I have a son who has taken an interest in fishing. I haven’t gone fishing years and so there was a slight learning curve and I decided to write a newbies guide to fishing for anyone else who might be interesting going fishing but aren’t really sure where to begin.
Fishing basics
Fishing is a great and relaxing past time. Some people fish for food, some fish for sport and others just to relax. Fishing is the act of trying to catch a fish.
There are different tools used to fish but basically you put something out that attracts a fish and try to entice the fish to take it. You then capture the fish and bring it to you.
The fishing rod
In essence, a fishing rod is a tool just like any other tool in your tool box but the most important tool is your mind. While the rod is the tool to present your bait to the fish and bring the fish to you, it is your mind that determines what and how you do that. Since this is a newbies guide to fishing, we will just focus on a few of those tricks.
All fishing rods basically do the same thing. They allow you to cast a line out to where the fish are and present your bait to the fish. There are some subtle differences between types of rods.
Spincast Reel
A spincast rod & reel features a closed reel to avoid tangling of the line. It also features a way to adjust the drag on the line.
To use a spincast reel, you put your bait on, hold the brake button down, bring the rod back – either overhead or to your side and then quickly flick it towards the water and release the brake. After your bait lands, turn the crank a few times to lock the reel.
Spinning Reel
A spinning reel has an open reel of of fishing line with a bail around it. The the bail keeps the line away from the reel so the line wraps smoothly as you crank the reel.
To use a spinning reel you take the line and put it through one of your fingers holding the rod. Flip the bail over and bring the rod back – either overhead or to your side and then quickly flick it towards the water. The line should go out. After it goes out, manually flip the bail back again so you are ready to reel your fish in.
Fly Fishing
A Fly Fishing reel is different from the spinning forms of fishing in that you place a lightweight lure (the bait) that is shaped like bug that a fish would see above the water and present it to the fish. This requires and almost delicate dance of the fishing line before allowing the fly to land gently on the water.
While the main focus of this newbie guide for fishing is on the spinning and spincast reels, to fly fish you need a special rod/reel and setup to the line. To start you pull out about 3′ of line from the reel and hold it in your opposite hand. Pull your rod back and then flick it forward allowing the line to go out. You pull the rod backwards and pull another 3′ or so of line out and swing the rod forward again. You do this back and forth repeatedly until you have enough line have the fly land exactly where you want it to. When you do, you just let the line land on the water and start reeling it in.
Obviously these are a lot of subtle things to learn and have for fly fishing but I thought I would include the description here as part of the newbies guide to fishing but this is a more advanced topic to cover once you have mastered the other fishing techniques.
Bait
You won’t catch many fish with a bare fishing line so you need to attach some bait to the end of your line. Bait comes in different sizes and types depending on what you are trying to catch.
For our purposes, we’ll focus on two basic types of fish – bass and trout. Bass are found in lakes or larger bodies of water and trout are found in streams. What you use to catch each one depends of which you are trying to catch.
Bass
If you are fishing on a lake and trying to catch a bass fish, you are most likely going to use a lure that is shaped like a small fish. The bass will think it’s a fish and go to bite it. That’s when you can hook them!
To attach the lure, you’ll want to attach a swivel to the end of your line to connect the lure to the line. About 12-16″ above the swivel you’ll want a bobber so that your bait will dangle that distance below the bobber.
Trout
Trout are naturally curious fish and like shinny objects or food that appears to have fallen into the water like worms. For trout you can use a spinning shiner.
To attach the lure, you’ll want to attach a swivel to the end of your line to connect the lure to the line. About 12-16″ above the swivel you’ll want a bobber so that your bait will dangle that distance below the bobber.
A note about barbed hooks
Some hooks have a barbed hooked and in some jurisdictions they are illegal. If you have barbed hooks, you can always get a small wire cutter and just cut the tip of the barb off and your hook will be legal.
Where to find fish for newbies
Fish like to hang out in the shade where the water is cooler. Look for shady spots or places that are not in direct sunlight.
In a stream, you want to stand looking downstream and find a dark pocket around a rock, under a tree or roots hanging over the stream bank. Fish will go to these areas. That is where you want to try and cast your line and then bring it towards you.
Concluding thoughts on fishing for beginners
Hopefully this newbies guide to fishing helps you on your journey to becoming a fisherman. There are other resources online such as:
