Beginner Fishing: the Essentials

Beginner Fishing: the Essentials

 

Truth be told, there are really only three things (other than fish and water) absolutely needed to go fishing. First item needed is a rod (a complete set can be purchased for as little as ). Second necessity is bait of some kind and third, a fishing license.

However, for those who want the most out of their initial fishing experience, there are other items that can help make that first time so much better. So, to help prepare, they are listed below.

Rod and Reel

As mentioned before, a basic rod and reel set can be purchased for less than . A starter combo includes the rod and reel pre-spooled with line. These are strong enough to catch catfish, striper, and other game fish.

Bait: Worms, Leeches and Others

While a Norman Rockwell picture of bait gathering would give warm fuzzies, in reality, trying to gather big enough worms for fishing is time consuming and not really worth it when worms can be picked up from a bait dealer for just a few dollars per dozen.

Crayfish, minnows and leeches are other common forms of bait for fresh water fishing. The biggest drawback from all four of these types of bait is that they are still alive when put on the hook and should be “hooked” in such a way as to keep them alive and struggling for as long as possible in order to attract fish.

If the novice fisher thinks that this might cause squeamishness, it’s a good time to consider using some kind of lure instead of fresh bait. Lures cost a bit more money initially, but can be used over and over.

Lures Instead of Bait

There are four main categories of lures for freshwater fishing: plugs, spinners and spoons, jigs and finally soft plastics. For the beginner fisherman, the soft plastics will do well. They are made to imitate fish and other aquatic types of bait. The lures are drawn through the water in an attempt to emulate the natural movement of the creature the soft plastic imitates, such as a prawn, baitfish or crawdad.

The Fishing License

Be sure to pick up a fishing license for the state in which you intend to fish. These can be obtained at most sporting goods stores, gun shops, department stores, discount stores, bait and tackle shops, grocery stores, and many other types of stores, as well as online. A license can cost around per year and for a single day. The small fee is much better than being fined 0 or so for fishing without a license.

Tackle Box

All it takes is dropping a weight, hook or bobber in the water once or twice to learn that some type of carrying case is a necessity. Since hooks can rust, keeping them dry is important, another reason for a tackle box of some kind. It’s also the best place to keep the fishing license since it’ll go where the fishing is happening if it’s kept in the box.

Different fish like different kinds of bait and purchasing worms gets expensive after a while, so it’s safe to assume that a few varieties of lures will be purchased pretty early on. Keeping them separated will make the fishing experienced much more pleasant.

Know a Few Knots

As with everything, there’s a right way to do knots and a wrong way. The wrong way could result in lost hooks, or even worse, fish. The clinch knot is the common fishing knot and the best way to tie swivels and hooks to line.

Protection From the Sun

 

Two factors make it doubly important to wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen while fishing. The first is the water, which reflects sunlight in all directions and can magnify the sun’s affects, and sunburn. The second is the amount of time that tends to slip away while sitting in a boat on a beautiful lake. It can be very easy to let hours go by, and even on cloudy days, harmful rays are getting through can causing sun damage and causing eye strain.

Bobbers

A bobber can mean the difference between spending the day in the boat and catching fish for the novice. Since it’s important to get the fish to “take the hook,” it’s essential to know when they’re nibbling. Having a bobber, and keeping an eye on it, is the best way to learn how to feel the nibble and when to give a small tug on the lin. The best place for the bobber is located around two feet from the hook.

Sinkers

When using worms or some other lightweight bait, added weight is needed on the line or it will just float on the top of the water. Sinkers come in a variety of weights and materials. A metal sinker is easiest to put on the line since all that’s needed is a gentle squeeze. Trial and error will help find what weights work best and how many are needed.

Related Fresh Water Fishing Articles

Deep Sea Fishing: Essentials to Know for a Fun-filled Deep Sea Fishing Trip

Deep Sea Fishing: Essentials to Know for a Fun-filled Deep Sea Fishing Trip

If it’s your first time to go for a deep sea fishing trip, there are some essential things to know to make it a fun-filled and successful one. Here are some of the key points when having a deep sea fishing trip.

Overlooked Things To Bring

For sure fishing equipment, food and clothing are the ones that are always remembered by people to bring on a deep sea fishing trip. However, there’s still some other stuff that a lot of people overlook bringing with them to a trip.

One good example would be a cooler. Bringing one with some ice, icepacks or even frozen water bottles are very important, since this is what you’ll use to retain the freshness of your catch and keep it cold.

Another one would be spare cash. Other than being vital for emergencies, you would need this just in case you get the biggest fish and you would have to get in on the pool. You also need this for mate tipping purposes for providing you help throughout your excursion.

Also seasickness medicine would be important too. Dramamine is one effective solution for that problem. For those who are already used to boats, this kind of problem may seldom be encountered. However, it would still be beneficial if you pack a small first aid kit. Try to bring band-Aids, stomach medicine, tissues, and disinfectants in the kit, just so in case minor injuries occur during the trip.

Best Locations For A Deep Sea Fishing Trip

Some of the best locations to have a deep sea fishing trip are: Bodega Bay and San Diego in California; Wildwood, or Cape May in New Jersey; Boston and Cape Cod in Massachusetts; Daytona Beach, Destin, Key West and Miami in Florida; Freeport, Galveston and Port Aransas in Texas; Gloucester in Maine; Ocean City in Maryland; and Point Pleasant in New Jersey.

These spots can give you a variety of fish to catch. They also offer you different views and experiences with nature. Each spot can have their own pro’s and con’s, however, one thing’s for sure they are great deep sea fishing spots!

General Deep Sea Fishing Overview

In general, a deep-sea fishing trip could last about four to eight hours, or more depending on how long you want it to be. You can arrange trips with your charter or party boast in the morning or afternoon. In fact, if you have a special occasion, you can even schedule evening trips. You can also do this if you’re the night owl type that might not be back to shore even until wee hours of the morning.

If you’re having one of these late night trips,especially during the colder months bringing a thermos that is full to the brim with steaming tea, hot chocolate or coffee would be a great way to keep yourselves alert and warm during the trip.

Freebies On The Side

The great thing with deep sea fishing is that  sometimes you can get freebies on the side. Other than the adventure of being out in the waters, you may be graced with the appearance of some dolphins too. There are cases in which you can also have a glimpse of sea birds that are chasing each other playfully. However, the situation would not always be like this, since factors like location, weather, time of the day and how many people you are with on your boat could affect whether you’d see such blessings.

More Deep Sea Fishing Articles

The Essentials of Fresh Water Fishing

The Essentials of Fresh Water Fishing

Have you had the opportunity to fish in freshwater?  While some find it to be a distant relation to other types of fishing, it is still one of the best ways to spend your time.  There are hundreds of lakes out there that you can be enjoying virtually any time that you would like to.  To learn more about it, take a look at your options here.

Fresh water fishing is done in lakes, rivers and streams that have minute quantities of dissolved salts. Freshwater sources are precipitation or melting ice and snow. There are many fresh water fish species, but some of the most important ones are bass, catfish, pickerel, pike sunfish, trout, salmon, muskellunge, sturgeon and walleye.

Equipment for Freshwater Fishing

What you’ll need for basic freshwater fishing equipment includes a fishing rod and reel, fishing line between 4 and 10 pound-test, a variety of sinkers, a variety of hooks (sizes 6 to 10), floats, bait and in most locations, a fishing permit or license. There are a variety of both live and artificial baits that work well for fresh water fishing.

Bait You’ll Need

Live bait works well for fresh water fishing. Freshwater fish feed on a variety of prey, including earthworms, insects, insect larvae, frogs, minnows, chub, shad, crayfish and small fish species such as smelt. Freshwater fishing bait such as earthworms, crayfish, frogs, minnows, chubs and shads can be caught in its natural habitat. Look around piers and in shallow water. Freshwater bait can also be purchased from your local bait and tackle shop.

Artificial bait is manmade bait that attracts fish to bite or strike. It includes plastic worms, insects, flies, small jigs, lures, spoons, streamers, flies, spinners and more. Artificial bait can be purchased at fishing tackle and bait shops or online. Some anglers prefer to buy the supplies for these types of baits and make their own.

There are a wide variety of prepared baits that you can use for freshwater fishing. These include kernel corn, bread balls, cheese balls, egg bags, liver, cereal balls, chicken entrails. Here is just a short list of some freshwater fish and the bait that attracts them.

Catfish
earthworms, liver, chicken entrails, hotdogs, frogs, tadpoles, crayfish and most lures. At times you can even catch them on shiny hooks that have no bait.

Pike
earthworms, frogs, minnows, shad, all types of small fish species, crayfish, chub, spinners, spoons and egg sacs.

Bass
earthworms, insects, insect larvae, frogs, minnows, crayfish, spoons, Mepps, spinners, artificial worms, jigs, streamers and spinners.

Salmon
flies, spinners, spoons, egg sacs, shrimp and large plugs.

Sunfish
earthworms, bread balls, kernel corn, insects and insect larvae, as well as small, shiny lures.

Pickerel
earthworms, insects, insect larvae, frogs, minnows, crayfish, spoons and Mepps, spinners, artificial worms, jigs, spinners and streamers.

Walleye
shad, frogs, real or artificial minnows, worms, maggots, spinners, spoons, jigs, plugs and small fish species.

Trout
earthworms, flies, insects, insect larvae, kernel corn, egg sacs, crayfish and minnows.

Muskellunge
small fish species, frogs, Mepps, spinners, jigs, minnows, plastic trailers and rapalas.

Sturgeon
frogs, freshwater clams, lamprey, eels, smelt, salmon eggs, shad, shrimp, egg sacs, yarn flies, brilliantly colored and silver lures.

Go ahead and give it a try.  If you would like to learn more about this type of fishing, you need to talk to someone that is a professional that can show you just what you need to do, where to go and what to use to be successful at freshwater fishing.

Related Fresh Water Fishing Articles