If you have never been fishing before, below are some general guidelines to help you get started. These general rules can help make your first fishing experience exciting and succcessful!

Pick Your Spot

Choose a location. If you don’t know where to go, there are many resources you can check. Read local fishing reports online or in the newspaper. These reports can tell you where to go and what type of fish are active in that area. Don’t forget to ask other anglers or angling enthusiasts about good locations for you to start fishing.

Get Equipment

Now that you know where you want to fish, you need some equipment. Spending as little as $60 can buy all the equipment you need to get started. You will need a fishing rod, a reel, fishing line, hooks, a bobber, and bait. Your local sporting goods store or angling outfit can help you get set up with all of these items.

Bait the Hook

Before you cast your line, you need something on your hook to entice fish to bite. Take your bait and simply push your hook through it. If you are hooking a worm you probably want to get your hook into it more than once just to make sure that it stays put. You can also use lures which can be just as successful as live bait.

Casting

Start by facing the area where you want your bait to go with your body at a slight angle. Aim your rod in that direction at about eye level and hold down the reel’s release button. Bend your arm so you are pulling the rod back towards you over your shoulder. Snap the rod outward again. As the hook shoots into the water, let go of the release button. Practice makes perfect, so if you don’t get it right the first time just keep trying.

Catching Your Fish

So your line has been cast and now you can do one of two things. You can start reeling it back in slowly or you can let it sit for a while. After about 15 minutes of waiting, reel it back in and recast in another area. Once you feel a tug at the line or you see the bobber jerking you can do what is known as “set the hook.” This is the process of literally hooking the fish. Give your rod and a quick jerk back and up. The fish will mostly likely fight, but keep with it and slowly pull the fish in by lowering and raising your rod while reeling in the line. Always keep your line tight.

Remove the Fish

Your fish is reeled in now what? If you plan on releasing the fish, keep it in the water to remove the hook otherwise take the fish out of the water. Grab the fish gently and carefully work the hook out the same way it entered. You don’t want to rip the hook from the fishes’ mouth.

Cleaning

If you plan on eating your fish you want to clean your catch. This is fairly simple and the only requirement is a sharp knife. First remove the head by cutting it off at the gills. Then flip the fish over so you are looking at the belly. Follow the belly down towards the tail until you see a small hole known as the vent. Use your knife and make a cut that extends from the vent all the way up to the gills. You should be able to open the fish up and remove all the insides. Make sure that you have removed everything inside including the vent and rinse the cavity out with water.