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
Ugly Stik Rods: GX2, Elite, Carbon and the Rest, and the 10-Year Warranty
Ugly Stik rods from the $25 Dock Runner to the $230 Bigwater stand-up: every series and price, what the Clear Tip does, which to buy, and the warranty.
species
Arctic Char: How to Identify, Where to Catch and Is It Good to Eat
Arctic char, the most northerly freshwater fish: how to tell it from a Dolly Varden, where US anglers catch it, the record, and how it eats.
species
Trout Magnet: How to Rig and Fish the 1/64 oz Jig and Float
Trout Magnet rigging step by step: the 1/64 oz jig under the E-Z float, how deep to set it, the twitch, 2 lb line, colors, and what a rigged lure costs.
techniques
Arbor Knot: How to Tie Line to a Reel Spool (and Why Braid Slips)
How to tie the arbor knot on a spinning, baitcast, spincast or fly reel, why it slips on braid, and the backing or tape that stops it.
gear
Forward Facing Sonar: How It Works, What It Costs, and the 2026 Rules
Forward facing sonar shows fish and your lure ahead of the boat, live. LiveScope 2, MEGA Live 2, ActiveTarget 2 compared, from $999, plus the rules.
gear
Dobyns Rods: Every Series From Colt to Xtasy, Prices and the Warranty
Dobyns rods from the $94.99 Colt to the $669.99 Xtasy: every series and price, the warranty and its replacement fees, and which rod to buy.
lures
Rapala Lures: The Classic Models Compared, and Which One for Which Fish
Rapala lures from the 1936 cork minnow to the DT: sizes, weights and depths from the maker, balsa or plastic, and which one for trout, walleye or bass.
species
Spinnerbait for Bass: Blades, Weights, Colors and Six Retrieves
How to fish a spinnerbait for bass: Colorado, Indiana or willow blades, the weight for the depth, skirt colors, and six retrieves by water temperature.
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.