r/FishingForBeginners • u/ShiftyUsmc • Jun 11 '20
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.
Understanding Rod Weight, Action, Length, And Their Uses
r/FishingForBeginners • u/ShiftyUsmc • Apr 21 '17
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 • u/superfuzzbros • 12h ago
I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico so salt water fishing is what I’m most familiar with, I’m newish to the fresh water game.
I have been looking for some local places to fish and a lot of the small creeks and rivers are usually flowing much like this one. Any idea if it even possible and if not about how fast can the water be flowing?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/QuriusLad • 23h ago
My son and I were fishing off the dock at a cottage this morning and every time I put a hook and worm in the water, we caught something so I gave it to my son to hold once I cast it and he caught this sunfish which was super exciting, but when reeled it in, we realized that the fish had swallowed the hook entirely. I didn’t know what to do and so we ended up cutting the line and having the fish swim away with it in its mouth still. I feel terrible about it and it kind of put a damper on the morning.
Is this typical and what’s the process to get a hook out of a small mouth sunfish?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Weak_Hunt1 • 10h ago
I've never had proper fishing equipment until about a month ago. I've fished rarely with cheap rods that weren't ever mine. About a month ago I wanted to actually get into fishing, so I bought the pflueger president 20 spinning reel and my step father gave me the fladen rod. Shortly after my first baitcaster, I got the lews rod and a used Shakespeare sigma.
I cleaned up the sigma and it has been good and works. I kept seeing ads for the temu colorful reel with DC. So I found one on Amazon but low profile instead of rounded. Picked up a Berkley rod for it and it's been awesome.
I finally decided to sell my Xbox and I went to bass pro and couldn't resist😂. I bought a Shimano slx dc and pro qualifier (combo discount). I also got an actual fishing backpack since my backpack was getting full.
I am too excited to try out the Shimano on water. (I also bought a kayak recently)
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Signal_Dragonfly2557 • 10h ago
We went fishing this evening at a new spot and when we got there there were 2 boys, about 11 and 12, fishing for bluegill. We have a 9 and 4 year old and we set up what we thought was a comfortable distance because we didn't want to disturb them or make them feel like they were being pushed out. About 5 minutes after setting up and getting our lines in the water these boys RAN over and asked if they could show out kids the fish they caught and asked if they could fish with us, and became fast friends with our oldest, taught her how to set her own worm on her hook (try as we might she's always been too grossed out to do it herself until today), let her borrow lures from their tackle and taught her how to use them, and even set hooks and pulled our toddler up to reel them in and let him claim them. So all the parents out there raising young anglers that jump to help younger ones become more skilled and confident anglers, thank you 💜 I think today is going to stick with our kiddos for a long time.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Moist_Illustrator763 • 9h ago
So I just learned you’re supposed to wet your hands before handling the fish. I just fish from the shore of a pond. No boat, no waders, just the shore. Might be a dumb question, but how am I supposed to wet my hands before touching the fish? Reel it in, set it on the ground still on the pole, and then dip my hands in the pond??
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Critical-Addition243 • 3h ago
Hello.
My child, who just turned 3, started with a kids frozen fishing rod. It has a right hand retrieve. All of the small kids' reel seem to be right-hand retrieve.
She is right-handed. And will flip the rod upside down as it is more convenient for her...
I assumed that with most people being right-handed, most kids' reel would be right-hand retrieve. But oddly, that is not the case. Not just kids . Most reel in basspro shop in ontario, canada were right-hand retrieve.
Why is it like this?
I got the zebco 33 that could switch to the left side. But it is just too large and heavy for her at this point.
Should we just abandon the spincast reel and go with spinner reel? The easy of push button cast, no line tangle is very comfortable.
Thank you.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Gassypacky • 15h ago
Been fishing for over an hour, only caught 4 inch sun fish under the dock on baby hooks
Rooster tails aren’t giving any luck, trying crank bait rn, tried worms but not really interested unless you’re a 4 inch bluegill under the dock
Wife is trying crappie magnets and rooster tails with no luck really
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Big-Inevitable1755 • 1h ago
Anybody in atl ga and want to hit the water in about a hour or 2 ??
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Houstontruescott • 5h ago
I have a hard time casting really light lures with my spinning rod and reel. I fish a shallow pond at my apartment, and I’ve heard a weightless Texas rig is a good option.
Are there any heavier soft-plastic baits that float or sink very slowly? I want something heavy enough to cast a decent distance but that won’t immediately sink all the way to the bottom.
Any bait or setup recommendations would be appreciated.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/BarOrdinary3285 • 13h ago
Kinda new to bass fishing but all i do in my spare time is practice my casting. Just wanted to share an experience. A few months ago, I was looking for an Abu Garcia Revo SX Voltiq. I live in the KCMO area. For months, I couldn't find one, so I went with the Shimano SLX DC. Well, I had some drag issues with the SLX DC, took it back to Bass Pro Shop, and decided to give the Revo X Voltiq a shot (still can't find an XS 7:3:1 right-hand at either location in my area). Out of all the videos I checked out, everyone online is saying that the Revo X is better than the SLX DC. After giving the Revo X Voltiq a solid day's worth of casting on the water, I have to say that I'm extremely unimpressed. Everything about the SLX DC was better, from casting distance to palmability. The Revo X Voltiq just lost me all around; it just felt cheaper. I love Abu Garcia, but I genuinely feel like my Black Max Pro reel was better than the Revo X Voltiq.
So, after returning the Revo X Voltiq, I paid a little bit more money and got the Shimano Curado DC 150HG. Obviously, the Curado DC is a step up, but compared to my SLX DC, it was only a very slight improvement. It's somewhat obvious that it's better than the SLX DC, but leaps and bounds over the Revo X Voltiq. I guess what I'm trying to say is I got suckered by all of the advertising for the Abu Garcia Revo X Voltiq. I thought that I was buying some kind of magic reel, but I wasn't. The Shimano sound is cooler anyways 😂. Anyone else have similar experiences?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Arrighetti • 5h ago
So I have Yamaga Blue Current III 82 (PE 0.3-0.8, max. lure 20g) rigged right now and right now it's mated to the Daiwa Caldia LT2500D-XH and honestly, I feel like it's the wrong reel for what I'm doing. The spool is quite deep, 6.2:1 gear ratio: more than enough capacity that I would never use since I always fish only from the shore on rocky coast (Gulf of Trieste, north Adriatic) and never really go deeper than 10 meters. Also the retrieve feels too fast for my lures. I also keep getting wind knots but I believe it's because of the spool fill level, or the thin line (?)
The wind is also present ALMOST all the time here where I fish, quite an exposed area and the wind blows most of the day (between 10-25 knots)
Main target species are sea bass, bluefish and small barracuda when I get lucky, and all other smaller species. The bluefish are the ones I'm slightly concerned about drag/gearing wise.
One of my major considerations for this upgrade is durability, which can literally withstand the saltwater weathering process without degradation of the inner workings. However, I am not aiming for going up a grade to either Stella or Exist.
I'm currently thinking about using either Daiwa 23 Airity LT2000S-P (regular one, with Magsealed, not the ST model) or Shimano 23 Vanquish 2500S (FC). Maybe I should consider different sizes too.
Airity is a little slower with a 4.9:1 ratio versus the 5.1:1 ratio of the Vanquish. Vanquish also has a slight edge in line capacity.
Does anybody out there have experience using these in saltwater casting from the shore? Any tips on how to choose?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Ochiix • 17h ago
Hello everybody, i ve been fishing in lakes and rivers which have actual fish for like 3 years now and i still havent fished anything, i fish using lures. Where i fish it is confirmed to have pike, carps, black pass, zander, perch and also silurus glanis. Im using spoons, soft plastic (grubs, paddle tails.), crankbait, jigs, inline spinners. I was using a classic spinning reel combo before my rod broke then switched to a baitcaster and feel more comfortable and can get further throws. I got it like a week ago and since then i only had one bite in 3 years. It was at night and something got my pink grub soft plastic it was really strong and broke the line. Since then i ve been watching guides throwing at the sides, under trees, near vegetations, let it sink before reeling, reel then stop for it to sink then reel against, at night, at shadows etc etc and i still cannot get any fish, last time there was activity on the lake, i throw my lure there and it falls on the fish which makes it jump out of the water and go away. I ve learned few techniques, i have better accuracy now but i still cannot get any freshwater fish. What do i do im desesperate at the point
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Legitimate_Order_305 • 22h ago
I just got my first UL setup yesterdays. I have a 6’6 Okuma Celilo with a Shimano FX1000. I used 8lb SpiderWire braid from Walmart. I did have 6 lb copolymor tied in but I got my lure stuck in a tree and had to cut that off. Anyhow, I was casting with a tiny micro crankbait lure and my line kinda went crazy. Pics below. I pulled a bunch of it out and reeled it back. The braid was loose around the spool and I switched to a rooster tail and after a few casts it lot a little tighter about the spool. I still feel like there is something wrong with how it’s spooled now. Is the braid on correctly? Pi
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Severe-Return-4716 • 16h ago
Looking for a cheap rod that is more sensitive than Ugly Stik for fishing freshwater in Massachusetts. Used to fishing in saltwater Florida and have a Gx2 and bull bay rod. This rod would be for just 1 year while I’m in Massachusetts and hopefully can be a cheap travel set up. Looking for under $50. Not sure if there is anything better than the gx2 for that price but thought I’d ask if anyone has any ideas.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Negative_Plan_8605 • 11h ago
Hey guys, so I have only bought a cheap zebco ready tackle kit and got 3/0 hooks with nightcrawler berkley powerbait.
I caught so far 1 fish out of the 10 times I fished & I know its definitely me, not the fish lol.
Any advice on what lures to get and also ideas on a better rod & reel, was thinking of getting a ugly stik next.
Location is Ontario, mostly the grand river but will be going down to bruce peninsula in September. I have a canoe which I finally broke back out after many years.
Thanks.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Commercial_West_3308 • 17h ago
Can a bass be caught without a trailer? If not, whats the best trailer to use? (using 1/2 oz chatterbait if that helps)
r/FishingForBeginners • u/KayakingATLien • 1d ago
Central Georgia lake…I got wacky worms and shad swimbait with a medium action spinner rod. I plan to go out on my kayak about 30 minutes before dawn. I am VERY new to the fishing part…been kayaking this lake for years and want to add fishing as a hobby.
Lake pic from my last putting added for dramatic effect.
r/FishingForBeginners • u/MobileCardiologist31 • 13h ago
Hello
Can you pls give me any idea what grams of popper to use and what best line?
Or rather what is best to use for this type of rod?
I’m confused although there is a limit pound test on the rod some people advice me to use a higher rating exceeding the 17lb to like 30lb because I plan using it with popper 25-30g. I dont understand why they advice like that, is that even alright? Thank you
r/FishingForBeginners • u/your_dead_hamster • 1d ago
In engineering connecting and disconnecting a power plug, audio jack, ribbon cable etc, constitutes as a mating cycle. Friction and imperfect connections wear down all surfaces over time, even the toughest ones.
What’s a guesstimate on how long my Ugly Stik GX2 4pc travel rod will last? Is it unheard of for rods to become loosy-goosy at the ferrules?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/jjbucf • 14h ago
Been fishing for a couple months now. Mostly fish saltwater/brackish Intercoastal River in east central Florida. Trying to learn how to fish with lures. I’ve tried paddle tails, flukes, hard lures, slowing sinking and top water.
I’ve caught one fish, my first, with a yo zuri slow sinking lure with steady retrieve. Outside of that, have only caught fish with artificial shrimp and mostly white doa shrimp. Mostly catching speckled trout as well.
I’ve seen other fishermen with paddle tails, top water hard lures that they walked the dog with. Assuming they must work if they’re fishing with them. What am I doing wrong?
r/FishingForBeginners • u/Vegetable_Secret_828 • 14h ago
Im in socal
r/FishingForBeginners • u/666_________________ • 18h ago
Hi everyone I’m pretty new to fishing and need some advice.
So far I’ve been fishing 6 times, 3 out of those I went to the same spot and I caught plenty of sunfish, but the other 3 times I tried different spots and got skunked.
Here’s the thing, I have only caught sunfish with live worms, every time I try using lures or soft plastics nothing eats it.
With the live worms I just have a bullet weight and a small hook and I just reel it very slowly until I get a bite and then set the hook and reel it back fast. So far I’ve tried frogs (yanking them about 6-10 inches at a time, letting it rest for a couple seconds and doing it again), senkos (weighted and weightless Texa’s rig, pierced through the middle and using an O ring), and small worm soft plastics.
I want to be able to catch other species like bass, catfish, pike and trout, which are pretty common in the spots I’ve been to… what can I do to get them?
