The most common reason for participating in fishing is to exercise the body. Many people may not enjoy intense physical activities, and fishing's level of intensity meets the expectations of many individuals. Other driving factors include playing with family and friends, getting closer to nature, enjoying the soothing sounds and fresh air of nature, and appreciating the beauty of the outdoors.
Life is short, so you should still go out and have fun.
The first step is to buy a permit.
In the United States, fishing permits are divided into two main categories: commercial and recreational. Recreational fishing is further divided into two categories: freshwater and saltwater. In my experience, freshwater fishing permits are not free, while saltwater fishing permits are often free (only for fishing, shellfish such as shrimp and crabs require payment).
Equipment needed for fishing.
Recently, I have been preparing three pre-configured fishing gear sets in my car trunk: a short rod with a thin line and 4-pound polymer line for casting small lures; a 7-foot medium-hardness carbon fiber rod with a 10-pound braided line for fishing black bass; and a 5wt 7'6" fly rod for fishing small streams.
Essential fishing gear：rod, reel, fishing line, hook, lure
Non-essential but important fishing gear：float, sinker or weight, ishing net, fishing pliers, wader
Some accessories.: swivel,connector
For beginners, the simplest way is to go to Walmart and buy a combo for a few tens of dollars, which includes everything needed for fishing.
For beginners, the simplest thing to do is to buy a Combo for a few dozen dollars at Walmart, which has everything you need. Don't buy too much of this entry-level fishing gear because some people lose confidence after fishing a few times and stop fishing. Other people quickly improve their skills and need more sophisticated high-end fishing gear.
In terms of fishing rod materials, the durability is: resin > fiberglass > carbon fiber, and the order of weight and performance is just the opposite. I have a resin ice fishing rod that is unlikely to break, and it is very tough. Glass fiber rods made of epoxy resin are less likely to break than carbon fiber rods, but because glass fiber has poor rigidity, it is relatively soft and cannot transmit weaker vibration signals. Carbon fiber rods are the closest to rigid bodies. High-end carbon fiber rods are relatively thin cylinders that are very hard and light. The drag of the fishing line on the rod tip or periodic vibration can be transmitted to your hand with minimal loss. However, high-end carbon fiber also has a downside, which is that it is not resistant to collision with hard objects, such as when your rod is placed in the trunk and is hit by a hard object (such as a hammer), it is likely to break at the collision site when fishing, so it is best to use a rod tube or rod sleeve to protect high-end rods.
Glass fiber is suitable for beginners because it is durable and inexpensive. After you find your interest and preference, you can buy high-end carbon fiber fishing rods.
In terms of fishing lines, beginners are most concerned about how thick the line is. My personal habit is to use 10-pound braided line for fishing for largemouth bass, and 8-pound fluorocarbon line for the leader line; 6-pound braided line or monofilament line for fishing for crappie and other panfish; and 15-pound braided line for larger freshwater fish. If you use nylon lines, try to use thin lines because thicker nylon lines have strong elasticity and are prone to breaking.
As for the reel, a spinning reel is the most beginner-friendly, while other types of reels are not very friendly to beginners and may even be tricky in the hands of experts.
Two beginner fishing methods
There are only two basic fishing methods for beginners: one is bait fishing, also known as meat fishing, which usually involves using worms, minnows, mealworms, and the like.
The image is from carolinasportsman.com.
There are two basic fishing methods for beginners. The first one is bait fishing, which can be done with bait such as worms, minnows, and mealworms. The bait can be suspended from a float on the water surface or fished without a float with a sinker to keep it on the bottom. Bottom fishing is generally more effective in summer and winter, while surface fishing is more advantageous in spring and autumn. In the picture above, removing the float will turn it into a sinker fishing rig, allowing the bait to rest on the bottom undisturbed.
The second method is lure fishing, which includes spinners, jigs, surface lures, spoons, plugs, artificial flies, soft plastic baits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and more. Generally, using bait to fish is usually more efficient than using lures, but lure fishing is more exciting and challenging. However, sometimes the catch rate of lure fishing can exceed that of bait fishing.
Other equipment:
Floats, sinkers, scissors, pliers, and other tools are recommended for anglers to buy a storage box to store various tools; folding chairs, sun umbrellas, mosquito repellent spray, sunglasses, sun hats are also indispensable equipment for fishing.
A few basic fishing knots.
Less is more, I will only introduce a few simple and useful fishing knots.
Use Palomar Knot to tie fishing hooks
Tying a figure-eight loop using the Improved Clinch Knot.
Blood Knot for joining two lines.
