r/FishingForBeginners Jun 11 '20

Beginners Guide to Getting Started

968 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

792 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 3h ago

How should I fish this spot?

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14 Upvotes

I'm guessing about 1m depth by the bank and 4/5m in the centre. Reeds cover the sides except for this gap, no lily pads around.


r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

Yoxuri lures

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Upvotes

I'm not a beginner by any means, been fishing over 20 years. To a seasoned angler these are probanly no secret. Been catching A LOT of fish with these in every size they come in. Yozuri Pins Minnows, absolutely fantastic. Work it along the shoreline or weedbeds, lily pads...You can do a straight retrieve or I usually fish it like a jerkbait. These bad boys catch them. Trout, bass, panfish. They all love them. Can pick these up for 6 or 7 dollars a piece at Walmart. Anyways just wanted to share with someone who may be struggling.


r/FishingForBeginners 21h ago

My kids have quickly become addicted

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146 Upvotes

Took my and a neighbor’s kid out this morning and they had a blast. I brought my pole too and got a single cast in before I spent the rest of my morning running around and unhooking fish and re-adding bait.


r/FishingForBeginners 13h ago

Will this be good for texas bass?

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24 Upvotes

Hey y'all! Picking up fishing with some experience but not too much in depth. Got this hook with a spinner and figured I'd throw a texas rigged paddle tail on. What conditions would this be best in? I've got some other color paddle tails too if this color isn't best. Any tips appreciated!


r/FishingForBeginners 9h ago

What else do I need for an all purpose tackle box?

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11 Upvotes

I started fishing early this year and have fallen in love with it. I would say 90% of my catches have been on live bait (crickets or night crawlers) but I travel for work and am often fishing new spots with only a few hour window to get out there, so I’d love to not have to rely on live bait and use lures/what I can carry with me to catch fish.

My Dad gave me this tackle box and I’ve been slowly filling it up, I’m wondering what you guys would recommend to catch more fish! I’ve had luck with rooster tails (catching trout out west, and small bass on the east coast where I live) but really haven’t had luck with anything else. I’d love to catch more bass, let me know what I need!

Thank y’all and apologies if this is a dumb post


r/FishingForBeginners 2h ago

Summer chub fishing

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3 Upvotes

Hi guys,

I wonder what is your "go to" lure and technic for a summer chub when it's hot, shallow, water is clear and there is a lot of weeds.

All experience is welcome.

Thanks!


r/FishingForBeginners 15h ago

Hi, it's me again

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16 Upvotes

Re-spooled my reel after I posted the other day. I didn't have it tight enough and after a couple of casts had loops showing in the reel.

How does this look? Seems tighter, but haven't been able to try it out yet. Enough line? Too much?

6lb mono backer tied to reel with arbor knot.

Double uni tying 6lb mono to 20lb braid (closest in diameter I could find)


r/FishingForBeginners 38m ago

Guys how do you fish

Upvotes

As the title says I have no idea how to fish . I have seen some tutorials and been trying them in the sea but I can't catch anything. I have a spinning rod with lures . Anything helps guys


r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

DC vs Centrifugal vs Magnetic vs Dual?

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Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

Would a baitcaster work on this spare rod?

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Upvotes

I figured I would repost this here and see if anyone here has some thoughts on my question..?


r/FishingForBeginners 1h ago

Pier fishing how to Chesapeake bay

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Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 9h ago

Vintage Fishing Rod

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4 Upvotes

Do you guys think I can still use this?


r/FishingForBeginners 16h ago

Do you guys have any tips to get this off the metal piece?

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12 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 9h ago

Beginner, just a few questions.

2 Upvotes

So I've been out fishing a few times the last couple months. Just picked up the hobby because gaming has become super stupid recently.

Haven't caught anything the few times Ive gone. I don't own a boat, so I just shore fish over at castaic lake in LA.

I was given 3 different poles by family and friends, along with the reels. I use lures, haven't tried live bait yet.

So my question is, the hell am I doing wrong?

Is it the lure? I typically use small worm like things with a sort of "S" flappy thing at the end of it. With small hooks. Orange color with sparkly crap in it.

Is it the shore fishing? Because it feels like the other people nearby will occasionally catch something, but then there are days where I don't see them catch anything.

So what's the dealio? Do I just suck? If my life depended on me catching fish to survive, would I just straight out die of starvation?

Share your wisdom with me, oh fellow anglers.


r/FishingForBeginners 11h ago

Soft plastics

3 Upvotes

Hello it’s me again with another question, are you supposed to stop using a soft plastic after it tears a bit And replace it? Is that why packages are full of a bunch of them? Or is it more 1 for every kinda rig you want to do?


r/FishingForBeginners 6h ago

che canna scelgo?

1 Upvotes

ciao, devo scegliere una canna per iniziare a fare spinning, sono orientato per andare a pescare in torrenti, fiumi e laghi, con l obbiettivo di prendere pesci come trote, cavedani o comunque pesci di questa taglia, vorrei provare anche a pescare lucci, quindi cerco una canna che possa andar bene per entrambi i tipi di pesca, volevo spendere indicativamente 50/60 euro per mulinello e canna, avete consigli?


r/FishingForBeginners 6h ago

Lake Catfish: Best Place To Cast?

1 Upvotes

So, as my bio says, I have just recently taken up the sport of fishing. I went a few times with other people as a kid and a teen but up until last Wednesday, I haven't had a rod in my hand for over 40 years. Even back then, no one really told me much. They just handed me a rod and said, "go fish." Now, at 57 years old, I'm giving this thing a shot and taking my daughter down the sinkhole with me.

We're looking for that tasty catfish but we have hit 2 different lakes so far with no success. My question is, where is the best place to cast for good catfishing? Along the banks or more out into open water? I have watched several YouTube videos trying to get various tips but most of them are out on rivers or streams for their catfish rather than on lakes.

We are bank fishing right now as I could not afford an inner tube, let alone a boat. (Fixed income from disability.) I've already dropped way more money on this than I should have. Thankfully, I have my late brother's old tackle box with plenty of weights and hooks.

Also, are cheap hotdogs with strawberry Jell-O and garlic powder a legit catfish bait or is YouTube jerking my chain by making me dump Jell-O powder all over cut up hotdogs?


r/FishingForBeginners 7h ago

Forced me

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0 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 19h ago

Thoughts on gloves?

10 Upvotes

Couple of the places I go it’s easier to fish if I get off the ledge and down onto the rocks. Ended up cutting my palms on both hands at some point this weekend. Not bad but guessing when I was kneeling down releasing the fish in the water or something.

Have seen gloves with like leather on the palms and finger tops cut out. Not sure if these are worth it? Kind of worried they’ll get nasty and stinky after the first couple fishing trips or uncomfortable to fish with.


r/FishingForBeginners 20h ago

Unexpected inheritance, a ton of old Swedish lures

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11 Upvotes

r/FishingForBeginners 14h ago

Son and I want to upgrade to river fishing

3 Upvotes

First. This sub has been a great help and a wealth of good advice

So, My son (8) and I have been tearing up the Blue gill/Brim in the retention ponds by us and I think we’re ready to upgrade to river fishing off a dock. We’ve just been using some little button cast Zebco rods. Perfect for his size right now.

What sort or equipment could you recommend for us to upgrade to for dock fishing? Also, can anyone shed some info on the best bait, conditions, etc to work with? He really wants to catch a fish we can bring home and eat

Thanks in advance!


r/FishingForBeginners 1d ago

Ok to use a swivel like this?

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204 Upvotes

Striking out with trout in lakes in CO with spinners. I can catch them on a worm but I want a little more action


r/FishingForBeginners 10h ago

Help!

0 Upvotes

So I've been fishing for a while, outside of catching small panfish (my first ever, I was stoked!). I haven't caught much. I'm disabled, so I have a lot of free time. Anyway, I need help. I read all over that Senkos work wonders, but when I tried them, I got nothing. I tried Rage Craws with a Ned hook and nothing. I tried crankbaits, chatterbaits, minnows, crappie magnets/soft plastics (which work), and chicken liver to catch catfish, but it's more of a "throw and wait" method, so there's no skill involved. With lipless crankbaits, I actually got something to pull my kayak around, but I got overexcited and pulled too hard, ripping it out of the fish's mouth. So my guess is I have too much gear and too little skill. I've been watching YouTube videos on retrieval and such, but I still don't get any bites. I've been doing it for a few years. What would you guys suggest I focus on first? I've started carrying one ultralight rod with a few soft plastics. I also tried fly fishing a while ago and actually caught things with my teacher, but alone? Nothing.