabled vet that has all accesses passes to both state and federal parks and plan on using this for our upcoming adventures. We will be fishing from shore and it will be all freshwater. So can someone please inform me on what to invest in? I need poles, lures etc. Just need a little insight from the pros. Thanks and have a happy New Year.

PS- I don't need top of the line but I want good equipment that is decently priced. Thanks again.

Where are you located sir?

I am located between Belton and Killeen.

Thank you for your service. If you are ever in the Waxahachie area and would like to wet a line, I will gladly take you and your son out. I am most definitely not a pro but time on the water is the best teacher and it's the least I could do for a vet.

To the Texas Fishing Forum!

Thank you for your service! The best thing you can do is start with something easy to catch, I suggest panfish. Medium action Cherry wood rods and some small quantum reels with 4 lb test is a good start and not too overly expensive. I'd get some small jigs, some bobbers, and some roostertails. Bank fishing might be hard right now, but starting in March send me a pm and I'll do as best I can to give you some pointers and locations tips.

Thank you for your service, if there is an Academy in your area I bet that would be a good place to start with finding everything you need to start out in lower price range up to medium price range. They usually always have some nice spinning reels on sale or nice rods. For just starting out I would recommend maybe some assortment packs of hooks and weights. That way you have hooks and weights for gils, bass, and cats. Then for some good line, I'd say Berkley Big game mono, they come in big spools at a good price. That way if you get tangled up or knotted and need to re spool you'll have plenty of extra line.

Great advice from everyone here. I will just add that you really don't need to buy anything to get started because there is a Tackle loaner program from TXPWD which may buy you some time and give you some idea of what you want to buy.

i would suggest some Shakespeare set ups from walmart. its a rod and reel combo. nothing too big, just simple and affordable. I would start with looking for perch. Small cricket hooks and some berkley gulp maggots (artificial) they are pink and usually on the bottom shelf near the rooster tails. i would get some rooster tails also, theyll catch a variety of fish. also some aberdeen hooks with different sizes of clamp on style weights and small bobbers. A good rigging set up is line to bobber 12" of line under it, clamp weight 3" above hook and maggot bait on hook, perch also love bread and lunch meat too! get out there and play around and you might find a surprise
Good luck!

Reminds me of when I got started fishing as a kid. I used a good ole' cane pole, a cork, split shot weight and a small hook. Ponds, creeks etc....Those Goggle Eyed Perch sure tasted good.

Thank you for your service!! By no means am I a pro, but this is what I would suggest. Like someone else said, go buy a pre-spooled rod-reel combo (6-8 lb test with a 6.5-7 ft rod is a good start for basic freshwater fishing) and some lures (rooster tails, panther martins, jig head/chartresuse grubs). I am not a big fan of the cheap lures that are put into combo lure kits so buy another brand, though the hooks and weights are okay. Dig up some garden worms (or buy somewhere such as Academy nightcrawlers) and you should be able to at least catch sunfish and occasional catfish and bass. A size 8 or 10 Eagle claw hook works as a good starting point. If you get crawlers it is okay to cut in half, just keep in mind the wigglier the better. Attach a red/white bobber several inches above the hook and cast out and let sit. Or to fish off the bottom, remove the bobber, attach a small split shot weight ~ 12 inches inches above the hook. This is what I do with my now 7 y/o (started him much earlier) and he has caught a ton of fish. Once you find a spot that holds fish then maybe try some of the lures. Fishing is one of my most favorite things to do and has provided some incredible bonding experiences with my son. I was very fortunate to have a father who took me fishing as a kid. Good luck!!!

What's up Doc?

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Anyhow, I do thank you for your service. My eldest is a veteran as well.

Send me a PM with your contact info and I'll outfit both you and your son with rod, reel and all the tackle you'll need to chase all of north Texas game fish.