New to fishing? Start here
Fishing for Beginners: Your First Day, From License to First Fish
Fishing for beginners in one day: the kit, the license, where bluegill bite, the bobber rig, the first cast and fish, and a box on taking a child.
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 card: what 26 species do at your water temperature
Plus one email a week on what's biting now. No sales pitches. 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
Fishing Net: Which Landing Net to Buy, Rubber or Nylon, and What Size
The fishing net most anglers need is a rubber-mesh landing net sized to their fish. What two mesh studies found, hoop sizes by species, and 7 picks.
gear
Best Fishing Line for Bass: The Setup for Every Technique
The best fishing line for bass is four setups: 10 lb braid to a 6–8 lb leader for finesse, 12 lb fluoro, mono for topwater, 50–65 lb braid for cover.
gear
Plano Tackle Box: Every Series, Size and Model Number Decoded
Every Plano tackle box series and size: StowAway, ProLatch and EDGE trays, racks, bags and kits, with Plano's own prices and what each model number means.
lures
Squarebill Crankbait: How Deep It Runs, How to Fish It, and When
A squarebill crankbait runs 0–6 ft and deflects off wood and rock instead of snagging. Depth by model, the retrieve, rod and line, seasons, colors, sound.
species
Grass Carp: How to Identify, Catch and Eat the White Amur
Grass carp (white amur): no barbels, a short back fin, up to 48 in and 50 lb or more. Triploid rules by state, the baits that catch them, and eating one.
species
How to Catch Catfish: Bait, Rigs, Where and When, by Species
How to catch catfish: the bait, rig, hook and water for channel, blue and flathead catfish, where they are by day and night, and a trip step by step.
species
King Salmon (Chinook): Black Gums, Size, Runs and the 97-Pound Record
King salmon, or chinook: the black gums that mark a king, how big they get from Alaska to the Great Lakes, when each run starts, and the 97 lb 4 oz record.
species
Kokanee Salmon: The Landlocked Sockeye, Season by Season
Kokanee salmon are sockeye that never reach the sea. How to tell one, the 50 °F depth they hold at each season, how to troll for them, and the 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.