How to Fish: Fishing Tips for Beginners

July 15, 2022July 15, 2022 Priscilla Obrien

As the name suggests, “fishing” is an activity that involves catching fish out of water. Fishing can be done in any water body that is holding a good amount of fish, but normally it is done in big water bodies often found in the wild.

The term fishing is also applied to catching many other aquatic organisms except aquatic mammals. So, if you are trying to catch other aquatic animals such as mollusks or cephalopods, then that would also be referred to as fishing.

Fishing is a very popular recreational activity in the western parts of the world, and apart from recreational purposes, it also contributes a major chunk to the daily consumption of people all over the globe. In fact, commercial fishing and large-scale fisheries are a big employment source for many.

Table of Contents

Types Of Fishing – Fishing Purposes

Fishing is described under 3 major heads on a broad basis which is as follows:

#1. TRADITIONAL

Fishing done on a very small scale using the traditional outlook i.e, with the help of traditional methods, is referred to as traditional fishing.

This sort of fishing is mainly done for self which includes but is not limited to survival, self-nourishment, sale purposes, etc.

Traditional fishing techniques applied by fishermen tend to vary from place to place because of the knowledge passed over to the present generation from their ancestors.

#2. RECREATIONAL

Fishing done for the purposes of joy, fun, pleasure, and self-enrichment is referred to as recreational fishing. This type of fishing is usually not done for any benefit but only for enjoying a good time and satisfying personal inner needs and ego.

Sports fishing is also categorized under this purpose as it is mainly done for a competition and is interrelated with recreational fishing. Recreational fishermen often tend to log their catches and participate in sport or game fishing.

#3. COMMERCIAL

Fishing done for the sole purpose of commercial usage is referred to as commercial fishing. It is usually practiced in very large water bodies where there is an abundant amount of quality fish available.

Commercial fishing falls under the primary sector among the 3 sectors of business. Commercial fishermen take the help of a lot of modern technology & techniques, and equipment to facilitate their work as they have to face adverse difficulties in capturing and transporting their catch.

Fishing Techniques

The term “fishing techniques” basically symbolizes the methods applied to catch fish out of the water. There are numerous fishing techniques but broadly they are categorized under 6 major categories. These are:

Hand-Fishing
Netting
Trapping
Angling
Destructive
Spearfishing

For different types of fishing, fishermen tend to use different techniques but sometimes they may use similar ones.

In other words, the techniques that are used in traditional fishing may or may not be used for recreational or commercial fishing. This is mainly due to the nature of different fishing types and requirements at a given point.

Furthermore, the techniques being used also depend on the area where fishing is being done. Even the type of aquatic animal you are trying to catch plays a big role in deciding what technique you should opt for.

#1. HAND-FISHING

Catching fishes using your bare hands is what hand-fishing is all about. This technique is applied by a single individual at a time and is often practiced in the case where a single fish or only a small amount of fish needs to be caught mainly from the shore.

Hand fishing is popularly used on beaches to catch animals like shellfish, crabs, kelps, etc. This technique is not viable to use where the requirement is of a large amount of fish for obvious reasons.

It is a traditional fishing technique used commonly for survival or self-nourishment purposes.

#2. NETTING

This technique involves catching fish with the help of a fishing net spread across a large area. The fishing net is a mesh made of thin knotted thread or wires. It is thrown on the water body with force and the fish gets trapped in this net.

Netting is the primary method for large-scale and commercial fishing. It is further facilitated by many modern techniques to enhance its effectiveness.

FYI: The type of fishing net required depends on a lot of factors such as

#3. TRAPPING

Similar to the idea of the netting technique, traps are used to catch fish by setting up a permanent or temporary trap at a location where the prey is most likely to get caught.

An interesting fact to note about this fishing technique is that it can be used to catch fish in traditional, recreational as well as commercial concepts. It is universal in nature and is applicable to all fishing types.

Furthermore, the technique of trapping is very popularly used for catching other animals also. It is not limited to catching fish only.

The only limitation to this fishing technique is that the person building the trap should be highly knowledgeable about this sector in order to ensure a catch otherwise, the trap will fail.

Top Tip: Be sure to test your trap before deploying it for your ultimate cause.

#4. ANGLING

Angling is by far one of the most popular fishing methods. The technique of angling involves fishing using a hook, rod, reel, lines, and bait. Sometimes the line is also attached with a sinker so that it increases in weight and can easily go down in the water.

It is one of the best classic techniques of fishing with a traditional outlook that has been enhanced by modern technology.

As you might have seen, most of recreational fishermen use the technique of angling to catch fish. It is also the core method for competitive or sports fishing.

#5. DESTRUCTIVE

As the name suggests, destructive fishing is the method of using destructive techniques such as explosives and bombs to catch fish.

In the eyes of the law, destructive fishing is considered to be illegal. However, these laws are rarely and inadequately exercised in many parts of the world.

The most common type of destructive fishing technique is blast fishing, as it is economical in nature and often provides a big catch as the end result. Fishes get killed by the shock of small dynamites or homemade bombs, and then they are collected from the water either from the surface or from the bottom.

#6. SPEARFISHING

Spearfishing is one of the oldest techniques of fishing which is rarely practiced nowadays. It includes catching fish with a normal spear, harpoon, trident or any other common sharp stick or a specialized spear. This technique of fishing was used for hunting by ancient man not only to catch fish but many other animals as well.

Nowadays, spearfishing is barely used for catching fish. In most of cases, it is either used by the old tribes in the forests for survival or just for recreational purposes.

Commercially, this technique is used only on rare occasions, and that too with many modern enhancements to the actual technique and outlook.

See More Articles: Beginner Writing 101: Types, How-To & Expert Tips

How To Catch A Fish?

Learning how to catch a fish is a simple thing to do provided you do it in the right way. Depending on the fishing technique you apply, it can either be super easy or it can be extremely difficult.

The best way to do normal recreational fishing is by going with the angling technique. For commercial fishing, netting and trapping are one of the best choices to go with.

The first and foremost step in the process of learning how to fish is to identify and decide a fishing spot and then lay down a proper plan for your activities, goals, and objectives plus the means you believe will be necessary to accomplish it.
An ideal fishing spot is one with plenty of quality fish plus a good room for fishing accompanied by bafflingly beautiful climatic conditions.
Once you have got yourself a nice fishing spot then it’s time to acquire knowledge about the type of fish that are present in a particular location. This can be accomplished by talking to local fishermen of that certain place or just good old internet browsing.
Based on your fishing goals and objectives you need to opt for a fishing technique that you think will be most suitable. It’s quite a possibility that you may find multiple suitable fishing techniques but if you aren’t a fishing maestro (which most likely is the case) then it’s best to stick to a single best option instead of the multiple ones. This way you will be able to increase your effectiveness which will ultimately help you to get a better catch.
Next, comes getting the suitable gear and supplies for the technique of fishing that you wish to apply. Generally, you will need a small or a big boat, fish capturing essentials specific to your technique, fishing goggles, fishing gloves, and a fishing outfit. Furthermore, it is essential to obtain a fishing license to do it legally especially if you are planning to do commercial fishing.
Once you have every basic fishing need set up then it’s time to move on to the predetermined fishing location. It is recommended to start up your fishing journey with a regular fisherman for a couple of starter trips so that you get to learn from an experienced person in reality. The person can be a member of your family, a friend or a hired professional fisherman.
On reaching the destination you need to set up your fish traps specific to your fishing technique carefully with full attention and focus so that you can minimize errors. Remember, one little error is enough to ruin all of your efforts so it will not be viable for you to leave any room for errors at this spot.
Wait until you get your desired catch in your fishing trap and then carefully bring it up to your boat. Most recreational fishermen love to take pics of themselves with their catch and then release the fish back to the water or they love to eat them. You can also sell the fish in the market and make some money.

Fishing Tips & Tricks

Being a skill a person tends to develop his own theories, tips, and tweaks based on his own extent of knowledge and experience. These tips not only ease out the fishing process but also facilitates various other fishing-related tasks.

In short, the more tips you can come through or develop yourself the more you will enhance your skills provided the theories or tips that you develop prove out to be useful in reality.

To get you started, here are a few basic fishing tips and tricks that will definitely help you out no matter which fishing technique you follow.

Having knowledge about fishing is a wonderful thing if you are a fisherman. However, obtaining knowledge about aquatic life, habitats and ecosystem is also crucial. It will help you in more ways than you can even imagine. The more you get to know about your catch, the more effective and efficient you will get in fishing.
Having a proper fishing gear is highly necessary. Further, the fishing gear should be aptly fit for the fishing technique you are planning to use. You can use a couple of substitutes for some of the fishing equipment but not for all especially the essential ones.
If you hate a certain food item then it is highly likely that you will not even look at it. The same thing goes with fishes too. You need to attract the fishes with the baits that they get highly attracted to but if you go fishing with the wrong one then it’s probably great luck if you get a good quality catch.
Safety is the biggest priority and fishing is no stranger to it. Make sure that your fishing gear includes an abundance of properly functioning safety gear. Always keep updated maps of the location of your swimming and nearby areas. Weather reports and conditions should also be paid great attention to because it is not a good idea to go fishing on a possibly stormy day.
Almost every fish will try to protect itself in one way or the other. Some have sharp teeth while some have poisonous or sharp fins or bodies. You should always handle your catch with care and try not to rush it. If your purpose to keep the fish with you then you should kill it right off when you catch it.
When it comes to fishing then patience is the key to either make it or break it. The key to patience is not getting discouraged. If you are doing everything correctly then you will definitely get a great catch. Sometimes, it just takes a bit longer than expected.

At the end of this article, I hope that you would’ve at least got your fishing fundamentals cleared out.

So, don’t forget to share your experiences as a fishing beginner in the comments section down below!

See More Articles: Should You Buy a DSLR or Point and Shoot Digital Camera?

See More Articles: Swimming Strokes, How To Swim, Tips & Benefits