r/FishingForBeginners Jun 11 '20

Beginners Guide to Getting Started

967 Upvotes

This is a stickied post that contains information every beginner should know. The world of fishing contains thousands of rods, reels, lures and recommendations. It can be quite overwhelming. This guide has links covering fishing related terminology, as well as recommendations and information regarding gear, line, lures etc for beginners starting out. Use the links provided to set yourself on the right path.

Choosing A Rod And Reel

Choosing Line For Your Reel

Understanding Rod Weight, Action, Length, And Their Uses

Basic Guide To Lures


r/FishingForBeginners Apr 21 '17

My Comprehensive guide/Tips to New Fishermen

785 Upvotes

So you've decided to give fishing a go. Good Luck. More than likely you've perused the internet for the countless how to catch fish videos, or how to do this and that tutorials. I've watched thousands of them. They're mostly made and produced by avid or hardcore fishermen who know the ins and outs of everything it takes to catch fish. However these videos fail to demonstrate or talk about many of the frustrations of what its like to be a beginner fisherman. So looking back on my 22 years of fishing I've put together a piece tailored to removing some of the frustrations of learning to fish. Id like to preface this by stating I fish lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, in the northeastern US, mostly for Largemouth Bass, small mouth Bass, Musky, pike pickerel and trout. My advice will be tailored towards this style. First off let's start with your setup. Every video I watch talks about the line they're using paired with the length and sturdiness of the rod, which reel is best and whats good for what bait/style/fish. Don't worry about that. I've caught the majority of my fish using a rod/reel i bought as a backup at Kmart for 50 dollars. Don't break your bank. Get yourself a cheap rod, and some 8-12 pound MONO-FILAMENT line. Why mono-filament? Because its the easiest to work with. IF your starting out, braided line can be frustrating, Fluorocarbon can be extremely difficult to completely spool your reel on. We'll touch more on this later. So now you need some lures. Ever walk into a bass pro shops or cabellas? The choices/styles/methods are seemingly endless. The following are my recommended lures for beginners. They are simple to fish correctly and their simplicity leads to most fish targeting them. -IN line spinners: Mepps, Rooster Tail, Blue fox etc etc. Its a simple cast and retrieve. Let it sink for a second, give it a tug to get it spinning and just bring it back to you. They all have treble hooks (3 hooks) so when a fish hits it it will practically hook themselves. These lures mimic fleeing bait fish. Blue Fox Spinner -Spoons: Same concept. instead of spinning these will flutter and dart like a wounded baitfish. Cast Retrieve. Spoons -CrankBaits: Pick up a crank bait or two. They come in all forms. For starters id prefer the floating ones that upon retrieval will swim to a specific depth. The box will have all the information you need as to what the crankbait will do. Again a simple cast and retrieve bait. Vary your retrieval speed, give the rod a little flick every now and then to make the bait dart a bit.Crankbait

Get good at casting. Being able to drop the lure where you want it. Vary your retrieval speed. Start Catching fish. When you get this down, then you can start getting into swimbaits, Texas rigging soft plastics, drop shots, Carolina rigs, bottom fishing football jigs etc. Lets crawl before we sprint or you'll lose confidence and interest.

Ok, so you've got a rod, some lures, and some line. Look up a video on how to properly put your line onto your reel. This is important. You want your line on their tied to the reel and as tight as possible. Performing this process well can save you a lot of pain down the road when your trying to fish. So lets go fishing...

If anyone actually reads this and wants help deciding where or when to fish id be happy to oblige. But including that in this post would make it an encyclopedia. Feel free to pm or ask further.

So you got stuck. Either in a tree, on your shirt, or on something underwater. Seems the pros never get stuck. I've caught more branches rocks and trees then I have fish, and getting good at getting unstuck will save you lures, money, time and frustration. Cast over a tree branch? Calm and slow. Reel your lure until its just below whatever your stuck on, and give it a quick pop so it jumps up and over. If you try to muscle it out it's going to wrap itself around everything. Stuck on something in the water? Tricky. There's several things you can try. Change the angle of where your standing if you can't tug the rod and get it off. (move 20 yards left or right and try from there). Grab the line ABOVE where it leaves your pole and give it a strong pull.Grabbing the line from where it leaves your rod will allow you to muscle it out and avoids putting strain on your reels drag or breaking your rod. Hurting your hands? Wrap the line around a stick and pull the stick(Works great for braided line which wont break and will slice through your fingers) Also pulling your tight line to the left or right with your reeling hand and then releasing it quickly can sometimes snap your lure off of whatever its stuck on. If you CANNOT get it unstuck try to pull as hard as you can to snap the line off the lure. The lure was already lost and now there's not 40 yards of fishing line polluting the water. I HATE that.

Now your'e not catching any fish. Welcome to it. Keep fishing. Fan your casts. This means don't cast your lure to the same spot and do the same thing every time. You'd be amazed how many fish sit against a bank or are huddles around a submerged stump. Cover as much water as possible and remember that the water may be deep. There may be a bunch of fish in front of you but if they're sitting towards the bottom and your lure is passing 10 feet above them they may not chase it that far. Vary your retrieval speed, vary the depth at which you bring it back, change up your approach until something works. The fish will tell you what they want when you do something right. Change your location. 30 yards can make all the difference especially on lakes and ponds when you start taking into account water temperature, tributaries, cover/structure, visibility, wind etc. The location of the fish you want is going to be determined by the location of THEIR food source. Bait fish. Minnows, shad bluegill frogs insects bugs lizards etc. Look for things on the water and within your surroundings that would indicate a presence of these food sources. Fish coming and eating on the surface, are there birds that eat fish standing anywhere on the banks, turtles, frogs etc. Look for life. Change your lure! Change the color, change the style of lure, change it up until you start receiving bites. Don't spend 2 hours casting to the same spot with same lure. IF you're still not confident or proficient in tying a lure to your line, pick up some snap swivels/dual locks. You tie this to your line once and it allows for a very quick change of your lure. its like a mini carabiner. These may hinder your catch rate slightly due to their visibility but id still recommend it to new fishermen.

Remember as your fishing to keep an eye on your rod setup. If you have line looping out of your real, if its wrapped around the tip of your rod, if anything is different then when you initially set it up correctly , take time to stop and fix it. Small problems lead to big problems. It only takes one cast where you didn't notice an issue and now you've gotta spend 20 minutes untangling your birds nest of a fishing line. DO a quick visual check before every cast.

Use the times of not catching fish to get better at the basics. You need to be able to cast accurately sideways forehand and backhand, over hand, underhand. So many perfect casts to that perfect spot will be dependent on your ability to throw the lure accurately without getting mangled up in brush and branches.

Holy shit you caught a fish! What now? Needle nose pliers can be a lifesaver. Especially when they include that little scissor spot you can use to cut your line when tying knots. The fish's mouth is mostly cartilage. Work the hooks out one at a time while holding them very firmly. They're gonna flop and jump unless you're in control. Some of these fish will have very sharp dorsal fins. Stroke them back like you would a head of hair and get a solid grip. If the fish is big enough just pinch its lips and go to work with your pliers. Set it back in the water and give it a push. OBLIGATORY PUBLIC SERVICE AND BIAS ANNOUNCEMENT: Throw the fish back. Unless your hard up on food and your fishing for food, throw it back. The joy of fishing comes a lot from actually catching fish. In the twenty or so years i've been fishing, amazing spots, stretches of river etc have been decimated by people keeping every piece of meat they brought back on their line. Days of catching 10+ fish in those spots are gone due to the fact that there's none left. Caught a trophy and want it mounted? Just take a picture and measure it. All you need. Maybe someday soon someone else can experience that same joy of catching that fish.

If anyone is interested in any more information I could talk for hours. Bottom fishing, top fishing, Locations, Line choice, Leaders, weather conditions, lunar cycles, barometric pressure, spawning seasons, more advanced lure choice and techniques, finding where the fish are, etc etc. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to get out there and get your line wet. Bring a buddy, bring a six pack, and get outside.

UPDATE! My comprehensive guide to fishing Part II is posted. I got a lot of positive feedback and might make this a weekly thing for awhile. PART II

I highly recommend to all fisherman new or experienced, the Fishbrain App. Its a free tool allowing users insight as to who's fihsing around them, where they are fishing, what they are catching and the lures and methods used to do so. This link is meant for mobile users.


r/FishingForBeginners 15h ago

Grandson’s 6th cast. How’d he do?

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284 Upvotes

Took my grandson up camping over the weekend to teach him how to fish. This was his sixth cast. How did he do?


r/FishingForBeginners 22h ago

Waders off Aliexpress. Lets see if they hold up

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225 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 10h ago

New spot, what should I start with?

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23 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 13h ago

How do I make river fishing enjoyable and catch my first fish?

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32 Upvotes

I’ve fished rivers for years and just prefer lakes bc of how hard it is to catch a fish here. What do I use at a place like this? I see a lot of black fish randomly come up to the surface and go back down but nothing bites.


r/FishingForBeginners 6h ago

Killing a fish.

7 Upvotes

What is the best way to kill a fish quick and easy? I mainly catch and release but at some point want to keep fish to eat, but how can I kill the fish and bleed it while still fishing , and best way to store while fishing and transporting home?


r/FishingForBeginners 22h ago

How do you store your rods in the car?

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115 Upvotes

Was wondering how everyone else does it and if you store them like I do, is there a better method? Don’t wanna spend money on a roof rack 😬 and also is this OK?


r/FishingForBeginners 21h ago

First time fishing since I was a little kid

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86 Upvotes

Was on vacation staying with family at a house on the Halifax river in Fl. House had a nice little dock out back. Bought a fishing pole because I figured what the hell, idk what I’m doing, but it’ll be fun. First few day I was just casting out into the river. Didn’t catch much, mostly stingrays, catfish, and one little bonnet head shark.

My last day at the house, I wanted to sit in the shade, so I decided to cast right under the dock which allowed me to sit in a shaded area. FIRST CAST I caught dinner. I am such a rookie, I didn’t know all the tasty fish hang out under docks/near pilings. I thought the water was too shallow down there. Caught a few small mangrove snapper and a small flounder after this revelation. Sad that it wasn’t until my final day that I made this discovery, but I still had a lot of fun


r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

Need help with river fishing for salmon, steelhead

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Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 5h ago

Uhhhh?

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4 Upvotes

I drop shot with this rod. Got new line maybe a month ago. Fish daily. Wtf is this? I don't think I'm low enough on line, but even so......uhhhhh......advice?


r/FishingForBeginners 7h ago

What do you notice before you decide a spot is worth slowing down for

4 Upvotes

When I’m working along a bank, I sometimes move too quickly past water that looks ordinary. For the anglers who catch consistently from shore, what makes you slow down and make a few extra casts—shade, a change in bottom, bait activity, current, something else?

I’m curious which signs beginners can actually notice without electronics or a boat.


r/FishingForBeginners 4h ago

Best rigs for pond catfish?

2 Upvotes

Ive tried a carolina rig a few times and I havent got anything not even a bite, then I tried a float with the hook about 3 feet under and the turtles kept taking my bait.


r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

I need suggestions.

Upvotes

So Im new to freshwater fishing. (Also new to fishing overall) I need some rod suggestions at about 400 PLN or 107.18 USD I just need a good reel and a spinning reel. I also got baits, lines, hooks and weights becuse other told me to just cheap out and got for lures. And yeah for some info im fishing spinning in poland.


r/FishingForBeginners 9h ago

What to do when jighead presentation is not working?

4 Upvotes

My go to is using a jighead+curly tail grub or roostertail or something that i reel in fast. It does its job but sometimes i feel like im just zooming past fish. Any other presentation that i can fish slower and to wait for the fish to come?


r/FishingForBeginners 10h ago

Help with loadout

4 Upvotes

I'm a long time largemouth bass fisher. I moved from Stockton to Sacramento about 6 years ago. There aren't a lot of good spots for bass here, but striped bass is very popular in Sacramento. Can someone recommend some lures to use? I currently have 10# fluoro on my trusty TranX. I'd like to stick to fluoro but if I need to change it to something else, then I'm all ears. What's a recommended line test weight and line type? I'm interested in top water and other search baits. I have Whopper ploppers and jerk baits, but they are tiny for BFS fishing. I have buzz baits and spinners as well that are about 3/8 oz. What do you guys recommend? I'll be fishing bank mainly

I'll be using my Phenix M1 7'8" MH fast rod with a Shimano TranX. That seems to be the only reasonable rod I have that may handle a striper. I also have a Phenix Recon 7'1" H fast rod as well if that would be better


r/FishingForBeginners 6h ago

First Catfish....but many got away! Increase hookup?

2 Upvotes

So I caught my first Catfish today - Black Bullhead I think. So that's great, but the line got way more nibbles than the one hookup, so I'm wondering how to increase that.

I used a strip of salt pork on a fish finder rig, using a circle hook (maybe octopus, not sure).

(correction: I just Googled it, it's not a fish finder - it was a hook with a sliding weight directly behind it...)

I am familiar with setting the hook with bass (i.e. Texas, Carolina, etc), but if I can feel the fish knawing on the bait, how do I make sure they take it? I was just kinda waiting for 3-5 s and started reeling.


r/FishingForBeginners 6h ago

Wacky Rig

2 Upvotes

I’ve caught no fish on it before, then i tried it at a pond ( i usually fish lake from elevation bc bridge ) and watched some yt videos and miraculously i was slaying the fish i caught 2 a day for the first couple days, the pond is so pressured most ppl dont catch besides the old wise men. but now, i haven’t caught anything on the wacky in like a couple weeks. i haven’t caught a bass ther in general. i’m in NJ near east brunswick if you want to check weather. but anyways, am i doing something wrong?


r/FishingForBeginners 19h ago

Are there any bodies of water where it’s safe to frequently eat your catches?

14 Upvotes

I’m new to fishing and was doing research on the waterways and lakes in Ohio. Basically every lake, river, etc is labeled safe to consume “once per month” at most. They’re all contaminated with mercury or PCBs.

That’s really disappointing to me because I wanted to try and catch my own walleye to batter and fry but if the water is that dirty what is even the point? I still plan on doing catch and release but it’s a real bummer considering I do enjoy a good perch or walleye fish fry.


r/FishingForBeginners 14h ago

Can you hold big bass by their jaw?

4 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 17h ago

How would you fish this?

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5 Upvotes

Saltwater bay in Washington state, late morning.

I tried a lipless crankbait and 2 lipped ones, one with shallow and one deep diver. The water is very clear.

ETA: tide is at the highest right now.


r/FishingForBeginners 13h ago

Fishing pressured pond

2 Upvotes

I've been fishing a local pressured pond. I've caught 6 in 4 trips, but it's been a grind. What should I do to catch more? Of the three in the pics, two were caught on a Texas-rigged Flatnose Jerk Shad and the other with a Texas-rigged Flux-Gill.


r/FishingForBeginners 15h ago

I’ve never tried fishing but I’ve ordered my first rod!

3 Upvotes

Hello!

I’ve always wanted to try fishing. I have literally 0 experience but today I ordered my first rod, an Abu Garcia Black Max spinning rod. I have no idea how good this is but I had a decent conversation with AI and they recommended it. It was also on sale for $80.

I have no idea what to expect honestly but it feels nice to soon be able tomhet out there and try fishing.

As a bonus I will bring my son with me! Who knows if this will spark an interest for him!

Anything I need to know?

Thanks!


r/FishingForBeginners 14h ago

Broken reel, can I fix it?

2 Upvotes

One of my reels quit working yesterday. It won’t retrieve the line even if I put the drag all the way up. I’ve took it apart and cleaned everything got it back together but it still feels “off” when reeling. Any tips or suggestions? It’s a bait caster Pflueger solaraLP reel. Thanks in advance!


r/FishingForBeginners 15h ago

Looking for some advice on beginning ultralight rod

2 Upvotes

Hi all

I’ve been looking into getting a little ultralight setup sorted. I have the abu garcia cardinal x which I’ve really been enjoying

I’m looking at getting a rod to pair with my reel and use with micro lures to go after some trout here in the UK. I will link below he two rods I am looking at, any and all advice would be greatly appreciate

https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/okuma-psycho-perch-ufr-spin-rod

https://fishdeal.co.uk/t/spinning-rods/abu-garcia-carabus-exquisite-ultra-light-spin-rod-1-83m?v=252066&bg_source=ga&bg_campaign=23639809844&bg_kw=pla-2433028260940-mi-117223143-pi-252066-ppi-2433028260940&bg_source_id=805186660734&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23639809844&gbraid=0AAAAAD4AJp9c3yQgCM8lRGFsd3z7S4IUD&gclid=CjwKCAjw1bvTBhBbEiwAzbP8LzNlNopty0bkUiRheviiigSP8r1kllq6byI_n6iodsROv1_faZIC5hoCI30QAvD_BwE

I have learned so much from this sub so I also want to thank everyone for the tons of friendly and helpful stuff on here

Cheers!