Fishing is an excellent way to spend time with family and friends, relax and improve your mental health and/or enjoy the excitement of when your efforts pay off and result in a strong tug at the end of the line. Whatever your motivation is for hitting the water, the basic steps to getting involved in the sport are all the same. We’ll break down everything you need to hit the water and hopefully enjoy some success as well!
Getting Geared Up
The beauty of the sport of fishing is that you can spend thousands of dollars on gear and equipment or you could get everything you need with less than a $100 bill. If you’re just getting into the sport, you do not need to empty your wallet. In fact, let’s break down exactly how you can do this working within a $100 budget.
Item 1: Your License
Your fishing license is the most important piece of equipment you can purchase. This is for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, you need your appropriate fishing license to legally wet a line in South Dakota. Second, your license is the key to ensuring you’ll have places to go fishing and abundant populations of fish to target.
The money generated through the sale of fishing licenses goes directly back into fisheries management in South Dakota. This includes surveying lakes, stocking fish, improving aquatic habitat, providing access to these water bodies and other necessary management actions. Without your license dollars, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) would not be able to provide many of the fisheries we enjoy today.
In addition to your fishing license, you will also need to purchase a Habitat Stamp. This Habitat Stamp is a one-time, annual license that is required for hunting, fishing and/or trapping in South Dakota. You will only need to purchase this stamp once regardless if you plan to hunt small or big game or trap later in the year. Check out this video to learn more about the Habitat Stamp.
Your annual fishing license allows you to fish any day of the year until January 31 of the following year. A resident annual fishing license is $28 and your Habitat Stamp is $10 for residents. In all, it costs just $38 to support fisheries management and enjoy these resources year-round in South Dakota.
Total Spent: $38
Item 2: Your Rod, Reel and Line
The next key piece of equipment is your rod, reel and line. When you walk into your local tackle shop you are going to find numerous options to pick from. In fact, it can be rather overwhelming! Fortunately, your first rod and reel can be quite simple and affordable as well!
When selecting your rod and reel, you can purchase these items separately or in the form of a “combo”. Regardless of how you purchase, look for a rod that is between 6-7 feet long and is a “medium” power with a “fast” action. A 6’6” rod is the perfect compromise, but keep in mind your vehicle you plan to get to and from the water. If you are purchasing a one piece rod, be sure it can fit in your vehicle. If space is a concern, a two piece rod can be broken down to fit in every sort of vehicle.
A medium power rod will have a strong enough backbone to catch everything from bluegill and crappie to bass, walleye and even Northern pike. A fast action will mean the tip will be sensitive enough to feel the bites of any of these species when they decide to bite. You can find all of this information including the length on the rod near where the handle begins.
For reels, a “2500” or similar size spinning reel will be perfect to pair with this rod. Select a reel that feels comfortable in your hand and don’t be afraid to switch the reel handle over to a side you are most comfortable with.
For the sake of discussion, let’s select a $40 combo. An Okuma Rox Spinning Combo is a great example of an introductory rod and reel combo.
Now it’s time to put some line on this rod and reel set up. You’ll find three main types of line available: monofilament, fluorocarbon and braids or “superlines”. Monofilament will be among the cheapest options and is also perfect for this situation. Monofilament is strong, casts well and the stretch allows some forgiveness when hooking and fighting fish.
Line is categorized by its “pound’ or breaking strength. For most species, 8-10 pound line is perfect. This line will be strong enough to handle the majority of fish you will catch and will be about the perfect diameter for smooth casting. For our example, let’s purchase 8lb Berkley Trilene XT for $8.
Spooling the line onto the reel is a relatively easy process, but your local tackle shop may also offer this service for free or a small fee.
Total Spent: $86
Item Three: Hooks, Weight and Bobbers
Now it’s time to focus on the business end of your set up. A slip bobber is the best option to target a variety of species in different areas. For our example, let’s purchase a couple Thill slip bobbers, a bag of ⅛ ounce egg sinkers, a bag of Eagle Claw barrel swivels and a box of Eagle Claw #4 Aberdeen hooks.
The smaller number the hook, the larger the hook actually is. For example, a #8 Aberdeen hook is smaller than a #4 Aberdeen hook. A good compromise is a #4 hook as this will be large enough to catch bigger species such as bass and walleye, but can also catch bluegill, perch and crappie as well.
For bait, all we’ll need in this example to start catching fish is a box of nightcrawlers or a scoop of minnows. Between all of these items and our bait, we’ve spent about our remaining $12.
Total Spent: $100
Hitting the Water
Now that you’ve got what you need to catch fish, it’s time to go find some! Fortunately, there are a wide variety of waterbodies to fish and numerous options for anglers powered by their own two feet.
You don’t need to go far to fish and looking for areas such as rocky shorelines, road grades or even fishing piers and docks are some of the prime spots to target. These are relatively easy areas to fish and often will hold weed lines, drop offs or rocky areas that attract fish throughout much of the year.
You can find a complete list of fisheries found in South Dakota in the Public Fishing Access Map.
You’ve got all your gear and you know where you’re reading to start fishing. Now, it’s time to go have fun and make memories out on the water! As you spend more time on the water, we have everything you need to grow your skills as an angler and catch more and bigger fish wherever your next adventure will take you! Good fishing!
