The gear I actually fish with.

For finesse lines, Gosen is the best on the market without a shadow of a doubt. I run the Answer Ajing PE X4 in size 0.3 — thin enough to cast small lures with precision, strong enough to handle surprise fish around the rocks, and consistently round and smooth through the guides. I have tried cheaper braids and I always come back to this one.

For the price, this is very good material. There are better fluorocarbons out there, but they often cost a lot more for a marginal gain. The TICT Light Game Compact Shock Leader is what I use most and what I recommend to anyone starting out in light rock fishing. It knots well, holds up to abrasion and does not steal money from your reel budget.

Let me be honest: this is not the best rod I have ever fished. It is very soft, like all Yamaga blanks — almost trout-like in the tip — and I am not a huge fan of that action for the way I fish. But it is light, well made and easy to travel with. The real reason I still own it is simple: my budget does not yet stretch to a top-tier Clear Blue rod. When it does, that will be the upgrade.

Not the best reel on the wall, either. The budget is tight and for the money the Stradic 1000FM was the best balance of weight, smoothness and salt-air durability I could find. It has been reliable trip after trip. The Shimano Vanquish 1000 is the dream reel — lighter, smoother, prettier — and maybe soon the savings will get me there.

I started with Major Craft heads and cheap AliExpress softbaits. Today Major Craft feels like a white-label brand to me — little quality for the price — but I still keep plenty of budget AliExpress jigheads in the box, especially when I do not know what the bottom looks like at a new spot. For finesse fishing, TICT and MegaBass are what I use most these days. Mainly TICT.