1.Steps
Choose a location. Make sure to fish in water that actually has fish in it. If there aren’t any fish, you aren’t going to catch anything. Many newspapers have local fishing reports that will list locations and tell you what fish, if any, are biting and what they’re biting on. You can also ask around at angling shops, marinas and camping supply stores in the area.
Choose your bait, and your hooks. Once you have some idea of what fish you’re looking to catch and what they’re eating, you can pick the right bait. You need hooks that will FIT INTO the fish's mouth. #1 hooks work well for many things, but size 8 to 5/0 will work well for some fish. Ask your local tackle shop about the hook sizing system (i.e. 6,4,2,1,1/0, 2/0). The smaller the hook the better the chance of a bite, also a very thin line will result in more bites. Making a hook knot is difficult with small hooks. Ask a tackleshop owner or another fisherman to teach you.
Cast your line and wait for a bite. You can tell if a fish is biting by touch, by watching a loose line or a bobber, or by attaching a bell to the end of your rod. Make sure with a slow movement of the rod that there is no more slack in the line when you try to hook the fish. Waiting for a bite can take a lot of patience, but that’s what fishing’s all about. Using light tackle combined with feeding around your bait will produce bites much quicker. When you catch a fish feed a little extra, because fish often live in smaller or larger groups that you want to stay around.
Wait. That said, if you’re waiting for 10-15 minutes and you still haven’t gotten a bite, try casting somewhere else and wait again.
Grab hold of the fish. Using a net for this purpose is very effective. Keep the fish in the water if you plan on releasing it. If you plan on eating the fish, get the fish out of the water as quickly as possible and take the hook out away from the water. You will find fish to be quite slippery and fast, and more than one fish has been lost by dropping to the ground and rapidly returning to the water.
Remove the hook. Again, if you are planning on releasing the fish, try to take the hook out inflicting as little trauma as possible to the fish - don't rip the hook from its lip, gently BACK it out, so that it comes out the way it came in. There are special tools designed for taking hooks out, although needle nosed pliers work quite effectively. You can also use the needle nosed pliers to crush the barb on your hook, to make it easier to remove the hook. Some professionals recommend doing this before casting your line out (especially when fishing for catfish), to make it easier to release your catch. It truly works best with circle/octopus circle type hooks. These hooks make it easier to set the hook in the lip/corner of the fish's mouth; without much effort on your part.
Decide if you are catching and releasing or keeping the fish. If you are going to cook the fish, you may want to consider cleaning the fish at this point.
Repeat the process. Check your line for damage, and then re-bait your hook. Keep reeling 'em in!
Tips
Start learning how to fish with small fish and light tackle without a reel. Many small fish are catchable in shallow water around the shore.
Make sure not to completely cover your hook or hooks with bait. The point of the hook should stick out otherwise you will simply take the hook of the fishes mouth. Using maggots it is best to just hook a small piece of skin and leave the small hook open as much as possible. Worms should be put on a slightly bigger hook. Fasten the worms by taking some skin on the hook and repeat that a few times. Also try breads and some kinds of cheeses.
For beginners, using a bobber that you can see from the bank makes catching fish much easier. With a bobber, the angler will be able to see a strike from a fish when the bobber starts to jerk and disappear below the surface of the water. Put on enough shot however, to prevent drag on the biting fish.
Keep a finger on the line. You will be able to feel a "strike" or a "hit" easily this way. A bobber may have the appearance of receiving a strike, but it may just be the water that is causing it to go up and down, remember that the bobber follows the movements of the fish. If it quietly swims away against the current it is a strike.
Choose a location. Make sure to fish in water that actually has fish in it. If there aren’t any fish, you aren’t going to catch anything. Many newspapers have local fishing reports that will list locations and tell you what fish, if any, are biting and what they’re biting on. You can also ask around at angling shops, marinas and camping supply stores in the area.
Choose your bait, and your hooks. Once you have some idea of what fish you’re looking to catch and what they’re eating, you can pick the right bait. You need hooks that will FIT INTO the fish's mouth. #1 hooks work well for many things, but size 8 to 5/0 will work well for some fish. Ask your local tackle shop about the hook sizing system (i.e. 6,4,2,1,1/0, 2/0). The smaller the hook the better the chance of a bite, also a very thin line will result in more bites. Making a hook knot is difficult with small hooks. Ask a tackleshop owner or another fisherman to teach you.
Cast your line and wait for a bite. You can tell if a fish is biting by touch, by watching a loose line or a bobber, or by attaching a bell to the end of your rod. Make sure with a slow movement of the rod that there is no more slack in the line when you try to hook the fish. Waiting for a bite can take a lot of patience, but that’s what fishing’s all about. Using light tackle combined with feeding around your bait will produce bites much quicker. When you catch a fish feed a little extra, because fish often live in smaller or larger groups that you want to stay around.
Wait. That said, if you’re waiting for 10-15 minutes and you still haven’t gotten a bite, try casting somewhere else and wait again.
Grab hold of the fish. Using a net for this purpose is very effective. Keep the fish in the water if you plan on releasing it. If you plan on eating the fish, get the fish out of the water as quickly as possible and take the hook out away from the water. You will find fish to be quite slippery and fast, and more than one fish has been lost by dropping to the ground and rapidly returning to the water.
Remove the hook. Again, if you are planning on releasing the fish, try to take the hook out inflicting as little trauma as possible to the fish - don't rip the hook from its lip, gently BACK it out, so that it comes out the way it came in. There are special tools designed for taking hooks out, although needle nosed pliers work quite effectively. You can also use the needle nosed pliers to crush the barb on your hook, to make it easier to remove the hook. Some professionals recommend doing this before casting your line out (especially when fishing for catfish), to make it easier to release your catch. It truly works best with circle/octopus circle type hooks. These hooks make it easier to set the hook in the lip/corner of the fish's mouth; without much effort on your part.
Decide if you are catching and releasing or keeping the fish. If you are going to cook the fish, you may want to consider cleaning the fish at this point.
Repeat the process. Check your line for damage, and then re-bait your hook. Keep reeling 'em in!
Tips
Start learning how to fish with small fish and light tackle without a reel. Many small fish are catchable in shallow water around the shore.
Make sure not to completely cover your hook or hooks with bait. The point of the hook should stick out otherwise you will simply take the hook of the fishes mouth. Using maggots it is best to just hook a small piece of skin and leave the small hook open as much as possible. Worms should be put on a slightly bigger hook. Fasten the worms by taking some skin on the hook and repeat that a few times. Also try breads and some kinds of cheeses.
For beginners, using a bobber that you can see from the bank makes catching fish much easier. With a bobber, the angler will be able to see a strike from a fish when the bobber starts to jerk and disappear below the surface of the water. Put on enough shot however, to prevent drag on the biting fish.
Keep a finger on the line. You will be able to feel a "strike" or a "hit" easily this way. A bobber may have the appearance of receiving a strike, but it may just be the water that is causing it to go up and down, remember that the bobber follows the movements of the fish. If it quietly swims away against the current it is a strike.
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