RE: What do I need to start?
Those thingies.. No glovs are used by lots of folks. I have a set I haven't put on my string yet.
I use a golf glove. It keeps my fingers from getting sore and I can grab the line when a fish is running without getting cut or burnt from the line.
The downside of the glove... is that it doesn't take long to get smelling like a sun-baked carp (and I anchor right under my nose). [:'(]