Let' take time out for a minute from trolling and look into the fisherman's tackle kit.

In addition to the basic tools of rod,reel,line,leaders and lures,there are a host of gadgets which are really essential.

An extra cork for instance,when you want to drift a bait downtide at a certain depth.

A good pair of sunglasses that will protect your eyes from the exposure of water and sun glare.

A hook hone to keep the hooks sharp.

Wire cutters to make up leaders and what not.

A compass in case the fog roles in at the drop of a hat.

A knife for all kinds of uses.

Extra hooks,jigs,swivels,and sinkers.

A water proof match container.

A first aid kit for those hooks that catch you instead of the fish.

A coil of cod line for a dozen reasons.

Ferrule cement and reel oil.

Well that's a start of what you might need when you are a mile or more out to sea.

And if you are tender of skin you better throw in some sun-tan-oil,as reflections from the water burn real fast.

If you are fishing a marsh where there are mosquitoes and knats,a bottle of bug spray will help too.

Yes there are other things that you can carry like life jackets,and a raft if you have room fr it.

Also a fire extinguisher which is the law anyways.

And speaking of time.When is the best time to fish?

What tides will be the most productive?Is ans incoming tide better then an outgoing?

Well if we knew the answers to these questions,we would be well on our way to becoming the expert of anglers through out the world.

Here again we have to fall back on the experience of others and our own pioneering.

Let's say,when is the best time to fish a tide?

It doesn't matter as you can catch fish on every tide there is.We just don't know when the fish will strike from one day to the next.

There are rules to the tides though as incoming tides are better to catch fish then out going tides.

If you are fishing a new area,check what the local anglers are using for bait.A human humbe approach can work wonders even with the most independent person.

Sinkers are those little round or odd shaped weights that are attached to a line to make it sink,but there is more to it then that.

If you are casting off a sandy beach and want your bait to hold against the inshore wash of the waves, you will have to use a pyramid sinker.

If you are casting or hand lining off a rocky bottom for rock fish,where your sinker is apt to get fouled in the rocks,you will want a newport sinker.

Off shore fishing deep for cod,haddock or whatever you will need a round sinker or common cylindrical one.

The weight of your sinker also depends on the size of fish sought.If for a small flounder,about 2 to 3 ounces will do.

But if you are getting way down and in the tide way you will want an  8 to 10 ouncer.

It is surprising how fast the tide flows even at depths of 40 to 50 feet,and how much lead it takes to get your baited hook down to the feeding zone.

There is a bit of information about hand lines.You may buy them at sporting goods stores already rigged and ready to fish with,but if the sinker is above the hooks,you need to put them on the bottom of the line.

You may ask why do this and the answer is you can feel a fish bite better if the hook is between you and the sinker,as the sinker need to be pulled off the bottom about a foot.

This way the hooks are floating in the water not laying on the bottom and you can feel the fish bite much better.

There are people who look down on hand lining in any form but,there's a lot of fun dropping your hook down into the unknown and wondering what you might catch.

The fish could be a 1 pounder or a ten pounder.

I do not recommend the fisher who takes more then he can eat,and also gives fish to the neighbor without cleaning them first.

If you do this the fish will most likely become cat food as some people don't like the idea of cleaning fish.