Selected Q & A: Budget Trouting

By Seth

Here is one of quite a few emails we have gotten from readers this month. Thank you for reading our blog! We appreciate the support. Since we feel that this is a rather common question, after the writer agreed, we decided to do an article on this.

Trout Magnet Combo Kit troutmagnet.com

"Thank for this blog! It's wonderful! I am getting back to fishing, and would love to fish for trout. But I am on a very strict budget as a student, and don't have much time to practice or tune my equipment. Can you recommend a complete fishing setup for 35 bucks? Thanks."

Thanks for reading the blog. $35 bucks. That's hard to work with, but not impossible. Fly fishing requires more money, and takes much practice, so it's out of the question. But spin fishing for trout is possible. Here are my choices: 

For a rod and rod, I suggest you get the Shakespeare Micro 7' Spinning Combo. For about $29 at Walmart, it's a great deal. I have owned a few, and strongly liked the Micro. It's sensitive, long (good for longer casts and hook setting power, and lure maneuvering), with a nice cork handle, and the reel isn't too bad.

Plus, the Micro is already prespooled with 4lb Stren Original, an excellent line.

That leaves us with $5. I suggest you buy the Trout Magnet Combo Kit, and then the Mealworm color. Trout Magnets are very effective trout jigs, and have caught me plenty of small bass and panfish, too. Since they are jigs, they are cheaper than spinners, and no special presentations are needed (just dead drift or twitch)

I hope that helps, and good luck fishing!

Seth