Overview
A tackle shop will happily sell you a box you can barely lift. You don't need it. A beginner catches fish with a surprisingly short list; everything else is comfort, convenience or the next rabbit hole. Start small, and add a thing only when the fishing tells you to.
The essentials
- Hooks: a few sizes of barbless, sizes 14 to 18 for most coarse fishing.
- Split shot: a dispenser of mixed sizes for setting a float.
- A handful of floats: a couple of wagglers and a pole float or two.
- Line: a spool of 3–5lb mainline covers most beginner work.
- A disgorger and a pair of forceps: for getting the hook out cleanly.
- A landing net, and a plumbing weight to find the depth.
What can wait
Bite alarms, a second and third rod, a bivvy, a tackle barrow, forty lure colours — all of it can wait until the fishing you're actually doing asks for it. Buying ahead of your fishing is the quickest way to spend money on things that stay in the shed.
Terminal tackle by the water you fish
Let the venue shape the small stuff. Stillwaters and canals want light floats and fine line; running rivers want a stick float or a small feeder to hold bottom; carp and bigger fish want stronger hooks and heavier line. One box, swapped about as the water changes, beats a different box for every trip.
