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.
Latest
bait
Fishing Bait: Live, Cut and Prepared, and Which One to Use
Fishing bait made simple: live, cut and prepared bait, what to use for each fish, how to hook it and how to keep it alive until you fish.
bait
Hellgrammite: What It Is, Where to Find It, How to Fish It
A hellgrammite is a dobsonfly larva up to 4 inches long and a top smallmouth bait. How to find one, hold it without a pinch, hook it and fish it.
gear
Fish Scale: Best Digital, Spring and Lip-Grip Picks for Every Angler
The fish scale to buy for your fishing: a $27 digital for most anglers, a cull scale for tournaments, and how to weigh a fish safely and get a true number.
gear
Ugly Stik GX2: Which Size to Buy, Rod or Combo
The Ugly Stik GX2 lists at $59.95 in every size. Which length to buy, rod or combo, what line it takes, and what it gives up to the Elite.
species
White Crappie: How to Identify One, Where It Lives, How Old It Is
White crappie have 5 or 6 dorsal spines and faint bars and rule muddy reservoirs. See how old a 14-inch fish is, how to catch one and the 1957 record.
species
Buffalo Fish: Not a Carp, and How to Catch and Eat One
Buffalo fish are native suckers, not carp. How to tell bigmouth from smallmouth buffalo, the bait that catches them, and how to cook around the bones.
species
Lamprey: What It Is, and What to Do If You Catch One
A lamprey is a jawless, eel-like fish that feeds on blood. How to tell a sea lamprey from a native one, what to do if you catch one, and the rules.
species
Palomino Trout: The Golden Rainbow, Where It Came From
Palomino trout are golden rainbows from one West Virginia fingerling found in 1955: the name, where they are stocked and how to catch one.
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.