Part 1 of 2: Preparing to Fish
- For people who live on the coast, saltwater fishing is an easy pick for them. They will probably already have several poplar sites around them. Generally the most popular among them would be a great place to start as it would have the most community built around it as well as contain a probable good fish population.
- For the more landlocked areas, finding a spot may just involve asking around with locals or at fishing shops of any kind. People who regularly fish tend to be very friendly and eager to show what they know to beginners.
- However, many more private or commercial fishing areas exist where admission is charged in order to enter and fish. These such places include that permission within their cost, making them cheaper than a license for occasional trips.
- Prices will vary, but getting the rod from a regular big-box retailer would probably do you much more than going to a specialty store. Try to get a bundle that comes with its own reel and tackle box as you can use these to learn which tools you want to use continuously.
- If you are going to be using live bait, be aware of the need to contain them in some sort of storage and keep them alive by either cycling water within the storage or using an air pump to pump oxygen back into the water. Otherwise, the bait will die in several minutes.
Part 2 of 2: Going Fishing
- Tying the knots in lines may require some certain special kinds of knots. A basic one that is useful to learn as well as easy is the J knot, which can be best learned with a short supplemental video tutorial search.
- Sinkers, or weights, are used to give the line more inertia against currents in order to sop your hook from just floating on the surface.
- Bobbers are used for visibly seeing your line and any potential bites tugging down on it.
- Baiting a hook may not be the most pleasant task, but bait should usually be hooked several times for security. However, it should look natural as animals would not aim for dead looking fish and like to only bite live-looking bait.
- Getting used to how tugs feel will take some time as smaller fish tugs may act differently, but be the same strength as the waves or the wind on your sinker or line.
- When you feel a tug, your first instinct should be pull your rod upwards, pushing the hook further into the catch. This functions as to secure the hook in the fish.
- Reeling in the line should not just be done with only the reel. The reel may not be strong enough to pull in the larger fish. Appropriate reeling requires the fisherman to pull back the rod and reel in the slack created by the pull. Doing this repeatedly ensures the fight to pull on the rod itself and not the small reel.
Warnings
- Also, when casting, be wary of other peoples lines and where they are so as to not intertwine or tangle the lines. This is the only thing fisherman really hate...that, and fish-stealing dolphins.
- Always be wary with hooks as small pricks are harmless while they can be pulled further in by accident, essentially hooking you and causing a greater deal of trouble getting out. Hooks are meant to make it tough for them to get shaken off a fish, making it hard to get them out of us too.
- Also, fish have teeth. Be wary!