Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go From Here 4
Part 1: Before the Bite 5
Chapter 1: Getting Hooked on Fishing 7
Why Fish? 8
For the outdoors 9
For the enjoyment 9
For the table 10
Where Should You Fish? 10
Fishing freshwater 10
Fishing saltwater 11
What are You Fishing For? 11
Common freshwater catches 11
Common saltwater catches 12
What Do You Need to Fish? 12
Picking up fishing essentials 14
Adding to your angling arsenal 15
How Do You Fish? 15
Casting around: Basic and fly 16
Finding freshwater fish 16
Basic techniques for saltwater fishing 17
Fish On! Now What? 17
It's not hunting: You can release fish 18
But fish taste great, and you can keep a few, too 18
Chapter 2: Gathering What You Need to Fish 19
Dressing for Fishing Success 20
Wear layers and always be happy 20
Pack your foul-weather bag 21
Pick a good hat 22
Pull on waders to wander into the fish's world 23
Vests: Great for wading 25
Carrying Just What You Need to Fish 27
Start with your rod and reel 27
Pick a tackle carrier and load up 27
Don't forget food and drink for yourself 28
Tucking Your Fishing License in a Safe Spot 29
When you need a license 30
Where to buy fishing licenses 30
Chapter 3: Finding Good Fishing Water 31
Knowing Where to Go 32
Fish the one you're with: Finding fishing water close to home 33
Finding fish when you're on the road 34
Getting the Scoop 34
From bait shops 35
From online forums 35
From guides 36
From YouTube celebrities 36
When no one knows: Walk the bank 36
Evaluating Freshwater Sites 37
Ponds 37
Streams and rivers (big and small) 38
Lakes and reservoirs 39
Where NOT to fish 40
Evaluating Saltwater Sites 41
Tidal inlets, marshes, streams, and bays 41
Surf fishing 44
Fishing piers 45
Finding the Right Time to Fish 46
Watching the Weather 47
Planning a trip around the weather 47
Reacting to changing weather while fishing 48
Chapter 4: Putting a Face on the Fins: Common Freshwater Fish 49
Sunfish 50
Bluegills: America's spunky little sweetheart 50
Crappies: A little bigger, and a bit sportier 50
Largemouth bass: The most important gamefish in America 51
Smallmouth: The gamest fish 52
Catfish 54
Blue catfish: King of the big water 54
Flathead catfish: Denizens of the deep lair 55
Channel catfish: Prince of the pond 56
Bullhead catfish: Tough as they come 56
Perch 57
Walleye: Popular like a largemouth, toothy like a pike 57
Yellow perch: Food for everyone 58
Pike 58
Northern pike: Water wolf 59
Chain pickerel: Pike junior 59
Temperate Bass 60
Striped bass: Strong enough for saltwater, happy in freshwater 60
White bass: Little fighters 61
Wipers: A bit of both 61
Carp 62
Trout 63
Rainbow trout: High jumpers 63
Brown trout: The champ of the stream 64
Brook trout: Sentimental favorites 65
The cutthroat: Yellowstone beauty 66
Lake trout: Big macks 67
Pacific salmon: Not just in the Pacific anymore 67
Atlantic salmon: The leaper 68
Chapter 5: Familiarizing Yourself with Common Saltwater Fish 71
Bluefish 72
Flatfish 73
Winter flounder: Another snowbird 73
Fluke: Mr Dependable 74
Halibut: Like catching a doormat that fights back 74
Drum 74
Spotted seatrout (a k a specks) 75
Weakfish: Not a weakling 75
Red drum: For cooks and anglers alike 76
Temperate Bass: Stripers 77
Cod 78
Grouper 78
Snapper 79
Bonefish 80
Snook 81
Tarpon 82
Sharks 82
Tuna 83
Billfish Family 84
Chapter 6: Staying Safe on or near the Water 85
Planning Ahead for Your Trip 86
Water, Water Everywhere: Bringing Food and Drink 87
Dehydration hurts 87
Alcohol kills 87
Don't forget the bait for yourself 88
Serious Safety: First Aid Kits and Sun Protection 88
Making your own kit 88
The sun is a fair-weather friend (sort of) 89
Safe Wading 89
Why you need a staff 90
Handling the occasional mishap 90
Danger Amplified: Boating Safety 91
It starts with life jackets 91
Your call, Captain 91
Part 2: Gearing Up Without Going Overboard 95
Chapter 7: Matching the Rod and Reel 97
Getting a Handle on Fishing Rod Basics 98
The writing on the rod 100
How slow can you go? 100
Catching Up with Reels 102
It's a drag, but it works 103
The writing on the reel 104
Classic Beginnings: Spincast Gear 104
Advantages and disadvantages of spincast gear 105
Considering a rod and reel combo, or striking out on your own 106
If you're limited to just one 107
So Smooth: Spinning Gear 108
Advantages and disadvantages of spinning gear 109
Spinning rods: What makes them different 110
If you're limited to just one 110
Baitcasting Gear: Complicated, but Worth It 111
Advantages and disadvantages of baitcasting gear 112
Baitcasting rods: Time to specialize 114
If you're limited to just one 114
Fly-Fishing Gear: Artful and Effective 114
Fly rods: Choosing the right one 115
Chapter 8: The Bottom Line on Line 119
Getting to Know the Three Kinds of Line 120
Monofilament: Best for beginners 120
Braid: For those who don't like to stretch 120
Fluorocarbon: For serious anglers 120
Buying Line 101 121
Information to get before you leave home 121
Factors to consider when you're at the shop 123
Spooling Up: Attaching Line to a Reel 127
Caring for Your New Line and Knowing When to Let It Go 129
Protecting your line from wear and tear 129
Saying goodbye to old line 130
Fly Lines 130
Is weight good or bad? 131
Does color count? 132
Taper tips 132
Sink or swim 132
Threading your fly line 133
Looking at leaders 134
Chapter 9: It's Terminal (Tackle): Hooks, Sinkers, Snaps, Swivels, and Floats 137
Hooks: What They Do and Why They Matter 138
Keeping a range of hooks 141
Making a point 142
J hooks: Some things never change 143
Circle hooks: From saltwater to freshwater 145
Dehooking yourself 146
Sinkers: When You Need a Little More Weight 149
Selecting the right range of sinkers 149
Storing your sinkers 151
Adding On Swivels and Snaps 151
Floats and Bobbers: When You Need to Lighten Up 152
Chapter 10: Going Ahab: Fishing from Boats 155
Taking Advantage of Boat Fishing 156
More casting angles 156
Fishing places shore-bound anglers can't reach 157
Finding bluer water: Humps, points, and channels 157
Choosing a Boat That's Right for the Way You Fish 158
Great non-motorized boats for fishing 158
Ideal motorized boats for fishing 161
Considering the Costs of Watercraft 166
Licensing, plating, and fees 167
Upkeep, storage, and maintenance 167
Trailering 168
Chapter 11: 21st Century Tech: What's New and What's Necessary 171
Fish Finders: Can They Really Find Fish? 172
How fish finders work 173
Do you really need a fish finder? 174
Where to find fish finders 175
GPS Units: Finding Yourself 175
Waypoint fever 176
Updating your maps 177
Trolling Motors: Quiet Power for Boats 177
Pairing the trolling motor to your fish finder 178
Mounting a trolling motor 179
Underwater Cameras: Seeing Is Believing 179
What you can learn by viewing 180
What cameras can't do for you 180
Anchormates, Lightning Detectors, and What's Coming Next 181
Part 3: The End of Your Line: Enticing Fish with Bait, Lures, and Flies 183
Chapter 12: Real Food for Real Fish: Using Bait 185
Assessing Your Bait Options 186
Gathering and Keeping Bait 186
Support your local bait shop 187
Forget your checkbook: Gathering free bait 187
Grocery store baits 188
Storing and transporting bait 188
Common Natural Freshwater Baits 188
Nightcrawlers: Great bait by the dozen 189
Minnows and other baitfish: Little fish catch big fish 191
Grasshoppers and crickets: Hopping good bait 193
Leeches suck, but fish like them 194
Salmon eggs 195
Common Natural Saltwater Baits 196
Clams and mussels on the half-shell 196
Marine worms: Salty nightcrawlers 197
Bunker: Bait school 197
Squid: Easy and effective 197
Shrimp and crabs: Fish like them, too 197
Mullet: More than a hairstyle 198
Ballyhoo: Funny but effective 198
Eels: The ultimate slime 199
Why You Can't Take It with You: Disposing of Leftover Bait 199
Chapter 13: It Only Looks Alive: Tricking Fish with Lures 201
Picking Perfect Plugs 202
Popping and chugging plugs: Designed for surface explosions 202
Wobblers and propbaits: A steady retrieve should do it 203
Stickbaits: For fetching a fish 204
Floating/diving plugs: Classics that work, even for beginners 204
Deep divers: Good for hitting the bottom 206
Spoons: Heavy Metal Time 207
Spinners: Easy to Fish, Hard to Miss 209
Spinnerbaits: The Masters of Bass 210
Jigs: More Than a Weighted Hook 211
Soft Baits: Plastic Worms and Beyond 213
Narrowing Your Lure Options by Asking Some Key Questions 216
How deep does the lure run? 216
Where's the action? 216
How fast is the lure designed to move through the water? 217
How big should the lure be? 217
Does the lure raise a ruckus? 217
Does a lure's color count? 217
Does this lure match my gear? 218
Do taste and smell matter? 218
Chapter 14: Fish Don't Fly, But Flies Catch Fish 219
Taking a Look at Where the Fly in Fly Fishing Came From 220
Immature little buggers: The nymph phase 220
Time to shed some skin: The emerger phase 221
All grown up: The dun phase 222
Ready to mate: The spinner phase 222
Figuring Out Which Fly to Use 223
Opting for the dry fly 223
Discovering when you may want a wet fly 225
Going the nymph route 226
Picking the meatier streamer fly 226
Choosing the caddisfly 227
Getting bigger with stoneflies 229
Extra: Terrestrials 230
A Rundown of Flies That Work Everywhere 231
The Ausable Wulff 231
Clouser Minnow 232
The Compara-dun 232
Dave's Hopper 232
Elk Hair Caddis 233
Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear 233
Griffith's Gnat 233
The Muddler Minnow 234
The Variant 234
The Wooly Bugger 234
Part 4: Now You're Fishing 235
Chapter 15: Tying Popular Fishing Knots and Rigs 237
The Knots You Need 238
The Arbor knot: Getting the line tied to the reel 239
The Trilene knot: Connecting your line to hook
(and about anything else) 241
The Palomar knot: An easy classic 243
The Blood knot: For joining two lines of similar size 244
The Albright: Joining a thicker line to a thinner line 246
Snelling: How to Attach a Hook to Your Line 248
Using the Right Rig to Present Your Offering 250
Rigging most soft plastic baits: Texas versus Carolina style 250
Rigging jigs 252
Livebait Rigs: For Presenting Bait in Any Situation 252
Fixed-float rigs: Classic bobber presentations 253
Slip-floating away: How to fish a float at any depth 255
Bottom rigs: Waiting out a bite 257
River rig: For anything current 258
Drift fishing with bottom rigs 261
Chapter 16: Choreographing Your Cast 263
Casting Spincast Gear: Great for Beginners 264
Push-button reels: Casting made easy 264
Mastering the basics of the overhead cast 265
Casting Spinning Gear: A Little More Difficult, a Lot Smoother 267
Preparing to cast 267
A nice, smooth delivery: Perfecting the overhead spinning cast 268
Trick shots: The sidearm spinning cast 270
Mastering (Sort of) Baitcasting Techniques 271
Setting the reel (and using your thumb) to cast better 271
Casting overhead with a baitcaster 273
Flycasting: The Beauty of Presenting Flies 274
Striving for the oneness of rod and line 274
The forward (and sometimes sidearm) cast 276
Figuring out what you did wrong 278
Caster of Disaster: How to Handle Snags and Snarls 279
Chapter 17: Exploring Different Fishing Techniques 283
Stillfishing (After All These Years) 284
Bottom rigs: Waiting out the fish 284
Floating away 285
Casting About for Fish 285
Covering water and taking fish 286
Matching your retrieve to the conditions 286
Fishing Calm (Nonflowing) Water 287
Working the banks: A deliberate approach 287
Fan casting: Covering the bases 288
The exception to the rule: Fishing windy days 289
Fishing Flowing Water 289
Casting upriver, retrieving downriver 289
Floats: Meals delivered to a fish's door 290
River rigs: This is where they shine 291
Other Fishing Techniques 292
Jigging 292
Night fishing 293
Drifting and trolling 294
Making the Most of the Latest Technology 296
Finding places to fish 296
Using tech on the water 297
Matching Terminal Tackle, Lure, and Techniques to the Fish You're After 298
Popular freshwater fish 298
Popular saltwater fish 299
Chapter 18: The Fun Part: How to Hook, Fight, Land, and Release a Fish 301
Finally! How to Handle a Fish Strike 302
Starting out in the right (positive) frame of mind 303
Setting the hook with J hooks 303
Setting the hook with circle hooks 305
Fighting a Fish the Right Way 307
Savoring the most enjoyable Part of fishing 308
Letting the rod, reel, and line help you 309
Pulling up and then reeling down 310
Getting the fish pointed up 310
Using current if it's there 310
Reacting when the fish jumps 311
Handling a snagged fish 311
Knowing how long to play a fish 311
Landing, Netting, and Gaffing Fish 312
The right way to use a landing net 312
What about a gaff? 313
When It's Time to Say Goodbye: Releasing Fish 314
Taking quick action after landing a fish 315
Reviving an exhausted fish 316
Part 5: After the Catch 317
Chapter 19: Photographing and Preserving Fish for Posterity 319
CPR: It's about Preservation, Not Resuscitation 320
Hurry Up and Take Your Time: Photographing Fish 321
Digital cameras: Perfect fishing partners 321
Tricks for capturing the best fish photo 322
Taking measurements for bragging rights 325
Come On, Everyone's Doing It: Making a Fish Video 326
YouTube, here you come 326
Things to consider before becoming a videographer 327
You Want This Fish Forever: One for the Wall 327
Caution: Taxidermist at work 328
Fiberglass replicas: A win-win alternative 329
Chapter 20: Cleaning Fish for the Table 331
Taking Quick Action to Preserve Taste and Texture 332
Being a good executioner 332
Storing and transporting so your fish stay fresh 333
Cleaning: A Good Meal Starts with the First Cut 334
Scaling 335
Gutting 336
Filleting 337
Cutting steaks 338
Freezing to Avoid an Oily, Fishy Taste 339
Chapter 21: Biting Back: Cooking and Eating Fish 331
Is It Done Yet? 341
How long do I cook my fish? 342
Marinate with caution 342
Fearless Frying 343
Traditional Fried Fish 344
Reddened Blackfish 345
Crispy Fish with Asian-Inspired Dipping Sauce 346
Poaching Allowed 348
Poached Fish 349
Firing Up the Grill 351
Islamorada Grilled Speckled Trout 352
More Favorite Fish Recipes 354
Door County Fish Boil 355
Halibut Stew with Red Wine Sauce 356
Hearty Fish Chowder 357
Fish Salad Sandwich 358
Part 6: The Part of Tens 359
Chapter 22: Ten Fishing Lessons You Don't Have to Learn the Hard Way 361
Avoid Making Bad Vibes 361
Know Gimmick Lures When You See Them 362
Cast No Shadow 362
Choose Clothing That Blends In 362
Reuse Home Items 362
Pick a Bait Cooler 363
Seek Out Advice 363
Keep a Fishing Journal 363
Be Open to Multispecies Angling 364
Take Someone Along for the Trip 364
Chapter 23: Ten Fun Ways to Get Kids Fishing 365
Plan (and Pack) for Success, not Failure 366
Tap into Bluegill Mania 366
Make Bait Fun 367
Get Gear That Works 367
Burn Up a Spinner 367
Canoe or Kayak into the Local Wilderness 368
Chum Up Carp 368
Try Fish Camping 368
Crank Up Tourney Time 369
Go Night Fishing 369
Index 371
