The Art of Fishing - How to Make the Most of Your Fishing Adventures

The art of fishing has many aspects. There are quite a few steps to take before you cast to ensure a safe and successful experience. The first thing anyone should do is acquire the appropriate licensing. You always want to be legal, as the repercussions can be extreme. You also want to be familiar with the fishing regulations for your area. After this you have to decide whether you are going to fish in saltwater or freshwater. Both have their pros and cons, which will be discussed later. Once you pick where you will fish, you need to get equipped. The equipment available today is vast and can be confusing, but once you have your target, it can be quite easy.

As I mentioned, acquiring a license should be your first action in preparing for a fishing trip. Most bait and tackle shops as well as some sporting good stores and chain superstores will offer licensing. If you attempt to fish without the proper credentials, law enforcement officials can fine you, arrest you, and in extreme cases seize your equipment/vehicle/boat(if you are using one). The same goes for adhering to the fishing regulations. These regulations let you know what species of fish are harvest-able, and of those species, what size limit you need to reach before harvesting. Some species also have a bag limit, which is the amount of said species you can keep.

After getting licensed, you need to decide where you will fish. Both fresh and salt bodies of water offer different experiences. If you choose freshwater, your typical query will be large mouth bass, small mouth bass, different breeds of catfish, bream, crappie, and other panfish (ie: bluegill, sunspot, etc.). In some fresh water bodies you can find striped bass, brown trout and rainbow trout(different than the saltwater species). In my opinion, the striped bass is the best fight available in a freshwater fish, especially as they can get quite large. Those are most of your southern choices. If fishing in the north, you can expect to catch perch, walleye, pike, muskies, some salmon, and sturgeon. If you choose saltwater, the query varies vastly.

With too many species to list here, I will list a few that I enjoy fishing for. Some common catches are snapper, grouper, flounder, sheepshead, black drum, members of the jack family, as well as others. The former are most commonly found inshore/near shore. The more sought after inshore fish are the redfish(red drum) and the sea trout. There are also a variety of fish offshore, if you have a boat or charter one. They can include(but are not limited to) dolphin(mahi mahi), tuna, cobia, amberjack, bluefish, kingfish, mackerel and wahoo. There are many more, but I am only listing the more common species.

After you have selected your destination and your target, its time to get equipped. You want to choose a rod strong enough for your target, but not overly so as to make for an enjoyable fight. The reel needs to also be strong enough for your target, and able to hold the pound test line that you choose(the lighter the test, the weaker). Finally you need to pick your bait. There are many artificial lures made to target most species. You may also choose a real bait, either live or frozen. If this is the case, you need to get the appropriate hooks and weights.

When all these steps are finished, all that's left is the fishing. The best way to learn the art of fishing is to practice, practice, practice. I hope this has helped you with your fishing questions, now get out there and catch something.