How to get started in fishing?

[mjfan12]

I have always wanted to fish, but now got the chance. I want to fish this summer. I like to eat fish and live caught would taste the best since it would be so fresh.

I am a total newb so I have a few questions.

what legal things do I need to fish. just a fishing license or do I need something more? You just pay the state the money and you get a permit.license right? its valid for one year or season right? and you renew every year?

is there a fishing season like a hunting one? or can you fish anytime?

I obviously need to buy or rent some gear. Where can I learn more about these?

Anything else I need to know?

[Budweiser]

I have always wanted to fish, but now got the chance. I want to fish this summer. I like to eat fish and live caught would taste the best since it would be so fresh.

I am a total newb so I have a few questions.

what legal things do I need to fish. just a fishing license or do I need something more? You just pay the state the money and you get a permit.license right? its valid for one year or season right? and you renew every year?

is there a fishing season like a hunting one? or can you fish anytime?

I obviously need to buy or rent some gear. Where can I learn more about these?

Anything else I need to know?

You need a license and depending on what type of fish you are going for you need a stamp also. You don't renew the license every year, the license expires and you need to buy a new one, in MN it expires every Feb 28 I believe.

You need to check out the regulations and seasons for your state. there was a thread about this earlier and it was suggested by fitnessman to do a search about fishing forumns and talk with the people on those. When you buy a license you will get a rules book that will talk about seasons, each species has a different season. It is poaching if you fish for a fish out of season.

After reading about people who have never fished before I guess I am lucky growing up where I did.

[achievasc92]

and don't forget plenty of ^ this guy^ or comparable brew when you go fishing.

[Budweiser]

and don't forget plenty of ^ this guy^ or comparable brew when you go fishing.
Yes that is correct the best part of any fishing trip is the drinking

[mjfan12]

Thanks for the info. You guys are lucky that you have been doing this since you were young and probably did it with your dads.

I have a lousy relationship with my dad and he never did **** with me. But thats why I want to start hunting and fishing and camping and hiking and all that so I can be a better dad to my kids than my dad.

[achievasc92]

if you've never fished before I'd recommend catfishing. Its easiest since you don't need to do a whole lot. Find a small river or nice sized lake. Get a 6'6" medium heavy rod with a spinning real (any of your basic combos will be fine for now) spool the reel with 12 lb monofiliment. buy some snap swivels, snelled size 2 or 1 hooks, and a little bag of 1/2 oz egg sinkers. buy some chicken livers or bait shrimp if you have a shop that's nearby and cheap.

bait up, cast out, put the rod in a holder, sit back and crack open some brews. Good way to spend a day.

[Budweiser]

If you have Gandar mountian in your area I would suggest the Guide series poles, they are cheap and durable I have 3 of them.

[Nainoa]

Thanks for the info. You guys are lucky that you have been doing this since you were young and probably did it with your dads.

I have a lousy relationship with my dad and he never did **** with me. But thats why I want to start hunting and fishing and camping and hiking and all that so I can be a better dad to my kids than my dad.


I didn't have much of a relationship with my Dad either...

Now granted for me being in MN (Land of 10,000 lakes) there were always fishing opportunities...

But I didn't get "Serious" about fishing until around 21...

***
So since it sounds like you'll be in a similar situation, here's what I recommend...

DIVE IN HEAD FIRST...

Fishing... At least being good at it... Is a lot of learning... As such you have to expect that there's a learning curve and many disasters that you are going to go through.
(Hell my first opening day, I lost, broke, or destroyed $180 worth of gear/tackle!)

You just have to understand that there's going to be problems and mistakes... And you just have to go through them... So try to get them in during the first year...

And that's what "First Year" is all about... Log in your time, to get those "Learning curve Disasters" out of the way.

***

Next I reccomend that you set yourself up with Mentors... Find a friend or co-worker... Ask him if he can teach you/go fishing with you... And try to pick up what you can and ask questions...
(I've actually exceeded my first two fishing mentor... I now think that those guys are friggin' bumbling retards!) LOL!

Then I reccomend you find a website locally to be a member of...
If you're having a hard time with that, I suggest going to the site I like to delve in... www.fishingminnesota.com...

You could read those forums for years, and still find new things...

***

One stupid little thing, which often falls under the radar... that I must stress to you...

Learn to tie knots...

There are a lot of ways around knot tieing... Stupid "No-Knot" metal device... Or just tieing a knot to a swivel and then clipping on from there...

I've got a buddy who just can't be bothered to tie a knot everytime... Instead he ties a Snap Swivel onto his line once and then clips his lures and jig heads on from there... So he only has to retie when he breaks his line...

What ends up happening is that the swivel either fouls the action of his lures, or is a blatant give away on presentation, and he catches about 25% less fish...

If you learn to be a knot master right off the bat, you're going to "Bloom" as an angler much faster, and easier...

****
In the end though it's all about logging in your hours...

I put in 200+ hours every year (Average Fisherman is 50-60)...

Now that I have my own boat... I'm looking to put in around 300-350 hours fishing this year... (It's walleye opener this weekend, and by the end of the weekend I'll be around 65 hours.)

Which when you think about it is what the average angler does in 6 or 7 years of experience.

Hence why I stated above, that I've exceeded my frist two fishing mentors...

[PittSOB]

I am going to bump this thread because it seems relevent to what I want to know. I have been fishing many times befoe with friends or my grandfather when I was little but I have never been successful or even know exactly what I am doing. I want to learn so I can have something to do with my son when he gets older (also so I can get out of the house and get into the country).

What I am looking for is some good informational websites/forums to read up on techniques and gear so I can learn as much classroom type knowledge on how to fish as I can and then spring rolls around I will be ready to start practicing.

Thanks to anyone who can post some good links.

[HairyScandinavian]

I am going to bump this thread because it seems relevent to what I want to know. I have been fishing many times befoe with friends or my grandfather when I was little but I have never been successful or even know exactly what I am doing. I want to learn so I can have something to do with my son when he gets older (also so I can get out of the house and get into the country).

What I am looking for is some good informational websites/forums to read up on techniques and gear so I can learn as much classroom type knowledge on how to fish as I can and then spring rolls around I will be ready to start practicing.

Thanks to anyone who can post some good links.

Where are you at in Texas? www.2coolfishing.com has a ton of Houston and central Texas peeps on it. There's also www.texasfishingforum.com that has a lot of members but I rarely go there so not sure what's mostly covered there. If you're in south Texas and will be fishing the beaches I can definitely help and provide some more links as well.

[PittSOB]

I live north of Austin. I would probably be fishing at Lake LBJ, Buchanan, Inks, Travis, Waco, or the lake over by Taylor but I cant remember the name.

Thanks for the links.

[HairyScandinavian]

Sounds like you're gonna be nailing some stripers in no time (not to be confused with strippers lol) and you're not too far from the salt water too. I can't help too much with the lakes up there, usually I hang out in the salt.

[forumdwarf]

I had gone fishing with my dad since I was a little kid, but didn't start seriously fishing until I was 20. I started out bait fishing and found it to be to complicated for my liking, and switched to fly fishing. Both can be very cheap to start, and are very fun. If you know any one who bait fishes have them teach you some basics. When I first started I had no clue how to set anything up! Not saying one is better than the other; just make sure you try both!!

Visit your local outdoor type store, and find a guy who KNOWS how to fish. I went to Sportsman's Warehouse here in OR, and the guy who sold me my first fly rod and reel was really helpful, got me started really cheap, and I left with a few tricks I used to catch my first ever legal trout :D

Also: don't be afraid to start small. Go into your local fish and wildlife office, and talk to some of those guys about where to fish, and what you need. They love talking about fishing on the clock, and will really hook you up (pardon the pun).

[prodigy1290]

BEST way to learn is to find someone to fish with when you go. You will learn more than you ever could reading on forums/experience. So now all you need to do is find an avid fisherman whos looking for a fishing buddy. goodluck,lol