Much freshwater fishing involves casting or trolling lures around timber, so a lure desnagger quickly pays for itself. The simplest type of desnagger is dropped down on a cord … see them on eBay here.

Shrimp and yabbies are great baits for freshwater fishing. Strict regulations apply to the type of gear used to catch them. Various eBay sellers have yabby and shrimp traps, be sure to buy one that complies with local regulations.

Worms are also an excellent bait, see worm farm listings on eBay here.

For a fair dinkum true blue Aussie lure desnagger, try this one … eBay link here.

A 1-3kg spinning rod-reel combo (eggbeater style reel) is ideal for trout, bass and redfin. See eBay listings for light spin combos here.

A 3-6kg spin outfit is ideal for yellowbelly and small cod. See eBay listings here.

For chasing larger cod in dams, and barramundi in northern dams, a dedicated 10kg baitcaster outfit is required, load it up with 15kg braid if big fish are expected or if there is a lot of timber in your dam.

Soft plastic paddletail lures are popular and effective all-round lures that work particularly well in stocked dams. See eBay listings here. Choose the smallest sizes for trout, redfin and bass, and large sizes for golden perch, murray cod and barramundi.

Soft plastic grubs work well on redfin and trout. See eBay listing here.

Weighted jig heads are needed to rig most soft plastic lures, although some have the jig head built in. See eBay listings here. It pays to use the lightest jig head possible, and light resin jig heads allow an angler to present a more realistic suspending lure action.

Bibbed hardbody minnows work well, choose the smallest sizes for trout, redfin and bass, and large sizes for golden perch, murray cod and barramundi. When chasing large murray cod and barramundi in dams choose good brands like Classics or Reidys, as these strong fish tear apart the split rings and hooks on cheaply made lures.

There are many lures suitable for chasing trout, but a proven favourite is the Tassie Devil. See eBay listings here.

Another proven favourite is the Rapala Trout 3cm minnow. See eBay listings for this and similar lures here.

Where bait fishing is permitted, ball sinkers are ideal for bait fishing. See eBay listing here.

Floats are useful for suspending a bait. The polystyrene floats in the following listing are slid onto the line and a stopper is placed above the float to set the depth fished. For most impoundment fishing, use the smallest size. See eBay listing here.

Alternatively, especially where the water is clear and shallow, use clear bubble floats.

Fly fishing combos, complete with rod, reel, tapered leaders, flyline and flies, are available in various sizes. A 3-weight is OK for small trout rivers while a 6-weight is better for lakes. See eBay listings here.

Good-quality tapered leaders are important when fishing with light line. See eBay listings here. These are an item where it might pay to invest in a quality brand.

Carry an assortment of flies for trout fishing. See eBay listings here.

Floats are useful for suspending a bait. The polystyrene floats in the following listing are slid onto the line and a stopper is placed above the float to set the depth fished. See eBay listing here.

Quill floats are ideal for trout fishing with mudeyes, shrimp and worms.

Hooks in mixed sizes are needed for bait fishing. Suggest 4# to #8 for trout and redfin. Use 1/0 or larger for golden perch. See eBay listing here.

Hooks up to around 1/0 are suitable for bait fishing with shrimps, use smaller hooks for earthworm baits.

For trophy murray cod and barramundi, extra large hooks and lures are needed, and a knotless landing net should be used to land these fish for release, as it minimises damage to the scales and skin.

Lastly, when trout fishing, if don’t want to use traditional smelly baits, you can try a commercial bait product such as this.