If you want to get the beginner's guide on how to catch fish step by step, this is the right article you are reading. Fishing lessons are challenging. Dropping a line is simple, but becoming a proficient fisherman is challenging. That is why they refer to it as fishing rather than catching. Finding fish, tying on the proper fishing gear, and employing the best method to catch fish on that gear are the three largest hurdles for novice anglers. This manual breaks down all three difficulties and provides detailed instructions for your first fishing expedition. In order to start catching fish right away without breaking the bank, our team of fishing guides provides you precise recommendations on what to use and how to use it.
How to Catch Fish Step By Step
Objectives
Your initial objective should be to start capturing fish as quickly as you can. Learning the fundamentals involves many steps. Catching a smaller species like panfish close to the beach is the greatest way to master the fundamentals of fishing.
Find a Fishing Spot
Start searching online for a public spot with easy access to the shore for fishing. Better if there is a dock or pier access at the public area. Start by conducting a search for "public fishing access" in your county or city. There are "Lake Finders" and other tools on many State DNR websites that you may use to look find public fishing access close to your town. Finding an accessible spot should be your first priority even though fishing off the beaten road is a picturesque dream. By doing so, you may concentrate on fishing while avoiding problems. Many parks in the area contain stocked ponds and small lakes with easy public access for fishing. The perfect place at this stage in your tour has bathrooms, close proximity, and stocked Panfish.
Choose the Proper Fishing Rod and Reel
Buy a spinning combo that comes close to the details listed below. The majority of freshwater fish may be targeted with this rod and reel size combination. Once you get your licks in, it's big enough to focus on largemouth bass and walleye, and it'll work just fine for panfish off the pier.
Rod: 6’6″ Length, Medium Power, Fast Action, Line Weight: 6-12 Lbs.
Reel: Size 35, 4-7 Ball Bearings, Line Capacity: 6Lb./230 Yds, 8Lb./185 Yds, 10Lb./150 Yds.
Spool fishing line onto your reel.
For your initial few visits, don't bother about the many types of fishing lines available. Just wind 200 yards of 6lb monofilament fishing line into your reel. Run the line through your rod guides and tie a double knot on the spool of your reel while the bail is open to spool it. Your thumb and index finger should be used to provide tension when you reel the line onto the spool of line you purchased and into the water or into a pot of water at home.
Be Careful Not to Overspool Your Reel
Although your reel might be able to take a few more yards than the quantity mentioned above, it's crucial to avoid overspooling. The distance between your spooled line and the rim of the spool should be around 1/8 of an inch. When unwound from the spool you bought, which is normally twice as large as the circle of the spool on your reel, fresh monofilament will curl to its original diameter. The line will pool out to take the form it had before you opened the bail to cast. Always spool a little bit below capacity.
Initially, use 6 lb. monofilament
The best fishing line to use while you're still learning the fundamentals is 6 lb. monofilament. It is slim enough to target panfish but robust enough to land a Largemouth Bass that could accidentally take advantage of your panfishing presentation. It's simple to knot 6 lb. mono as well. A secure fishing knot becomes more difficult when you work with lines of greater tests or different varieties. Other excellent line types include braid and fluorocarbon. Later in your trip, these will be more suited for mastery. 6 Lb. mono is the most adaptable and user-friendly choice for your first reel.
Hooks, sinkers, and bobbers are essential fishing equipment.
You require snap bobbers, sinkers, and hooks. Just the perfect number of split shot sinkers, bait holder hooks, and little snap bobbers; nothing too fancy. This straightforward rig will help you catch some panfish on your initial outings:
A 1" piece of worm should be used as the bait for this straightforward arrangement. Simply double knot your hook to tie it; you may learn the Clinch Knot later. For the panfish, a double knot will do the trick. Snap on your bobber through both loops, around 2-3 feet above your 3/0 Split Shot sinker, by pinching it about 1 foot above the hook.
How to Build a Tackle Box
For these essentials and to prepare yourself for the other live bait tactics, our Basic Fishing Tackle Kit is a fantastic choice. You should be able to purchase Baitholder Hooks, Split Shot Sinkers, and Snap Bobbers individually if you have a local fishing equipment store.
How to Bait a Fish
For catching fish on your first expedition, I strongly advise utilizing a little piece of nightcrawler or half of a smaller worm kind. These cost about $3 to $5 and are available at Walmart or your neighborhood tackle store in counts of 12 or 24. In the garden, you may also dig them up. Search for wet spots behind rocks or leaves. Worms can be substituted for this first trip with some common grocery store products if you are not comfortable doing it. Three to four kernels of corn, a thin hotdog slice, or a little balled up piece of bread can all be used as substitutes when baiting your hook. These, however, are not as successful as worms.
Setting the Bait
Use your thumbnail to pinch off a tiny 1-2′′ portion of the worm for the worm choice. To attach the worm to the barbs on the shank of your #4 Baitholder hook, pierce one end of the worm. On the opposite end, pierce the worm piece once again to secure it to your barb while also hiding the hook's tip.
Obtaining Bait for Novices
Don't worry about putting your bait out on this first excursion if you have access to a pier. Holding on to the dock, panfish hunt for food that falls nearby. Just release your bail, allowing your rig to tumble into the water adjacent to the pier. Try to fish in 4–7 feet of water so that you can see the panfish that are active beneath and avoid using a bobber. Although sight fishing is difficult to describe, if fish are visible near to the dock, you will naturally be able to catch them.
Casting out your bait
You will need to learn how to cast if a dock or deeper water are not accessible on your first expedition. Hold the rod in your throwing hand with your middle and ring fingers on the shaft of the reel. Pinch the line between your index finger and the rod handle with the hand holding the rod and use the opposing hand to open the bail. Slowly, angle your rod at a 45-degree angle to the side of your body. Once your rod's momentum is in front of you, gradually bring it back to your center while releasing the finger that is pinching your line.
Getting Bait in Front of the Fish
Now that the bait is in the water, your efforts should start to bear fruit. When utilizing the standard bobber rig, your bobber should be partially submerged, with the top half floating above the water and the bottom half submerged. Make certain that the baited hook is at least one foot off the ground. If your bobber is submerged without a bite, either the bobber is too tiny or the sinker has too much weight added to it.
Bait for Fish Near Cover
Try to place your bait next to a dock, a swimming platform, a weedline, or a piece of fallen timber. Fish hold to Cover, which offers cover and a place to ambush. Try your best to put the rig 1-2 feet off the bottom if Cover is not available.
How to Tell if You Have a Bite
Your bobber will move up and down or drive to one side or the other when you are receiving a bite. The fish should take the bait. If your bobber is not totally immersed, count the duration of the bite from 5 to 10 seconds. Smaller panfish lack the power to totally engulf your bobber. They have relatively tiny lips and use their gills to force food out of their mouths. If the bobber moves wildly for more than five seconds, you probably have a fish hooked. You run the danger of removing the bait from the fish's mouth as it is exhaling if you do not give it 5 seconds. Over time, you'll get a sense for when to set the hook.
Fishing with Reels
The 5 second rule must be validated before you may set your hook. Your line should first be progressively reeled in until it is taut. To make contact with the fish and place the hook into its mouth, gently elevate the tip of your rod a few inches. Do not overdo it; this is not the Bass Master Classic. Your goal is to maintain the health and vitality of the Sunfish you are reeling in.
Reel in the fish gradually while keeping an eye on the tension in your line and moving your rod in accordance with the fish's motion. Lift the fish with your pole above the dock or the ground as soon as they begin to surface. You don't want your bobber to become trapped on the top of your rod's guide, so be cautious not to reel in too much slack. Before correctly releasing your catch, your line will break, and you will lose it.
Don't let your catch touch the ground.
Avoid touching your fish with the dock or the ground once it has been taken out of the water. As you gently lay your hand's palm below its tummy and wrap your fingers around its body, keep it up in the air. Panfish have sharp, easily pokeable spines. Make sure you carefully round the stomach and cradle it so that the spine is directed upwards.
Having pliers on hand is a useful tool for getting rid of the hook, so you ought to get one. I am aware, though, that for a novice angler, money is limited, and adding another item to the list would be a challenge. The best way to remove a hook from a fish without pliers is to spin the hook so the barb is close to the surface, then push down on the hook until the barb emerges from the hole where the hook was inserted. Gently spin the hook one more to ensure that it clears the mouth's opening after it is in the fish's mouth.
Don't fillet fish just yet
Panfish, which you recently caught, makes excellent dinner. All panfish, including sunfish, bluegills, crappie, and perch, taste great when deep-fried, regardless of size. Although they are equally delicious on the grill or in a skillet, this is just my choice. However, maintaining fish necessitates a laborious filet work on some really thin slices. I advise you to steer clear of this intermediate talent on your initial outings. I strongly advise you to throw your catch back.
Putting a Fish Free
By placing your fish in the same palm hold described earlier, you may release it and let it swim away on its own. If the fish isn't moving, gently move its tail back and forth while holding it in your palm until it begins to move. Please take your catch with you if it inadvertently dies during the resuscitation procedure and cannot be consumed or disposed of according to your state's waste disposal laws.
Before you fish, buy a fishing license
The dreadful paperwork, ugh Fishing licenses are thus necessary in the majority of States for fishers. Children that fall inside a specified age range are exempt from various rules. Even if you just want to take a few trips out, you cannot escape this expense. Fishing without a license can result in severe fines and penalties, including the seizure of all newly acquired equipment. From an insider's perspective, this is not something the seasoned participants cut corners on.
To print your license, search for your state's DNR online
All experienced fishermen get their fishing permits yearly and are quite conscientious about the procedure. The money is used to manage our shared ecosystems and restock public waterways. One of the things that everyone does and is obliged to do is get a license. If you avoid doing this, you will not be in the know since fishing without a license is poaching in legal terms. Search online for your state's fishing license requirements and make any required purchases in advance. In most States, you may purchase your license online and print a temporary license the same day.
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