Man has been fishing since he first set foot into water, however, the tools and methods used to catch the fish has evolved from a sharpened stick to a multitude of fishing equipment that, to the fresh angler, can be a bit overwhelming. No longer is the bamboo pole the weapon of choice, but rather closed and open spool rod and reels have become the standard as fishing equipment has evolved through time.

It used to be the bait and tackle shop next to your favorite fishing hole, selling only, sinkers, hooks, line and worms. In today's angling world, however, there are entire super stores dedicated to the great outdoors. These super stores, or online markets, carry an array of rods, reels, and lures, which makes finding the right fishing equipment a challenge.

The rod and reel you choose will be the most important variable in your fishing experience. The closed spool rod and reel is exactly as it sounds. The spool that holds the fishing line is covered entirely by a plastic or metal cover, giving the fishing line a little extra protection from weathering. The drawback to these sorts of reels has a habit of tangling and knotting, and getting the he problem can be just as trickery as solving it. An open spool reel seems to be the new standard among anglers. The open-faced reel has a very smooth touch to it when you reel in your game. Also, being open makes it easy to fix tangles in fishing line.

Another important decision to make when shopping for fishing equipment is what kind of fishing line you should use. Within the last ten years the technology behind fishing string has increased it's performance dramatically. Likewise, there is a myriad of different kinds of fishing line to choose from. The main concern when choosing fishing line is to find a string with a high enough weight test to pull in those big catches. Getting fishing line with insufficient test could make that big mouth bass the one that got away.

Lures and bait are also an important decision when shopping for items to fill your tackle box. One must learn what lure is effective for angling a certain fish. There are thousands of different lures, falling into two categories, hard lures and soft lures. Hard lures consist of shimmering spoon lures, to replica fish lures, to crappie jigs. Soft lures are mostly made up of latex scented replica worms or crawfish. Or, you can always go with the classic, worms or crickets. For every type of angling, there's a lure for it, and it never hurts to have a variety in your tackle box.

There's no shortage of diversity within the world of fishing. So, whether you're a beginner or advanced, there's a variety of fishing equipment suit your needs.