Get Started Fishing
Why Learn to Fish?
Fishing is an excellent way to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends, but it’s also great to do on your own to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. Fishing can be as simple as grabbing a cane pole, line and hook and digging up some worms for bait in the garden, or it can be as in-depth as studying weather patterns and purchasing thousands of dollars of equipment. But the only wrong way to fish is by not going.
FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO BEGIN FISHING
1. Prepare your rod & reel—Be sure your reel has line, then press the button of your spin-cast reel or open the bail (if you have a spinning reel) to release line from the reel. Pull enough line out to thread it through all of the guides of your rod.
2. Attach a hook Hooks come in different sizes and shapes. A #6 or #8 hook with a long shank (straight edge) is a good size to try. Use a clinch knot to tie the hook onto the line (see How to Tie a Clinch Knot).
3. Attach a bobber—To attach a bobber, thread the line around the top and bottom hooks. To expose the bottom hook, press the top button on the bobber. For the top hook, press the button while holding the bottom hook in.
Attach the bobber so the fish hook hangs just above structure (i.e. weeds, logs, etc.) or the bottom
4. Attach bait—Place bait on your hook using one of the methods illustrated here.
5. Cast and retrieve—Cast your bait out using the technique in How to Cast. Next, turn the reel crank forward until it clicks to prevent
more line from coming out. To take up any slack in your line, reel the line in until the float begins to move. When a fish bites, the float will either move along the water’s surface or go underwater. When this happens, give the line a quick jerk that’s hard enough to move the float and set the hook in the fish’s mouth, but not so hard that you send the hook, bait and/or fish flying over your shoulder. Now, reel in the line until you can pick up the fish with your hand.