New to fishing? Start here
Fishing for Beginners: Your First Day, From License to First Fish
Fishing for beginners, step by step: the $65–80 starter kit, who needs a license, where to go, the bobber rig, the cast, the bite and the rules.
fishing.info
Fishing, explained properly.
Find the fish, choose what to throw and know your gear. Every page is researched from the sources and written for the angler who has to use it on the water.
Free PDF · Water temperature chart Which fish are biting at today's water temperature?
One reading, and the 16-page chart shows which of 26 fish are spawning, feeding hard or slowing down; for bass, crappie, bluegill and walleye, where they sit and what to throw. Every number sourced.
Enter your email, confirm it with one click, and the PDF is in your inbox. Plus one email a week on what's biting. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.
Species
Which fish do you want to catch?
Every fish worth chasing: how to identify it, where it lives, when it bites.
Techniques
How do you fish for it?
Rigs, knots, casting, and the disciplines from fly to ice to surf.
Lures
What do you throw?
Crankbaits to soft plastics: how each one works and when to throw it.
Bait
What bait do you use?
Live, cut and prepared bait, how to rig it and how to keep it.
Start with Best Catfish Bait.
Gear
What gear do you need?
Rods, reels, line, hooks and electronics, compared on the numbers.
States
What are the rules where you fish?
Licenses, seasons and the best water, state by state.
Four guides that answer the big questions
Where the bass are, what the water temperature says, which lures to buy first, and what the words mean.
species
How to Fish for Bass: A Beginner's Season-by-Season Guide
How to fish for bass from the first cast: one rod and reel, five lures, where bass are at each water temperature, and a step-by-step plan for day one.
techniques
Ideal Water Temperature for Fish: The Chart for 26 Freshwater Species
The best water temperature for fishing is 65–75 °F for most freshwater fish; trout want 50–65 °F, catfish 75–85 °F. One chart for 26 species.
lures
Best Fishing Lures: The Ten to Buy First, by What Each One Does
The best fishing lures for a first box: ten that cover every season and depth, what the pros threw in 2025, a season table, a species table and colors.
techniques
Fishing Terms: 690+ Words, Slang and Acronyms Anglers Use
Fishing terms and slang, A to Z: 690+ words in plain English, from bail and drag to hawg, dink and honey hole, plus 32 acronyms anglers use.
Latest
gear
Barbless Hooks: What the Studies Say, and How to Fish Them
A barbless hook loses about one trout in eight (76 vs 63 percent landed) but backs out in seconds: seven studies, where barbless is the law, four to buy.
gear
How to Put Fishing Line on a Reel: Spinning, Baitcaster, Braid
Arbor knot, firm tension, stop 1/8 in below the lip: the steps for spinning, baitcaster and spincast reels, mono backing under braid, and why line twists.
species
What Do Catfish Like? What They Eat, Smell and Avoid, by Species
What catfish like, by species: anything for channels, cut fish for blues, live fish for flatheads. The diet data, the senses and the baits.
gear
Surf Fishing Rods: Which Length for Which Beach, and Eight Rods Compared
Surf fishing rods by beach and bait: when 7 ft is enough and when you need 12, what the ratings mean, and eight rods from $55 to $430 compared.
species
Best Crappie Lures: Six Picks Beyond the Plain Jig, and When Each One Wins
Best crappie lures by season: a 1/32–1/8 oz jig all year, a Road Runner or Beetle Spin in stained water, a Bandit 300 trolled in summer. Sizes and prices.
species
Freshwater Drum: Sheepshead, Gaspergou and How to Catch Them
Freshwater drum, or sheepshead, mostly run 1 to 5 lb; the record is 54 lb 8 oz. How to tell one apart, the rig that catches it and how to cook it.
species
Longnose Gar: Identification, Size, Records, and How to Catch One
Longnose gar commonly reach 3 ft and 5 to 6 lb; the IGFA record is 43 lb, yet four states certify bigger fish. How to ID, find and catch one.
species
Green Sunfish: How to Identify It, and Why Ponds Fill With It
How to tell a green sunfish from a bluegill or a warmouth, why it takes over small ponds, how to catch one, how big it gets and the 1971 record.
How fishing.info works
- One answer per question. Every page is written to be the best answer to the question in its title: where the fish are, what to throw, which rod, what the rules say.
- Researched, then written for you. Every article starts with the people who know: state fish and wildlife agencies, record keepers, the makers' own numbers and the anglers who fish for a living. The sources sit at the bottom of every page; the explanation of what it means for you is ours.
- Honest about how it is made. Research-driven, drafted with AI assistance, reviewed before it goes live, and edited by an angler who has fished since he was a boy. We never claim tests we have not done. About this site and its author.