Suitably impressed with my interest in fishing, Kathy suggested we take a trip to Cabela’s to do some information gathering and see what gear I needed. I wanted the right gear but didn’t want to spend too much.
The gear I brought from England gave me a good start. I had the following:
• 11ft 6in, six piece, 4-8oz cast Ron Thompson Traveler Beach Rod
• Penn Surfmaster 750 Reel
• Fladen Power Surf Spinning Reel
• Halco Roosta Poppers – 4 ½” 30g and 5 3/8” 47g versions
• 5 ¼” Williamson JP5 Jet Popper Lure
We were helped by a guy called Mark and he couldn’t have been more helpful. I explained what I was looking for and he said maybe I needed an Ugly Stik. I thought it was a little personal as he was no GQ cover himself, but he produced a Shakespeare Ugly Stik rod to look at. He gave the price and then showed us some other rods, this time by Tsunami, one of which he thought would be a good choice.
When I told him the two reels I already owned Mark said I was well covered (thanks Barney and Roger) and led us to the bewildering array of lures.
As I said earlier, my knowledge base was dustier than the New York Jets’ trophy cabinet, but occasional terms like poppers, swimmers and sinkers would come to the surface (no pun intended, honest). Mark said that the Halco Roosta Poppers I owned would be ideal before suggesting a few additions.
We looked at sinkers, bucktails and spoons and Mark patiently explained how each one sat in the water. He also advised on line weight, snap swivels, knots and answered every newbie question I could throw at him. My internal database was good but it seems many of the terms are different in the USA. So now I was learning a new hobby and a new language.
Armed with this information and a recommendation to obtain a copy of “The Fisherman” magazine, we left Cabela’s knowing we would be back after more research and some time to mullet over (ouch).
I relayed my new-found information to Roger, who offered a few small tweaks to the setup. It felt good knowing I was about to embark on a new interest and I’m sure Roger must have been sitting in Jersey thinking “It’s about time, you slacker.”
11ft 6in, six piece, 4-8oz cast Ron Thompson Traveler Beach Rod.
Penn Surfmaster 750 Reel.
Halco Roosta Poppers.
Williamson JP5 Jet Popper Lure.
Dave's Fish Tales 