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 water temperature reading, and the 16-page chart tells you who's spawning, who's feeding hard, where they sit and what to throw. 26 fish, 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.
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gear
Humminbird Fish Finder: PiranhaMAX, HELIX, SOLIX, XPLORE and APEX
Humminbird fish finder picks: PiranhaMAX 4 for a jon boat, HELIX 5 or 7 for a kayak, XPLORE 9 for a bass boat that may add MEGA Live 2. No HELIX runs it.
species
Crappie Jigs: Which Body, Which Head Weight, and How to Fish Them
Crappie jigs explained: the five plastic bodies and what each does, head weight by depth and line, hooks, knots and colors, and how to fish them.
species
Trout Lures: Spinners, Spoons, Jigs and Minnows, and How to Fish Each
Trout lures come in five types: inline spinners, spoons, micro jigs, sinking minnows and jerkbaits, mostly 1/64–1/4 oz. Sizes by trout, colors by water.
gear
Baitcaster Combo: Seven Picks From $85 to $230, and What to Look For
Seven baitcaster combos compared on rod, gear ratio, brake and price, what a first one needs, and how little the rod in the box really costs.
species
Black Crappie: How to Identify One, Where It Bites, How Old It Is
How to tell a black crappie from a white, where it holds each season, how old a 12- or 13-inch fish is, the 5 lb 7 oz record and whether to keep it.
species
Types of Trout: Every US Trout and Char and How to Tell Them Apart
The types of trout in the US, rainbow and brown to bull trout and Arctic char: the group each belongs to, where it is native, and the one mark that IDs it.
gear
Fishing Bobbers: Which Float to Buy, and How to Set a Slip Bobber's Depth
Which fishing bobber to buy: round, spring, pencil or slip, the size for bluegill and crappie, five picks from $2.74, and how to set a slip bobber's depth.
lures
Alabama Rig: How to Rig and Fish It, and Where It Is Legal
The Alabama rig casts five swimbaits at once. How to rig it, the tackle, how and when to fish it, why the pro tours banned it, and hook limits by state.
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.