So welcome to MassWildlife's Angler Education Program's Learn to Fish presentation. I'll be your host Jim Legacy, and as your host I've also been the coordinator of the Angler Education Program for many, many years now, and with that we get the same themes over and over and over in our programs, a lot of questions, comments, concerns about phishing. So we put this hour, between an hour and two hour presentation together, with a lot of those themes to hopefully give you the confidence to fish.
Content Overview
This is the content overview. We're going to get into a lot here in this presentation, but it will give you, hopefully will give you, the confidence to get out and try it on your own. Fishing is not particularly difficult. Mass wildlife wants you to get out and care about the outdoors, and fishing is an easy way to do it, so hopefully this fills the bill.
So, what we're gonna cover, we're gonna cover knowing the rules. With any time at all, no matter what you're getting into, there are going to be rules associated with it, so knowing the rules is huge. Picking a great location obviously is very important. Getting the right equipment to use, we see this all the time at our fishing events, folks bringing, you know, massive saltwater rods to freshwater events, so getting the right equipment is key. Using the right bait, knowing the right bait and how to use it is also important. Targeting the right fish, a lot of times it just starts with what you want to fish for, and you build back from there, and we'll explain that. Know what to do after the catch. Some people it's just about having fun, getting outside, touching, feeling nature, catching, releasing the fish. Other people are motivated by putting something in the freezer for future food, for dinner for that evening, so everyone has a little different motivations. So, what to do after the catch, that's kind of important. And then being responsible and ethical while you're out there. There is, I mean, you have to care about the outdoors to do this, you should care about the outdoors. You want this to be available to future generations, your children, your grandchildren, so being responsible and ethical while you're out fishing kind of ensures that hopefully that's going to be around.
So let's get right into it. Let's start by knowing the rules.
Rules and Regulations
And that's going to be fishing licenses for folks in certain ages, the rules and regulations regarding fishing, and then some fish identification for you.
Who Needs a License
Who needs a license and where to buy it, that is like the number one question in all of our fishing clinics, family fishing festivals, and just inquiries from the public. Do I need a license, and where can I get this license?
So, for freshwater fishing, anyone under 15 years old, there is no license needed. So, and every state is a little different, here in Massachusetts it's 14 years and below, you don't need a license. You still have to obey by all the rules, and we'll get into those, but you won't need a license until you get to 15.
15 plus, the license is required. Now, with salt water fishing, it's a little different. They call it a permit, but under 16, so 15 and under, you don't need that permit. It's very similar to a license, it's just mixing terms, basically permit, license. And then, again, 16 plus, you have to have their permit.
Now, all of these are based on a calendar year, so if you're buying it in June or July or August, you've got the balance of the year to use it. If you're buying it in January, you've got the entire year to use it. And people are motivated, some people like to go ice fishing, so they're going to buy it either December or first of the year to fish the entire year, and other people just want to fish a little in the summer, so they'll buy it in the summer.
Best place to buy it is right on our website, and that's the mass fish hunt tab on our website. And you'll want to consult a current copy of the Massachusetts fishing and hunting guide, because it could be different prices per year. So, you know, I’m not going to give you the current prices right now, because you may be watching this 10 years from now, so consult the current copy of that. And that copy is important too. You can get it right on our website or at some of our license vendors. Very important to have, because it has all the fishing and hunting regulations as well. So, consult that current copy for current license pricing.
Do I Need a License
So, do I need a license to take my child fishing? That is a question we get all the time, and it's a difficult one, because there's no yes, no exact answer. It is always best to have the license. Your licensed dollars help us conserve our fish and wildlife resources, so that money is important to us to manage the resource. So, if you care about your state fish and wildlife agency, it's not a bad idea to have that fishing license, because that goes to everything that we do. So, from that perspective, it's important to have. Plus, you'll have more fun just knowing that you can actively participate.
You know, and sometimes that is spontaneous, and sometimes you're out there and all of a sudden your little one catches a big fish. You know, oh my god, that looked like a blast, and I want to try that, and then, oh, I don't have a license. So, remember, 15 and above, you have to have that license to play. So, it's always best to have it when you take the little ones out. And the other basic reason, sometimes you actively have to grab that rod and reel and help them, so you do need a license if you are casting the line for them or reeling the line in for them. And that is, you know, basically if you're part helping them control the rod and reel, you're jumping in there and you really are fishing, and you need to have that license.
You do not need a license to help them with their bait, untangle their fishing line, to unhook their fish, you know, to help them get the fish out of the line out of the weeds, that kind of thing. So most environmental police officers that we've consulted, we consult with them all the time on this just to make sure, they will not cite you if you're just assisting your child or grandchild or friend or relative. But the minute you grab the rod and you're starting to actually fish on your own, you're controlling that rod and reel, and you need to have the license. So just be mindful of that. And again, where to get it, the best place is on your device, on your desktop, your laptop, right on our website, but we do have license vendors around the state too, and you can buy them at some of those too.
Are There Size and Catch Limits
So, are there size and catch limits in terms of fishing? Yes, there always will be, and again, this varies from state to state, country to country, province to province if you're fishing in Canada. So, if you plan on taking a trip out of the state or out of the country, know the rules and regulations. Most all jurisdictions have them.
Here in Massachusetts, we are fortunate in that we don't necessarily over-regulate. I wouldn't say any state really over-regulates, but it's very simple here. We have regulations on certain species. Those regulations are basically how many fish in that species you can keep per day, and what size they need to be to keep. And we're fairly easy here in Massachusetts. We're lucky. You can fish pretty much in most public water bodies 365 days a year, seven days a week, and 24 hours a day, kind of thing. There are certain water bodies that have open and closed seasons, but they're very few, and these are public water bodies. So, if you're not sure if it's public, make sure, because there are certain lake association waters, town and jurisdiction waters that do have closed seasons, and some are closed entirely if they're water resource water, so water supplies. So just know that. Don't just assume that every place is open. But the vast majority of water bodies, whether it's ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, rivers and streams in this state, are open year-round. So, with that, there are size and catch limits.
Current Size and Catch Limits
So limits imposed currently right now on most of what we consider the larger game fish species, so the bass, the pike, the pickerel, the trout, river fish, like shad and walleye, musky, those larger kind of the apex predators, the larger predators that are out there, there are size limits. Currently here it's, you know, for, say, largemouth bass, a very popular fish, it would be five fish per day you can keep, and they have to be a minimum of 12 inches in size to keep. So, but again, consult the current copy of our fishing and hunting guide for the current regs on that particular year, they do change.
Again, we're lucky in this state that it's not per region or per water body so much. If you went to northern New England or out west somewhere, the guide is really thick, and it's for region or even for water body, it can change, so you really have to be cognizant of that if you're taking a trip, or even just in certain areas of Massachusetts it can change a little bit by certain water bodies, but that's all explained out in the guide. So have a copy with you or have access to it on your device.
The species that generally there's no limits imposed.
Species of Limits
Are the species that are a little bit more prolific. Some people would say the smaller species, and yeah, sometimes they are your typical bluegills, pumpkin seed, calico bass, perches. Generally are a bit smaller than some of the bigger game fish species, but they can be pretty large too, and there's no, right now, there's no current size limit on them and current amount you can keep per day. And, of course, certain catfish and common carp can be some of the biggest fish in the entire state, can go 25, 30, 35 pounds, and then some of the catfish species can go really big too, and you haven't lived in them until you've seen a five pound, four or five foot long American eel at the end of your line. So, they can go pretty large too, so they aren't always small fish, but they're generally fish that are a little bit more prolific, a little lower on the food chain, and they make up a larger base fisheries base in most waters. So we don't feel the need to put regulations on currently, but again consult the consult the guide on that. So generally this is this is what you're going to see, so certain species of limits and certain species don't. So, can you catch a wild fish and bring it home to put in your fish tank or private pond? We get that question all the time, and the answer is absolutely not. The only two legal reasons to keep fish are to eat it or have it preserved by a taxidermist, otherwise known as the fish artist. And a little tip there, if you are going to do that, is to take a picture right after the catch too, because they have to go through a process to preserve it, and it's nice for them to see what it looked like right after it came out of the water so they can give you the best, the best looking fish back for your dollar, and it's not a cheap thing to do. So those are the two reasons. The reason it's illegal to move fish from one water body to the other is because of disease infection, and that includes live bait in the winter if you're ice fishing too. You can't put those small bait fish that you got from the bait and tackle shop or you trapped up at one pond, you can't dump them into that pond because you could be moving disease, you could be moving a species that wasn't in in that water body. One only needs to look at examples across the country. Grass carp and the Mississippi drainage is one prime example of why we don't move fish from one water body to the other, because they have, you know, they're out of their norm in certain systems, and they can create all kinds of havoc. So again, these are black and white: do not move live fish from one water body to the next.
Location
Picking a great location is your, his, is a key to catching and enjoying fishing. You don't need to make a trip out of it; it's great to have a location or two or three right near your house, right near your home, that you can just go out for a couple hours by yourself or with your spouse or children or friends. It just makes it that much easier, and you get used to things, especially if you're a beginner. You get used to finding the fish in that water body, and that will translate into other water bodies. So, pick a great location, and where can that be? Well, in in Massachusetts, there are hundreds of fishable waters, and we talked about that a little already. So many of them are overlooked. You can be on your way to school or work every day and you see that little pond you pass. A lot of times that even the tiniest little ponds like the ones you see in the in the photos here can hold tremendous amounts of fish, and some large fish too. So don't overlook those. Just make sure they are public, and or if they are private, you have permission to fish on them. So, we are very lucky. The glaciers left us with a lot of water many, many years ago, even before my time, and there's tremendous fisheries in so many of these water bodies. So, finding a fish in these water bodies.
Structure
You really, you got to key up on a certain few things. You want to look for structure, and that's the most important thing. You don't want to go to the beach area, like in the summer say no one's on the beach, and just cast out onto the beach area. There's literally no structure there at all. Fish love structure; they like, they have to find their own home, and when they're home, their own niche within the home that they're living in. So, look for structure. It provides cover and shade for fish. Structure can be down submerged trees, big boulders and rocks, those overhanging bushes that give shade on the shoreline, undercut stream banks like you see this brook trout in right here, weedy areas along the shoreline like this are excellent structure areas for fish, and of course big tree roots here where this large mouth passes cruising. So always look for structure when you're fishing. Deep water can be structure as well. Fish get stressed sometimes in the summer when the water gets really warm, and certain species need that cold water, so they'll go down in the deep water, and that can, that that structure for certain species. So don't overlook that. So, in lakes and ponds, just to illustrate that point a little bit, so we've got a little key up for you here. So, rocks along this way, so you wouldn't want to just walk up to this area right here and start casting out without—it could be just a barren stretch of water. You want you want to know where there's certain chunks of structure, so like a here with the rocks off the dam, sunken cover, b, there's a big old tree that blew in there. Points are excellent right here. The drop off, so you would probably focus on fishing the point or this side of it, not just casting out into this area. Of course, weeds are always good. Submerged stumps here. Lake basin margins like we talked about are very, very important. So that, that would be this deeper water at the foot of the dam. Certain species really need that deep water, particularly trout or cold water fish, and you get to this, you get into them, you know, late spring and summer, they're going to be looking for that deep water because that deep water is going to be colder. So look for that. Drop off areas like this, stair step drop-offs, and of course flooded timber. Beaver activity in certain waters can flood back into the woods a little bit, and it can add to certain water bodies, but it can also make the fishing really, really good. So in lakes and ponds, look for structured areas, and rivers and streams are inherently a little more difficult.
Rivers Streams
As a beginner, I have to tell you, um, it's mostly just because of the moving water. Moving water's a little more difficult to fish, but once you're used to it, if that's in your neighborhood, in your backyard, don't overlook it. Rivers and streams can be wonderful. I grew up fishing these small streams in, in just kind of west central Massachusetts, and, and once you get to know them, they're not difficult at all. Fish will actually hold in certain areas in rivers and streams better; it's just a little more difficult to find them, excuse me, and, and you have all that flowing water. So, if you're new, you're dealing with that flowing water, and you don't know how to deal with it right away with that, especially if it's a fast current. So, um, so with rivers and streams, a is that rip-rappy area, um, where it's well oxygenated. A lot of times that could be man-made areas that move the channel in one direction or another; it could be natural too. Deep river bends always hold fish. Holes below riffles—riffles are shallower areas where the water, um, where the water goes over these, um, small rocks and boulders and gets well oxygenated. A lot of trout in particular and cool water fish will hold in that riffle, just beyond the riffle. Below wing dams, and wing dams are put in place to control, um, erosion in certain water bodies; sometimes you'll see natural wing dams, but other times they're man-made. So below those, of course feeder streams coming into larger rivers, small little streams coming into bigger streams coming into bigger rivers, they're always good places. You have a lot of churn in the, in the water here and more oxygen, and sometimes the fish will hang right in there. And, of course, eddies, which are areas just beyond natural structure that spins the water back, um, toward the eddy, and again more oxygen, nice habitat for the fish. So those are the areas you want to focus on in rivers and streams, and you got to get to know it. You got to pick a river, and if you have one right in your backyard or within a close drive, just take a walk along it. A little tip: if you're fishing rivers, or particularly smaller streams, you want to be very gentle on, especially small streams, very gentle when you walk, because fish pick up vibrations in the water, call them, um, and a lot of that's your footfall. So you want to be, and if you put that fish off, it'll, it'll take off or it'll hunker down and it won't bite. So bigger rivers is not as much a concern, but smaller streams and smaller rivers, you want to be very careful with your footfall, and it's always a good idea to fish upstream as well. The fish are a lot of times pointed upstream into the current, so you're approaching them from downstream, working your way upstream. So just little tips, but fish don't read the books—we do—so trial and error really works good. But don't overlook rivers and streams; but if you want to catch more fish initially, I'd say focus on pond and ponds and lakes.
Featured Sites
Featured sites in Massachusetts. I'm gonna show you our website now, and then we're going to look at some, a few featured sites that hopefully will help you. Number one, this is our website.
Website
So if you, if you want to know any information about fish and wildlife in Massachusetts, you would just google Mass Wildlife. This site is going to come up first, and you can scroll down to the main tabs down here. And if you want calendar information, what upcoming programs, any information about fish and wildlife, you go here. Wildlife, buying your fishing and hunting license right here, and if you've never done it, you, you click on it and it'll cue you up. It'll ask you a few things, and then you'll get in and it'll ask you a little bit more information, and once done, you'll have that. So, the following years, you just go in and within two minutes, you have your—with a credit card—you can buy your fishing hunting license. And, of course, you have the fishing tab and the hunting tab. We're going to focus, obviously, on the fishing tab here, and I'm just going to talk about a couple things in particular. There's so much information here, and we're always adding content. We're always adding content to our website. We have a great group of folks that help us to add content.
Trout Stocking Report
So, if it's spring or fall, you'd want to check the trout stocking report. I don't have the time to walk you through all that right now, but pretty user friendly. You'd click on that and you can, you can find where we stock based on water body or town. So, you can queue that up, find out on a daily basis where we put the fish and species we put them, and we stock trout in from March through about Memorial Day. And then we take a break in the summer, and because it's, it's a spring fall thing, and then late September, early October, for a couple, three weeks, we're stocking again. The balance of them go out in the spring, though. We stock about a half a million trout throughout Massachusetts a year, and most of them go out in the spring. But what I want to show you more—and there's a bunch of information—but we're going to focus more just on the digital fishing map of Massachusetts here.
Bathymetry
And as you can see, it's pretty impressive, and we're always adding, um, sites to this. We're always updating our pond maps and, and with, with modern bathymetry, and bathymetry is just the water depth throughout the water column, and that's important to know when you fish, especially if you're fishing for certain species that seek out certain depths, seek out that colder water. So, for trout, for instance, you, in the summer, you'll want that deep water, and it's good to be able to, to have that access. So, this is just basically a whole screenshot of Massachusetts. So, if we zip in here, I'm just going to show you a couple different examples. Say you're from the Berkshires or you want to go to the Berkshires and do a little fishing, you can open up on—we'll just click on this one—it's Lake Onota, wonderful water body to fish, very large.
Pond Map
Berkshire pond. And this is one of our general pond maps that I'm going to show you. So, you're going to start here with general fishing information: the size of the lake, the average depth, that kind of thing. And then you're going to go down to recreational access to the water body, you know, where you can gain access to it, and some water bodies have just one, um, one, um, boat launch; some have two or three; some only have canoe and car top launches on them; some have none. So, they're, you know—so this is good to know and good to have. Most of all, the ones that we feature do have, um, access, um, boat launch access, and, and some have shoreline access too. So, then you get down to fish populations within the pond. So, this one pretty much has, covers the species; it's a deep two-story lake, so it has all this—most of the species of trout. It has all the warm and cool water species, um, with the exception of lake trout and salmon, and, and I'll talk about that in a minute. Um, so fishing—and it talks about why Noda is good for fishing and, in, in the species to look for and the seasons to look for them in. You, you keep scrolling down and you'll see our modern, uh, map with our, with our newer bathymetry.
Bathymetry Map
And this is bathymetry, just water levels throughout the water body, depth, depth throughout the water body. So, this is your launch in Pittsfield, um, at Burbank Park, and there's a nice big fishing pier, by the way, there. And then you have deep water right off the launch, and then it's going to shallow up. And whenever you see the lines really tight together, when we're talking about the symmetry—that means it's dropping really fast, so steep drop-offs. And remember, fish like those steep drop-offs. It shows you the points to look for, some islands, some bigger coves, and then the shallow coves for, for warm water species. And then if, and then if you just go up a little bit, you can see where it's, it's very shallow in the northern part of the water body. So that's just a quick little example of a Berkshire pond.
We can go and take a peek more at the middle part of the state now, and, and this is—folks, you can really focus on this and play around with this and print these off and keep a whole collection of them. Say you're going to take a little trip to, to the Quabbin Reservoir area of Massachusetts, where you can, you can click on this, and there's information about the Quabbin Reservoir, um, upon link. We won't get into every link here. Quabbin Reservoir is a wonderful fishery. It's open about six months of the year. It's really metropolitan Boston's drinking water supply, but it's as close to being in the wilderness as you can get in Massachusetts. It's just a beautiful water body to fish, and you can rent boats on it, um, daily, um, for very, very inexpensive. So, then you're, you can come further east and look at all the water bodies in, around the Boston and south of Boston area, and down toward the Cape.
As well, you can zip—and say you're going to vacation on the Cape. The Cape is more known for saltwater resources, obviously, with the Atlantic Ocean surrounding it, but there are a lot of great freshwater resources on the Cape. So, I'll just click on this one. It's Wequaquet. People come to Wequaquet, especially for pike fishing. They love that, and it's more of a shallow water system. But again, here's your general information. Here's your recreational access information, and you just print this right off, or you can keep it on your phone, um, keep a favorites list of water bodies that you like to fish. The, the report on the fishing—and these are all done within the last couple of years—we've done these historically every 20 to 30 years, and anyone you see in color with the modern bathymetry has been done in the last four or five years.
And we're trying to do all of them, update all of them over the course of the next few years. So, all of them love these wonderful modern bathymetry. Um, and the cool thing about this too, if you're out
On this pond in a boat, or—and you have this up on your phone—it will show you. Your GPS will show you where you are in relation to this map, and it's a great handy tool when you're ice fishing as well. You can be walking from the access site or, or, you know, the access site right here on the northern end of Week, you can be walking, and it'll show you where you are on the pond. So really neat tool for the angler, um, available to everyone just right on our website. So, so don't disregard that if you're, if
MassWildlife Website
You don't know where to fish in Massachusetts, this is where you want to go. You want to go right to our website. Um, so not only do we have a tremendous amount of fishing information, we have all these water bodies you can, that you can fish, and there are streams on this too, and, and some sites along the ocean, some piers and, in that access locations along the ocean too. So, I just don't have the time to give you the three-hour tour, but this is, um, definitely your resource for all things fishing. So, we're gonna stop sharing that and go right back into the, the PowerPoint here for you and continue on that journey. So hopefully once you've, once you've got
Have a Backup Plan
A place to fish, and you know where to target your fish—remember now you look for structure at these water bodies—and always have a back-up plan. I always say that, especially if it's a busy weekend or in the middle of summer. A lot of people are vacationing. Say you're down on the Cape, um, you could, um, have in mind a certain water body. You get there, and there's very little shoreline access to fish. The boat launches are all jammed up. Have one or two or three other water bodies nearby there that you can explore, because there's no shortage of them, as you can see. So have a backup plan, particularly in busy time. So, get the right equipment. That is huge, and I cannot overstate that. I see so many people showing up at our fishing events, um, with the sentimental stuff, the stuff that grandma gave them, or, or their mom or dad gave him, or grandpa gave him, and it's so cool and it's neat, it's sentimental, to be fishing with something that, that someone in your family fished with before or something they picked up at a tag sale or flea market for very inexpensive, and they want to try it out. So invariably, a lot of times, we are giving them our equipment to borrow and showing them how to use it, and at the same time maybe showing them how to update that equipment, put new line on, and that kind of thing. So if you start from the right equipment, it's so much easier. So, and the right equipment, if you're just starting, it's a simple live bait setup. So, a simple hook, uh, sinker, bobber rig—and I'll show you that in a bit—push button spin cast or spinning rod and reel is the one you generally want to start with, um, and lightweight short rods are very appealing for beginners, particularly young ones. And if the young beginner is this age, you know, three or four years old, that's fine, but if they get up to seven, eight, nine years old, these are a little bit too short. The distance in your cast has a lot to do with how long the fishing rod is, so if you get these little ones, it's going to limit those older children in terms of casting. So while these rod and reels can be great, but I would say just for the younger set from like three, four, five, six, maybe—excuse me—you get much older than that, you really want the full five and a half, six, seven foot rod, and it's no problem for a seven, eight, nine year old, um, child to, to wield that. But these younger ones, it's fantastic to have the small one. They have a little casting plug, and to get out in the yard and have a ball. So
Things You’ll Need
These are some of the things you're going to need to get you started on your fishing journey. So the best rod.
Species of limits are the species that are a little bit more prolific. Some people would say the smaller species, and yeah, sometimes they are your typical bluegills, pumpkin seed, calico bass, perches. Generally, they are a bit smaller than some of the bigger game fish species, but they can be pretty large too, and there's no, right now, there's no current size limit on them and current amount you can keep per day. And of course, certain catfish and common carp can be some of the biggest fish in the entire state, can go 25, 30, 35 pounds, and then some of the catfish species can go really big too. And you haven't lived in them until you've seen a five pound, four or five foot long American eel at the end of your line. So they can go pretty large too, so they aren't always small fish, but they're generally fish that are a little bit more prolific, a little lower on the food chain, and they make up a larger base fisheries base in most waters, so we don't feel the need to put regulations on currently. But again, consult the guide on that. So generally, this is what you're going to see. So certain species have limits and certain species don't. So can you catch a wild fish and bring it home to put in your fish tank or private pond? We get that question all the time, and the answer is absolutely not. The only two legal reasons to keep fish are to eat it or have it preserved by a taxidermist, otherwise known as the fish artist. And a little tip there, if you are going to do that, is to take a picture right after the catch too, because they have to go through a process to preserve it, and it's nice for them to see what it looked like right after it came out of the water so they can give you the best looking fish back for your dollar, and it's not a cheap thing to do. So those are the two reasons. The reason it's illegal to move fish from one water body to the other is because of disease infection, and that includes live bait in the winter if you're ice fishing too. You can't put those small bait fish that you got from the bait and tackle shop, or you trapped up at one pond, you can't dump them into that pond because you could be moving disease, you could be moving a species that wasn't in that water body. One only needs to look at examples across the country. Grass carp in the Mississippi drainage is one prime example of why we don't move fish from one water body to the other, because they are out of their norm in certain systems and they can create all kinds of havoc. So again, these are black and white: do not move live fish from one water body to the next. Picking a great location is a key to catching and enjoying fishing. You don't need to make a trip out of it. It's great to have a location or two or three right near your house, right near your home, that you can just go out for a couple hours by yourself or with your spouse or children or friends. It just makes it that much easier, and you get used to things, especially if you're a beginner. You get used to finding the fish in that water body, and that will translate into other water bodies. So, pick a great location, and where can that be? Well, in Massachusetts there are hundreds of fishable waters, and we talked about that a little already. So many of them are overlooked. You can be on your way to school or work every day and you see that little pond you pass. A lot of times, even the tiniest little ponds, like the ones you see in the photos here, can hold tremendous amounts of fish and some large fish too, so don't overlook those. Just make sure they are public, or if they are private, you have permission to fish on them. So, we are very lucky the glaciers left us with a lot of water many, many years ago, even before my time, and there's tremendous fisheries in so many of these water bodies. So, finding fish in these water bodies, you really have to key up on a certain few things. You want to look for structure, and that's the most important thing. You don't want to go to the beach area, like in the summer, say no one's on the beach, and just cast out onto the beach area. There's literally no structure there at all. Fish love structure. They have to find their own home, their own niche within the home that they're living in, so look for structure. It provides cover and shade for fish, and structure can be downed submerged trees, big boulders and rocks, those overhanging bushes that give shade on the shoreline, undercut stream banks like you see this brook trout in right here. Weedy areas along the shoreline like this are excellent structure areas for fish, and of course big tree roots here where this largemouth bass is cruising. So always look for structure when you're fishing. Deep water can be structure as well. Fish get stressed sometimes in the summer when the water gets really warm, and certain species need that cold water, so they'll go down in the deep water, and that can be structure for certain species, so don't overlook that. So, in lakes and ponds, just to illustrate that point a little bit, we've got a little key up for you here. So, rocks along this way, you wouldn't want to just walk up to this area right here and start casting out without knowing—it could be just a barren stretch of water. You want to know where there's certain chunks of structure, like here with the rocks off the dam. Sunken cover: there's a big old tree that blew in there. Points are excellent right here. The drop-off, so you would probably focus on fishing the point or this side of it, not just casting out into this area. Of course, weeds are always good. Submerged stumps here. Lake basin margins, like we talked about, are very, very important. That would be this deeper water at the foot of the dam. Certain species really need that deep water, particularly trout or coldwater fish, and you get into late spring and summer, they're going to be looking for that deep water because that deep water is going to be colder, so look for that. Drop-off areas like this, stair-step drop-offs, and of course flooded timber. Beaver activity in certain waters can flood back into the woods a little bit, and it can add to certain water bodies, but it can also make the fishing really, really good. So, in lakes and ponds, look for structured areas, and rivers and streams are inherently a little more difficult.
Lures
And again, we’ll get into lures. Just as I mentioned, there are groupings of lures that work really well. Do your research. All I’m going to say about lures is that if you’re going to identify what you want to fish for first—if you want to fish for largemouth bass or smallmouth bass or trout or striped bass—just do a search for the best largemouth bass lures, and you’ll have the top five or the top ten.
Do your homework first. Don’t be that person standing in front of the bait aisle looking up and going, “Oh my God, that one looks great, that one looks great,” because that’s what they do—they look appealing to us, but to fish they may have no appeal. Even some of the ones that look natural, like what they’re trying to imitate—say this frog—I’ve tried this many times and had very little luck. But this clear little topwater lure, I’ve had a lot more luck with, and I don’t really know what that’s trying to imitate other than maybe a wounded baitfish flopping around in the water.
So we’re not the fish—we’re not seeing exactly through their eyes—so it’s hard to know. Be cautious of lures. This tackle box probably represents hundreds, if not a thousand dollars or more in lures, and probably only a small percentage of them really work on a regular basis. So just be careful—you can spend a lot of money on lures and not be very effective.
So here’s a simple live bait rig right here. We’re going to show it with a worm on it, but you could also use a mealworm or a shiner. You see here the best way to put that worm on is to put it on so there’s not a lot hanging off. In this illustration there’s more hanging off.
There’s your bobber, your little weight under your bobber, and then two or three feet of line down to your hook. Then you’re going to put the worm on and cast out. A very, very simple rig—nothing to it.
If you’re surface fishing or fishing near the surface, you’d use the bobber here. If you’re fishing deeper water, you’d put one or two or three weights on and cast out, let it go down, and you just have to be more mindful because you don’t have the visual of the bobber. You’ll have to watch the rod tip or your line moving to see if something is striking.
Very simple rig. Fishing doesn’t have to be complicated.
Speaking of complicated, accessories to bring while you’re fishing—there are must-haves and things that just add to the experience. The things you really should have:
I always recommend eye protection. If you’re out fishing, protect yourself from the hook but also from the sun. The sun is very powerful, so if you wear a polarized pair of sunglasses, it’s going to be helpful. You’ll have confidence because you’re protecting your eyes and you can see into the water column better because the glasses cut down the glare.
A pair of fingernail or toenail clippers is very critical, or some way to cut line. Also, some way to remove fish hooks—a simple pair of needle-nose pliers or cheap hemostats works fine.
If you’re in any watercraft at any time of the year, I always recommend a personal flotation device (PFD), or life jacket. It’s the law between September 15th and May 15th. Even in summer, keep it accessible.
Sunscreen is important, and if you’re fishing at dawn or dusk—or in humid conditions—bring insect repellent.
Accessories that enhance the experience: don’t rush out and buy a boat. Boats can be expensive and require maintenance. A better starting option might be waders, a kayak, or a canoe.
If you’re keeping fish, bring a fillet knife and a way to keep fish fresh, like a cooler with ice. A measuring device is useful since some species must meet size limits. A net can also help land larger fish.
Fishing with Kids
When fishing with young children, it’s all about keeping them happy and entertained. Bring snacks, water or their favorite drinks, bug spray, sunscreen, and a change of clothes. A life jacket is very important. Barbless hooks are recommended—they’re safer and easier to remove.
Target Fish
If you’re a beginner, don’t be picky—just try to catch anything that bites. Get a feel for casting, reeling, and handling fish.
Popular freshwater species include sunfish, bass, trout, pike, and pickerel.
Sunfish (like bluegill, pumpkinseed, and black crappie) are perfect for beginners. They’re easy to catch and very abundant. Fish for them in lakes and ponds during warmer months.
Bass (largemouth and smallmouth) are larger and more challenging. Largemouth prefer warmer, weedy water, while smallmouth prefer cooler, rocky environments.
Trout are cold-water fish and are often stocked. Look for clean, cold water. Popular baits include worms, mealworms, and artificial lures like spinners and spoons.
Pike and pickerel are toothy fish that grow large and are exciting to catch. Use wire leaders and larger bait like shiners.
After the Catch
Fish are cold-blooded vertebrates adapted to water. They have senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, plus a lateral line that detects vibrations. Fish do feel pain, so handle them with care.
Handling Fish
Wet your hands before touching fish to protect their slime coating. Remove hooks quickly and gently.
Sunfish: hold carefully and flatten spines.
Bass: hold by the mouth but support the body if horizontal.
Trout: minimize handling—keep them in the water as much as possible.
Catch and Release
Don’t exhaust fish during the fight. Use barbless or circle hooks. Release fish quickly after a short handling time.
Catch and Keep
Follow all regulations. Dispatch fish humanely. Keep them cool and clean them soon.
Don’t overharvest—take only what you need.
Eating Fish
Fish are healthy but may contain mercury. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under 12 should avoid most wild freshwater fish except stocked trout.
Eat smaller, younger fish rather than large, older ones.
Ethics and Responsibility
Respect nature. Don’t litter—especially fishing line. Respect other anglers’ space. Practice safety and follow regulations.
Only keep fish for eating or preservation. Never release unused bait fish into the water.
If you see serious violations, report them rather than confronting anyone.
Fishing is a great way to connect with nature. Have fun and enjoy the experience.