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.
No card, nothing to buy, and the PDF is yours to keep. Confirm with one click and it's on its way. Then a few short emails and one 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.
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.
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bait
Sand Fleas: What They Are, Do They Bite, and How to Catch Them
The sand flea surf anglers dig is a clawless mole crab, not an insect. What bites you instead, and how to rake, keep and hook sand fleas.
gear
Okuma Reels: Which Ceymar, Inspira or Cold Water to Buy
Okuma reels by price, from the $68.99 Ceymar A to line counters and saltwater reels: what each step buys, the warranty by series, and the pick.
gear
Van Staal Reels: VR II or VSX2, and Which Size for the Surf
Every Van Staal spinning reel on one price ladder, from the $639.95 VR II to the $1,129.95 VSX2, which size fits which surf rod, and what bail-less means.
species
Are Fish Animals? Yes: Vertebrates, Not Mammals, Mostly Cold-Blooded
Are fish animals? Yes: animals with a backbone and gills. Why fish aren't mammals, which fish run warm, and why California law calls a bee a fish.
species
Creek Chub: How to Identify, Catch and Use Them as Bait
A creek chub is a 5 to 7 in minnow with a black spot on its back fin. How to identify one, catch it on light tackle, and rig it as live bait.
species
Gizzard Shad: How to Identify, Catch and Use Them for Bait
Gizzard shad commonly run 9 to 14 in. How to tell one from a threadfin, net it, keep it alive, and which states ban it as live bait.
species
Sauger: How to Tell It From Walleye and Saugeye, and Catch One
The sauger is the walleye's small river cousin. How to tell sauger, walleye and saugeye apart, where they bite each season, the records and the rules.
species
Biggest Fish Ever Caught: A 2,664 lb Great White on Rod and Reel
The biggest fish ever caught on rod and reel is a 2,664 lb great white from 1959. The IGFA top 10, the bigger fish that don't count, and the US giants.
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.