Serious fishermen spend countless dollars and endless hours trying to hone their skills. Many fish on a competitive basis, sometimes traveling for hundreds of miles to put their talents to the test. Others cruise 50, 60, even 70 miles offshore – burning quite a bit of fuel while doing so – in pursuit of their favorite quarry.

All this . . . just to catch a fish? Well, there's no doubt that people get passionate about fishing. But do you have to? Is it possible to simply enjoy the sport on occasion, without all the gear and expense? Can you be a casual angler?

The truth is that you can. Most of us can simply toss out a lure and troll our way from destination to destination without much extra effort. It's not as hard as you might think, and you may even catch a fish or two so long as you cover the basics.

LENNY RUDOWYou don't have to be a fishing nut to catch dinner! Tina hooked, fought, and landed this nice striper during a casual spring cruise down the Chesapeake Bay.ACCESSORIZE

For most of us, the simplest and least-stressful method of catching Nemo is trolling. After all, if you're already cruising, why not simply drop those lines off the stern as you go? But unlike center consoles and walkarounds, most cruisers, sailboats, and trawlers don't have a wide-open cockpit rigged with rod holders, knife holders, and the like. So you may need to improvise, or at least do some prep work.

Most important, you'll need to add at least one vertical rod holder to your boat if you don't already have one. Why not just hold the fishing rod? The line and lures create quite a bit of drag going through the water, and this will tire out the average cruiser in a matter of minutes.

Adding a rail-mount rod holder is quick and easy if your boat has metal rails of a common diameter. (You can see which sizes are available at www.tigressoutriggers.com.) Don't buy any old rod holder, though. Stainless steel is a must, because holders made of plastic break under the pressure of large fish, and those made of other metals become pitted and corrode. If you hope to troll more than one line at a time, also look for holders that can be angled away from the boat, so you can point the rods away from each other. And holders with gimbals (pins than the rod butt fits into, locking them in place) are also advantageous.

Of course, if you don't have rails lining an aft deck or cockpit, you'll need an alternative. Rod holders with slide-in mounts are a good option for decks surrounded by flat fiberglass inwales. This type of mount also allows you to remove the rod holder when it's not in use. Yes, you'll have to drill into that shiny gelcoat to put on the receiver mount. But this is a simple installation requiring just a power drill and four screws. If you have a couple of inches of space between your inwale and gunwale, you could also try a multifunction receiver mount, like those from Talon Marine (www.tallonmarine.com). It can be used with a selection of rod holders, cup holders, dive-tank holders, and other accessories that come in handy as you enjoy different activities on deck.

Flush-mounted gunwale holders are the third possibility, but to mount these, you need to have unobstructed gunwales that are at least five inches wide and 10 inches deep. Since the holders sit on the flush top of the mount at an angle, it's tricky cutting the opening and mounting them. If you're a DIY boater, you can give it a shot, but in most cases, hiring a pro is better. If you do take on this challenge, make sure you have enough overhead clearance between the rod holder(s) and hardtops or biminis for your rod tip before you drill any holes. Otherwise, you could do a perfect installation that you won't even be able to get a rod into.

TALLON MARINERod holders are a must-have, and some can be fitted to your boat on removable receiver mounts.GEARING UP

Luckily, the gear you'll need to troll a few lines behind the boat is fairly simple. Start off with the rod and reel; these are categorized by line "class," or weight. For the casual angler, gear in the 30- to 40-pound class is a good choice. It can handle most fish you're likely to encounter, yet it isn't so large and heavy that it becomes cumbersome. Stick with fiberglass rods, which may not be as sensitive as graphite versions but can take a beating without becoming damaged, and often survive decades of use in the saltwater environment. Those that have stainless steel ring-guides (as opposed to guides with aluminum-oxide liners or rollers) are good because they're more or less bulletproof and will survive anything shy of dropping an anchor on them. Shy away from roller guides, which work well for a season or two but require constant maintenance.

Here's a tip to test an older rod: Pull an old pair of pantyhose through the eyes to make sure the guides are still usable. If the pantyhose hangs up on burrs and sharp edges, don't use the rod, because it'll create line wear and lead to break-offs.

Conventional reels with automatic level-winders are more convenient than those that must be level-wound manually (to prevent line from balling up in one spot on the reel's spool, you need to direct it back and forth as it's wound on). But again, the complexity of an added moving part means more maintenance and the potential for failure in the long run. If you can stand to train yourself to use your thumb and push the line back and forth on the spool as you retrieve it, you can do without the level-winders. Bonus: This simpler gear is also significantly less expensive than the reels that have level-winders.

The classic setup would be a Penn 113 or 113H Senator reel (you can check these out at any tackle shop or go to www.pennreels.com) mounted on a 6-foot or 6-foot, 6-inch Senator rod, a rig that will cost you around $200. Even if you only have one rod holder, remember that it's wise to leave port with a pair of rods, with one serving as a backup. Otherwise, Murphy's law dictates that you're sure to encounter gear problems or drop a rod over the side by accident right when the fish start biting.