Fishing For Dummies

To catch fish consistently, anglers need to know some things about the fish they pursue and the habitat where those fish reside. A prepared angler is often a successful angler, so you can use a chart to help you decide what to bring on your next fishing trip. For more preparation, you should know common catches and their usual haunts. And in case you ever catch a whopper, you can compare it to the world record holders according to the International Game Fish Association.

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Outfitting Your Fishing Trip with the Right Equipment and Clothing

No one checklist works for every fishing trip, as there are many variables to consider. Are you fishing saltwater or freshwater? What species are you fishing for? What’s the weather like? What season is it? Are you fishing from a boat or the bank?

This table is a broad list of things necessary for most trips, arranged in order from most to least crucial. Go through this list before each venture, skipping items that aren’t relevant for a particular trip. It should help you remember many of the items you need!

Fishing Equipment	General Equipment	Clothing
Rods/reels	First-aid kit	Life jacket
Tackle carrier containing all your terminal tackle, as well as your lures and flies	Camera	Foul-weather waterproof bag containing rainsuit, knit hat, gloves, and dry socks)
Line clippers	Meals and snacks	Polarized sunglasses
Needlenose pliers	Insect repellant	Baseball cap
Towel (for drying hands after catching fish)	Flashlight or headlamp	Waterproof boots
Cooler containing bait (keep livebait cool and dry, and keep minnows cool and wet)	Cooler containing (nonalcoholic) beverages	Deck shoes
Landing net	Thermos	Gloves
Extra spool of line	GPS unit or compass	Waders or hip boots
Measuring tape	Knife or multitool	Fleece jacket
Castnet or seine if you plan to gather bait	Lighter or matches in waterproof case	Shirt – SPF fabric and longsleeved
Mouth spreader if you’re fishing for species with teeth	Sunscreen	Shirt – SPF fabric and shortsleeved
Weight scale	Hand sanitizer	Long underwear
	Hand warmers	Convertible pants (pants with zippered legs, making instant shorts)
	Plastic bags	Socks
	25 feet of small-diameter rope
	Seat, bucket, or cushion
	Toilet paper

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Matching Up the Fish, the Water, and the Offering

Almost every sizable body of water, providing it isn’t too polluted, will have some fish in it. Whether the fish have been stocked there, or appear through natural reproduction, there’s a good chance more than one species is present.

The following table lists a few common species of fish and provides typical habitats for them, as well as bait, lures, and flies that often trigger them to bite. Of course, these fish can be found in other habitats and will hit other offerings in addition to those listed.

Fish	Water	Offering
Freshwater Fish
Bluegill	Ponds, lakes, and reservoirs	Worms, crickets, and small spinners
Largemouth bass	Ponds, lakes, and reservoirs	Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics
Smallmouth bass	Streams and rivers	Jigs, crankbaits, and topwaters
Channel catfish	Ponds, reservoirs, and rivers	Nightcrawlers and cutbait
Crappie	Ponds, reservoirs, and lakes	Minnows, spinners, and jigs
Northern pike	Cooler lakes and rivers	Spoons, crankbaits, and spinners
Rainbow trout	Cooler streams and deep lakes	Flies and spinners
Walleye	Cooler rivers and lakes	Jigs, crankbaits, and nightcrawlers
Saltwater Fish
Summer flounder	Bays, harbors, and estuaries	Jigs, shrimp, and cutbait
Red drum	Shallow bays, flats, and estuaries	Crankbaits, jigs, and cutbait
Weakfish	Shallow bays and marshes	Shrimp, jigs, and spoons
Bluefish	Bays, warm estuaries, and beaches	Spoons, crankbaits, and jigs
Snook	Warm lagoons, mangrove swamps, and estuaries	Crankbaits, livebait, and topwaters
Tarpon	Estuaries and mangrove bays	Livebait, spoons, and crankbaits
Yellowtail snapper	Coral reefs	Cutbait and squid
Goliath grouper	Rocky ledges, reefs, and wrecks	Livebait, cutbait, and squid

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Matching Your Fishing Rod, Lure, and Line

Your fishing rod has a limit to how much weight it can lift and cast effectively. This is called the “power” of the rod. Anglers can use this chart as a guide to match up the right rod, lure weight, and line size for the right balance.

Rod Power	Lure Weight	Line Size
Ultralight	1–4 lb test	1/64–1/16 oz
Light	4–8 lb test	1/16–1/4 oz
Medium Light	6–10 lb test	1/4–1/2 oz
Medium	8–12 lb test	1/2–1 oz
Medium Heavy	12–25 lb test	1–4 oz
Heavy	20–40 lb test	4–8 oz
Extra Heavy	25 lb test and above	8 oz and above

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Keeping Up with Fishing World Records

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) keeps track of world record catches for almost every species of fish you can think of. Do you think you just hauled in the next record catch? It could happen! If your fish beats the current record, get it registered at the nearest tackle shop. Then wait for those endorsements to come piling in.

Fish	Weight	Where and When It Was Caught
Bluefish	31 lb 12 oz	Hatteras, North Carolina; January 30, 1972
Brown Trout	41 lb 8 oz	Lake Michigan, Racine, Wisconsin; July 16, 2010
Largemouth Bass	22 lb 4 oz	Montgomery Lake, Georgia; June 2, 1932
Blue Catfish	130 lb.	Missouri River, Florissant, Missouri; July 20, 2010
Northern Pike	55 lb 1 oz	Lake of Grefeern, Germany; October 16, 1986
Bluegill	4 lb 12 oz	Ketona Lake, Alabama; April 9, 1950
Tarpon	286 lb 9 oz	Rubane, Guinea-Bissau; March 20, 2003
Walleye	25 lb	Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee; April 1, 1960
Weakfish	19 lb 12 oz	Staten Island, New York; May 7, 2008

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