You can fish from the shore, on a lake or pond and best of all from a boat. You can catch fish in shallow or deep water, in open water, or near structures. You can use a sport fishing calendar that will give you the best months to fish different species. You can even stand in the water and go fishing.
Best of all it doesn’t cost a fortune to get started and remember early morning and evening are some of the best times when surface waters begin to warm up.
Big Bass Fishing
Using the correct equipment to have a great time is essential. You will want always to be extra prepared in case that unexpected cold front sweeps in and you are out on the lake in your shorts. Keep your spare clothes in ziplock bags to keep them dry. We just started, and all this information seems like so much, how do I find the great fishing spots and catch something?
To catch the fish, You must first be the fish.
Not necessarily literally, but you should know the basics of a fishes anatomy if you are going to catch the big ones. Fish are amazing creatures and finding them and letting the big one get away can be determined on simple things like times to fish or water temperature.
Depending on the fishing spot you are at, you can catch fish species like largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, pickerel, walleye, perch, sunfish, striped bass, rainbow trout, and even a brown trout. WOW, you say, how can I know where to catch all these different fish. Don't worry about that so much, enjoy the time spent fishing and you will learn all the fish you ever wanted to know.
You can Google the names listed and see them quickly on your phone; they are some of the most common in the United States. Using Google maps, you can find lake maps and laws/regulations for your states that will let you know if you can go to any state park in North America and toss a line in the water and catch fish?
Now it's time to learn. Identifying parts of a fish:
Built-in radar
The lateral line contains nerve endings along a row of pores on either side of a fish from gills to tail. The lateral line acts as radar, allowing the fish to detect the size, shape, direction, and speed of objects.
Hearing
Water conducts sound better than air, and fish hear directly through the bones in their head. Noise on the bank or dock may attract or spook fish.
Sight
Fish can see well, but not in muddy water or low light. Out of the water, a fish's vision is very restricted.
Smell
Fish have a nasal sac to help them detect an odor. Night feeders or fish that live in muddy water have a highly refined sense of smell.
Taste
Most fish do not rely much on taste, but catfish and bullheads have taste buds over their entire bodies and fins.
Touch
Fish can detect minute temperature differences and can discriminate between hard and soft baits. Fish are more likely to hold a soft bait longer.
Now that you are an honorary veterinarian let us find where these guys are hiding.
Fish use cover to escape predators and as an aid in ambushing prey. Some fish spend most of their lives near overgrowth or rooted plants; others move from cover only to feed.
The cover can be anything that will hide or protect the fish. Weeds, docks, brush, rocks, and logs all provide shelter, so do overhanging trees, cliffs or swimming platforms, which shade the fish and make them less visible to other fish, predatory birds, and people.
Where to find fish on a river.
Much cover is visible. Weeds grow near the bank, fallen trees lean over the water, boat docks and swimming platforms rim the lake, flooded timber reaches above the water's surface, and loose rock often lines shorelines.
Covers are difficult to be seen from above the water; a fish finder is excellent if you are on a boat. Underwater rocks and sunken logs, as well as fish shelters of sticks, brush that anglers have placed to attract fish on many lakes and river bottoms. We do not recommend this practice, and sometimes the trees have so many branches they are more like snag machines then new fishing habitats.
Structure
Drop-offs, points, ridges, and sandbars shape the beds of lakes and rivers. These structural elements often attract more fish than do flat or gently sloping bottoms.
You can find the right places to fish from clues on land or in the water. Land points often extend into a lake; a path between flooded timber indicates an old river channel; a break in a wave pattern reveals an underwater island, and the weed edge tells where the water has become so far down it barely will allow sunlight to penetrate to the bottom.
Edges
Feeding fish seem to favor transition zones between different habitats. The side of a weed line, for example, usually produces the most fish. In rivers, fish often feed near current breaks, where the flow is deflected or slowed. These are often visible from the surface.
Similarly, the break between muddy and clear water, the edges of central lake basins, the margin where mud bottom meets gravel bottom and drop-offs also attract active fish.
Alrighty Then, I think I can find the fish now, so how do I catch them.
If you’re a beginner, shopping for fishing gear can be overwhelming. There are numerous fishing rods, reels, tackles, and accessories that you can find on the market - not to mention they each have their unique features for enhancing the experience.
Anglers, or fishers who hunt using a fishing hook, are used to bringing a tackle box full of fishing equipment, but every setup will have the same necessary items aside from your traditional fishing rods and reels.
Fishing equipment for beginners, everything you need - from your rods and reels to your smaller tackle items, like your lines, hooks, sinkers, baits, lures, and more. Don’t worry, the beginner fishing gear we will be listing down are generally inexpensive and readily available.
Fishing Rod
Fishing rods are slender poles made of flexible but durable material - typically fiberglass or graphite - to allow you to cast your fishing line further and deeper into the water. Classified by their strength (power), responsiveness, action (bending capability), and taper.
Choosing the right rod for you should depend on the kind of fishing you’re going to do. If you’re starting, use a rod with medium strength so that you can angle different types of fish, and enough responsiveness so you can quickly feel when the fish bite - allowing you to reel it out of the water promptly. The ideal length of a rod should be around a foot longer than your height.
Fishing Reel
As for your fishing reel, this is attached to your rod to help you wind your line and draw in your catch. They are lightweight, affordable, and easy to handle. Spinning reels, in particular, are quite versatile since they’re good for fishing from the shore, at a pier, or while on a boat.
Fishing Line
You probably already know that you’ll need a fishing line. Your new reel might already come with a roll or two but remember always to bring extras. It’s normal for fishing lines to get tangled up or break, whether its because it got caught on logs or bitten by a particularly strong game fish. When you cut your line always retrieve the unusable piece and dispose of it to keep our lakes clean and bright.
Remember that you shouldn’t ever have less than 100 yards of line on your reel.
Many beginner reels also have fishing lines that are already wound up on the spool. But in case your reel doesn’t, you can easily do it yourself.
Hooks
Aside from lines, you’ll need to stock up on an assortment of fish hooks to catch fish of different sizes. These hooks are used to catch fish by poking them in the mouth when they come in for a nibble, although in some cases they end up getting trapped in the fish’s body.
Worms as live bait for fishing
Bait is what you attach to the end of your line on the hook to attract the fish. The best option is to use live bait. Then again, different kinds of food draw different types of fish. You should be all set with either of the two most common and effective live bait: worms and minnows (small freshwater fish).
Other cheap options include grubs, corn, smooshed bread, marshmallows, or bits of hotdog. We do not recommend using foods that are not found to be an ordinary fishes diet like a marshmallow or hotdog, but they do work for some fish.
You can get live bait at your local bait shop or merely dig up the worms in your backyard, store them in a container with grass and soil, and place in a cold, dim place until you’re ready to take them out.
Artificial baits or fishing lures
Fishing lures are artificial baits that are designed to mimic real fish to get the attention of a predator. Fishers have these stored in their tackle box in case they’ve run out of living bait or prefer to use plastic, non-moving ones. For some, the variety of lures makes it easier for them to hunt specific types of fish and allows them to be successful in different weather and water conditions.
For example, light-colored lures are ideal for bright days and clear water, while dark-colored lures are used on cloudy days and in murky waters. Two-toned plastic worms (with a darker head and bright tail color) are also great for cloudy waters.
Plastic worms - especially those with long tails - are also beneficial if you’re bass fishing. Many anglers swear by certain colors of artificial lures, so they merely keep using them.
Bobbers
Also known as floaters, bobbers help keep your bait closer to the surface and let you know when a fish has taken an interest in your bait. You’ll see the bobber sink when a fish bites the bait, and this will be your signal to reel your catch in. This vital role makes bobbers an essential part of your fishing gear arsenal.
Try not to make the mistake of buying bobbers that are too large. It’s essential to have a bobber that floats but will also sink once a fish takes your bait, so it’s better to get smaller and more responsive ones.
Sinkers
Another essential piece of equipment that you’ll need is a sinker. For every line you cast, you’ll need to attach one, so your fishing line will stabilize as your lightweight hook and bait sinks deeper. Make sure you have plenty of extras on hand as you’ll likely lose them at some point during unusually long fishing sessions.
First Aid Kit
We all hope for safe and fun fishing adventures, but accidents do happen. And in case of minor injuries, you’ll need to have a handy first aid kit with you. Assemble a small pack with some band-aids, small bandages, some waterproof medical tape, and antibacterial ointment for when you get scraped up or poked by a hook. A clean new needle nose pliers would be a good addition for that accidental hook in the finger.
Tackle Box
Last but not least is your tackle box. Your new tackle box is where you will be storing your hooks, sinkers, lures, pliers, and all your other small tools. It will not only help you transport your gear, but it will also keep everything organized.
Tackle boxes come in many shapes and sizes, depending on the type of fishing you’re in for (sports or recreation), preferred tackling style, the size of fish you will be hunting for, and many other factors.
And that’s pretty much it, we hope you now know Where and When to Fish, Good luck!
