Meet the fish

Worms and nightcrawlers

The best all-around bait: nearly every freshwater game fish eats worms.

Large worms and nightcrawlers suit bass and catfish; a small worm or a piece of one suits bluegill, sunfish, crappie and trout. Redworms are a favorite for redear sunfish, and worms catch more freshwater drum than any other bait.

Why use them: cheap, easy to find (dig them, or look under boards and rocks after rain) and easy to keep alive; kept cool they last up to a month.

How to hook: run the hook through the worm, slide it up the shank and thread it through three to five more times. On a small hook use pieces, with the point pushed into the end so the bait doesn't slide off. On a large hook leave the tail free to wiggle.

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures · Take Me Fishing: What is good bait for freshwater fishing (2022) · Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: May is a great time for redear sunfish (2021) · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Minnows and shiners

Live baitfish for predators. Size picks the fish: small minnows for crappie, medium ones for bass and larger trout, large shiners for big bass.

Why use them: crappie and bass eat small fish, and a live minnow moves like the real thing because it is.

How to hook: for casting or trolling, through both lips, point up, so it swims naturally. Under a float, through the back without touching the spine, which would paralyze it. Fished free with no weight, through the tail.

Keep them in a minnow bucket in the water they came from and use them soon. Never dump unused bait into a lake: it can bring in unwanted animals.

Check your state's bait rules before you buy them: some states restrict live fish as bait, and California does not allow fish as bait in most of its inland waters.

Take Me Fishing: What is good bait for freshwater fishing (2022) · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures · TPWD: White Crappie · TPWD: Largemouth Bass · CDFW: 2026 freshwater sport fishing regulations

Crickets, grasshoppers and other insects

Panfish, sunfish and trout eat insects: crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, ants, caterpillars.

Why use them: a lively cricket is hard for a hungry bluegill to resist, especially big bluegill in summer and late fall. Grasshoppers falling from the bank are a summer staple for river bass.

How to hook a cricket: push the point slowly into the area just behind the head, not deep (Take Me Fishing). Or thread the hook through the rear of the body: a hook through the front kills an insect quickly (Texas A&M AgriLife).

Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Take Me Fishing: What is good bait for freshwater fishing (2022) · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Fly Fisherman: Hill Country bass

Mealworms, wax worms and grubs

Small larvae sold at bait shops, used for panfish, sunfish and trout. Wax worms are also used to tip small jigs for redear sunfish.

Why use them: small enough for a sunfish's small mouth, and easy to buy.

How to hook: thread the hook lengthwise through the body, or through the side. Use several to hide the hook.

Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: May is a great time for redear sunfish (2021)

Crayfish (crawfish)

A main food of bass and catfish, and of freshwater drum, which root along the bottom for them.

Why use them: fish already eat them; hooked well, a crayfish keeps moving naturally.

How to hook: shallowly through the back or the meaty part of the tail, away from vital organs, or about ½ in from the end of the tail. A cut-off tail can also hide the hook.

Catch them in rocky spots with a fine-mesh net, or a trap baited with chicken liver; keep them in damp rags or moss.

Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Take Me Fishing: What is good bait for freshwater fishing (2022) · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · TPWD: Freshwater Drum

Shad and cut bait

Gizzard and threadfin shad, live or cut into pieces, are the top bait for blue catfish, stripers and hybrids, because shad is their main food. Use it fresh when you can.

How to hook: cut chunks with the skin on and run the hook through the skin, which holds it on. Hook the chunk shallowly so the point stays exposed.

Shad are nongame fish and legal bait; game fish are not (see Texas bait rules).

TPWD: Gizzard Shad · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: Catfish angler guide · Missouri Dept. of Conservation field guide: Striped Bass · Missouri Dept. of Conservation field guide: Hybrid Striped Bass · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Catfish Edge: Shad as catfish bait · TPWD Outdoor Annual: general fishing regulations

Chicken liver, hot dogs, cheese and other soft baits

Food-store baits for channel catfish: chicken liver, hot dogs, cheese.

Why they work: a catfish finds food mostly by taste and smell, not sight, and channel catfish take non-living baits far more readily than flathead or blue catfish.

Drawback: soft baits tear off the hook. Let liver or clams firm up briefly in the sun, run the hook through several times, or use a small treble hook, which holds soft baits better.

TPWD: Channel Catfish · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: Catfish angler guide · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing

Stink bait, punch bait and dip bait

Prepared catfish baits. Stink bait is a fermented mix of things like cheese, chicken liver, blood and flour; dip bait is smeared onto a ribbed plastic worm.

Why they work: channel catfish find food mostly by taste and smell, and take prepared baits more readily than other catfish.

Fish them on the bottom or a few feet under a bobber.

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: Catfish angler guide · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing

Dough baits, PowerBait and corn

Dough baits catch carp, catfish, trout and panfish. Carp also take canned or frozen corn, boiled field corn and bread; stocked trout take dough baits such as PowerBait.

Why they work: scent. Carp rarely hit lures, so a bait they find by smell on the bottom is the way to catch them.

How to use: mold the dough so it completely hides the hook. Homemade dough is flour or cornmeal mixed with hot water and a flavor such as garlic or anise; kept in the fridge.

Take Me Fishing, via Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Basic freshwater baits · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · New York DEC: Carp fishing · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: How to catch trout · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures

Shrimp

Used for catfish and freshwater drum.

Pulling off a shell section or two releases scent that draws fish.

How to hook: lightly through the body or the meaty tail; for tail pieces, thread the hook into the meat to hide it.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to hook bait · TPWD: Channel Catfish · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Soft plastics and jigs

A jig is a weighted head on a hook; a soft-plastic worm, grub or crawfish slides over it to look like prey.

How to fish it: cast, let it sink, then lift the rod tip slowly and let it fall again. Changing the plastic's color or shape changes how it moves.

Which fish: plastic worms for bass; small jigs for crappie and bluegill.

Take Me Fishing: Lures every beginner should have (2019) · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures

Crankbaits and plugs

Hard plastic lures shaped and painted like baitfish. A plastic lip makes most of them dive; some float and are worked on top.

How to fish them: sharp twitch-and-stop retrieves work well. Bumping a crankbait off rocks triggers strikes from bass.

Which fish: bass, small crappie, sometimes catfish.

The most straightforward lures for a beginner.

Take Me Fishing: Lures every beginner should have (2019) · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures · Torwick's Guiding Service: Catching the Guadalupe bass

Spinnerbaits and inline spinners

A spinnerbait has a bright skirt over the hook and a metal blade that spins, flashes and vibrates; it's a bass lure. Small inline spinners suit trout, crappie and small bluegill.

How to fish them: a steady, even retrieve.

Why they work: color, flash and vibration draw the fish in.

Take Me Fishing: Lures every beginner should have (2019) · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Bait and lures · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: How to catch trout

Spoons and slabs

Curved metal lures that wobble like an injured baitfish, reflect light and vibrate.

How to fish them: cast and retrieve steadily through the depth the fish are at.

Which fish: once a white bass school is found, anglers often fish spoons near the surface; small spoons catch stocked trout.

Take Me Fishing: Lures every beginner should have (2019) · TPWD: White Bass · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: How to catch trout

Topwater lures

Floating lures that make noise and movement on the surface: poppers, pencil poppers, buzzbaits.

When: early morning and toward dark for bass; topwaters near the bank for hybrids early in the day.

Why: they draw aggressive fish, and an inactive bass may strike one out of annoyance.

Take Me Fishing: Lures every beginner should have (2019) · Minnesota DNR: How to catch largemouth bass · Florida FWC: Pro tips for bass · Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine: hybrid bass (2014)

Reels: spincast, spinning, baitcasting and fly

Spincast: the line sits on an enclosed spool. Easy to learn and forgiving; a good starter reel for beginners and kids.

Spinning: the most versatile; one medium outfit handles a wide range of lures and weights, and it suits light line and finesse baits.

Baitcasting: works best with heavier lures and line. Gives more control, but needs a practiced thumb and brake adjustments when lures change.

Fly reel: you strip line off by hand and the rod casts the line's weight, not the lure's.

Take Me Fishing: A brief guide to fishing reels (2022)

Rod power and action

Power is how much force it takes to bend the rod: ultralight, light, medium-light, medium, medium-heavy, heavy, extra heavy. Ultralight suits light lures and small trout and panfish; heavy suits big fish and heavy baits.

The rod's label gives its lure weight range: roughly up to ⅜ oz for ultralight, ¼–¾ oz for medium, ⅜–1 oz for heavy.

Action is where it bends: fast rods bend mostly in the top third and snap back quickly, for accuracy and hard hooksets; slow rods bend down toward the handle and absorb shock.

MeatEater: Rod action and power explained

Fishing line: monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid

Monofilament: the cheapest and the standard. Stretchy, which can weaken a long-distance hookset, and holds up to rock and wood. Cheap mono keeps coils from the spool ("memory").

Fluorocarbon: nearly invisible underwater, strong and abrasion resistant, so popular in clear water and as a leader. Stiffer and more expensive.

Braid: much thinner than mono for its strength, no stretch, so bites and hooksets are felt at once. Less abrasion resistant, and needs a mono or fluorocarbon leader. Its thin diameter drags less in current.

Field & Stream: Fishing line types · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Hooks: sizes, J hooks and circle hooks

Plain numbers get smaller as they get bigger: a No. 12 is far smaller than a No. 2. "Aught" sizes go the other way: a 12/0 is far bigger than a 2/0.

Typical sizes: bluegill No. 4–8, crappie No. 2–6, bass No. 2 to 4/0, catfish No. 1 to 6/0 by fish size. When in doubt, go smaller so the fish can take it.

Thin wire for small fish and light hooksets (crappie, bluegill, trout); heavier wire for catfish and big fish, which can straighten a thin hook.

The J hook (Aberdeen, round bend) is the most widely used.

Arkansas Game & Fish: Getting to the point on hooks · TPWD: Texas sunfish identification sheet (2015)

How to use a circle hook

A circle hook sets itself: once the fish has the bait in its mouth, a steady, slow pull turns the hook into the corner of the jaw.

Don't jerk or sweep the rod. Reel down on the fish.

It takes practice to trust one. Big-river catfish anglers mostly use 6/0–8/0 circle hooks.

Arkansas Game & Fish: Getting to the point on hooks · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: Catfish angler guide · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing

Split shot

Split shot are small weights, some as small as a BB, with a groove cut in the middle. Slide the line into the groove and pinch it shut.

Often a single split shot is all the weight a bait needs to sink. It's easy to add, move or take off.

Take Me Fishing: Fishing weights and bobbers

Sinkers: egg, bullet, cone and pyramid

Sinkers range from as small as a BB to a few ounces. Most are lead; tungsten is nearly indestructible but costs more.

Egg (inline) sinkers: the line runs through them. In a bottom rig the sinker slides on the main line above a barrel swivel, with the leader and hook below.

Cone sinkers rig a worm Carolina-style; a bullet sinker goes ahead of a Texas-rigged worm. Pyramid sinkers are heavy weights for surf fishing.

Use only enough weight to hold the bottom.

Take Me Fishing: Fishing weights and bobbers · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement · Minnesota DNR: How to catch largemouth bass · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing

Bobbers (floats)

A bobber holds the bait at a set depth and shows the bite.

A slip bobber slides up and down the line and suits a lot of situations. Slender floats are more sensitive.

Use the smallest bobber that floats your bait: you'll see more bites.

Take Me Fishing: Fishing weights and bobbers · Take Me Fishing: How to catch bluegill

Leaders and swivels

A leader is a short length of line between the main line and the hook.

Braid needs a mono or fluorocarbon leader. A leader a little weaker than the main line breaks first when snagged, so you lose only the hook.

A barrel swivel joins the main line to the leader and stops a sliding sinker.

Field & Stream: Fishing line types · Missouri Dept. of Conservation: Big-river catfishing · New York DEC: Carp fishing · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Improved clinch knot

The go-to knot for tying a hook or lure to monofilament.

Pass 5–6 in of line through the hook eye and wrap the tag end around the main line 5–6 times. Bring the tag end back through the small loop by the eye, then through the big loop you just made.

Wet the knot, pull it snug and trim the tag end.

Zebco Academy: Simple knots

Palomar knot

A strong knot for braid and mono, and many anglers find it easier than the clinch.

Double 4–6 in of line into a loop and push the loop through the hook eye. Tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line, then pass the hook through the loop.

Wet it, pull both ends tight and trim.

Zebco Academy: Simple knots

Arbor knot (line to reel)

Ties new line onto the reel spool.

Wrap the line around the spool, tie an overhand knot with the tag end around the main line, then a second overhand knot at the tip of the tag end as a stopper. Pull the main line to slide the knot tight against the spool.

Zebco Academy: Simple knots

Catch and release: handling a fish you'll let go

To release a fish unharmed, land it quickly: a fish played to exhaustion can be harmed. Set the hook quickly too, so it doesn't swallow the bait.

Wet your hands (or use a wet rag or glove) and don't rub off the slime, which protects it from infection. Keep it out of the water no longer than you can hold your breath.

Hold a small fish (under 5 lb) by the lower jaw; support a big one horizontally with two hands. Keep fingers out of the eyes and gills.

Back the hook out with pliers, hemostats or a hook remover, ideally with the fish in the water. Don't jerk the line to break it off.

Revive a tired fish facing into the current, supporting its middle and tail until it swims away.

From deep water, bring it up slowly so it can adjust to the pressure change.

TPWD Outdoor Annual: catch and release tips

Keeping your catch fresh

Ice is the key to good-tasting fish, especially in summer. Get it into a cooler with plenty of ice soon after it's caught.

A slush of ice and water chills fish 4–5 times faster than ice alone. A fisheries handling guide recommends about 2 lb of ice per pound of fish, packed around the fish and into the belly cavity once it's gutted.

Gutting removes a source of bacteria and lets the fish chill faster.

A fish on a stringer counts as kept. It's illegal to leave edible fish or bait fish from public waters to die without intending to eat them or use them as bait.

Utah DWR: How to clean and prepare catfish (2024) · Louisiana Sea Grant: Handling offshore catch on board · TPWD Outdoor Annual: general fishing regulations

Killing a fish quickly and bleeding it

For a fish you'll keep, a quick kill avoids bruising the meat: a sharp blow to the head stuns it, and a spike pushed into the skull just above the eyes kills it and slows spoilage.

Then bleed it while the heart still pumps: cut through the gills (or rip them with pliers), or cut the artery at the tail. Leave it in water for about 5–10 minutes, until the blood stops, then put it on ice.

Why bleed: better-looking, better-tasting meat that chills faster. It's optional.

Louisiana Sea Grant: Handling offshore catch on board · Utah DWR: How to clean and prepare catfish (2024)

Scaling panfish to cook whole

For crappie and bluegill: scrape the scales off both sides (a spoon or scaling tool works), then dip the fish in clean water to rinse off loose scales and slime.

Leaving the skin on helps the fish hold together, fry crisper and taste better.

Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks: Cleaning and preparing fish

Filleting bass and other larger fish

Lay the fish on its side. Cut just behind the gill cover from the top of the back to the belly, down to the backbone.

Turn the knife flat and run it along the backbone toward the tail, cutting through the ribs, and lift the fillet off before you reach the tail.

Skin it: hold the knife flat against the board and slice between skin and meat. Then cut the rib bones out of the fillet. Repeat on the other side.

Freshwater drum fillet the same way and have no small bones in the fillet; trim the dark red meat just under the skin.

Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks: Cleaning and preparing fish · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Filleting crappie and bluegill

Put a small fillet knife in at the back of the neck and run it along the top of the ribs toward the belly, coming out at the front of the anal fin, then cut back to the tail.

Cut down just behind the gill cover and slice the fillet off the ribs; separate it from the belly. Repeat on the other side.

Cutting along the outside of the ribs saves a little more of the belly meat.

Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks: Cleaning and preparing fish

Cleaning a catfish (skinning)

Catfish are skinned, not scaled. Watch the barbed spines in the side and back fins: they lock in place. Break the side fins off with pliers and grip the fish with a glove or rag.

Score the skin around the head and along the back, clamp the head, and pull the skin toward the tail with catfish skinning pliers.

Fillet along the spine from tail to head and work the fillet off the ribs, or gut it and cut off the head and tail to cook it whole.

Trim the dark lateral line, fat and connective tissue from the fillet: contaminants tend to collect there. Soaking fillets in milk or buttermilk for 30 minutes to an hour takes away a fishy taste.

Utah DWR: How to clean and prepare catfish (2024) · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks: Cleaning and preparing fish

When you may fillet a fish (Texas)

A fish that has a length limit may not have its head or tail removed, and may not be filleted, until you finally land your catch, so its length and species can be checked. Read TPWD's general fishing rules for the details.

Fish you catch and release right away don't count as in your possession; fish on a stringer, in a cooler, livewell or bucket do, and must meet length and bag limits.

TPWD Outdoor Annual: general fishing regulations

Keeping fish within the limit (Georgia)

In Georgia daily and possession limits are per person, and no one may hold more than the limit for any species, so each angler should keep their fish on a separate stringer or in a separate creel.

Lengths are total length, and any fish shorter than the minimum for its species must go back. Limits differ on some lakes and on waters shared with South Carolina: check the regulations guide for the water you are on.

Georgia Fishing Regulations 2026: general freshwater regulations

Measuring and keeping fish (California)

In California a fish's length is its total length: the longest straight line from the tip of the head to the end of the longest lobe of the tail. Limits are set water by water; CDFW's interactive regulations map shows the ones for the water you are on.

Salmon and steelhead must be kept so their species and size can be told until you get home or prepare them to eat, and trout may not be kept alive in a container on a boat.

CDFW: 2026 freshwater sport fishing regulations

Eating your catch safely

Cook fish to an internal temperature of 145°F, or until the flesh is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork.

Is fish from this lake safe to eat? State health and wildlife agencies test fish for contaminants (in Texas, the Department of State Health Services). A consumption ban means you may not keep fish from that area (catch and release is still legal); an advisory recommends limiting how much you eat, often by species and size.

Advisories are strictest for pregnant or nursing women, women who may become pregnant, and children under 12. Check your state's current list before eating fish from a lake.

A carp's flavor depends on the water it came from; freshwater drum are best from cool water.

Hawaii Dept. of Health, from FoodSafety.gov: safe cooking temperatures · TPWD Outdoor Annual: fish consumption bans and advisories · TPWD: Common Carp · Arkansas Game & Fish: Drumming up spring fishing excitement

Cooking a fish you caught

The ten-minute rule covers most methods: ten minutes of cooking per inch of thickness, turning once. A piece under half an inch thick needs less and no turning. It does not apply to deep frying or the microwave.

Bake at 400°F with a little liquid — broth or lemon juice — about five minutes a side for an inch-thick piece. Broil four to five inches from the heat. Grill with a baste, turning halfway. Sauté over medium heat in a non-stick pan.

It is done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, and the inside has reached 145°F. Colour alone does not tell you.

Catfish is mild and sweet, close to any other white fish, and takes whatever seasoning you like — lemon and butter, cajun, paprika and oregano.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension / SRAC: You can do catfish · University of Minnesota Extension: safely choose, cook and store fish

Keeping and thawing fish at home

Raw fish keeps one to two days in the refrigerator. Cooked fish should be cooled below 41°F within two hours, and reheated to 165°F.

Thaw in the refrigerator, which is the best way, allowing up to 24 hours per pound; open vacuum packaging before thawing. Cold running water in a sealed bag is the fast way. Never thaw on the counter, in standing water or in hot water.

University of Minnesota Extension: safely choose, cook and store fish · University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension: home freezing of fish · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension / SRAC: You can do catfish

Freezing your catch

Freezing keeps quality, it does not add any: a fish that was poorly handled on the water will be a poor fish out of the freezer. Gut and chill it quickly, and do not freeze fish with soft flesh or blood clots in it.

Cut it down to fillets or steaks first: small packages freeze faster.

Vacuum packaging is best. Failing that, double-wrap in plastic, or use heavy freezer bags with the air pressed out — do not add water. A glaze of ice works but has to be renewed every few months. Label each package with the fish and the date.

Freeze fast, on the coldest setting, without packing the freezer full: it should be frozen solid within 24 hours.

Fatty fish such as trout keep in excellent condition about three months, lean fish roughly twice that. Raw fish is safe for three to eight months. Freezer burn is moisture escaping through imperfect wrapping; rancid fat and ice-crystal damage come from long storage and a freezer that keeps changing temperature.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension: home freezing of fish · University of Minnesota Extension: safely choose, cook and store fish

Which catfish is it? Channel, blue or flathead

All three have whiskers (barbels) and smooth, scaleless skin.

Look at the tail first. Deeply forked: channel or blue catfish. Almost square, only slightly notched: flathead.

Look at the jaw. Flathead: broad flat head, lower jaw sticking out past the upper. Channel and blue: upper jaw longer.

Channel vs blue: a channel catfish usually has dark spots and a rounded anal fin with 24–29 rays; a blue catfish has no spots (outside the Rio Grande) and a straight-edged anal fin with 30 or more rays.

Color: flathead is yellow to brown and mottled; blue is slate blue on the back.

TPWD: Channel Catfish · TPWD: Blue Catfish · TPWD: Flathead Catfish · TPWD Outdoor Annual: Catfish identification

Which bass is it? Largemouth, spotted or Guadalupe

Close the fish's mouth and look at the jaw. Reaches well past the back of the eye: largemouth. Ends at the back of the eye or before it: spotted or Guadalupe bass.

Largemouth: one dark stripe of blotches along each side; most have no tooth patch on the tongue.

Spotted: a more broken side stripe, rows of dark spots on a whitish belly, and a tooth patch on the tongue.

Guadalupe: green with a black diamond pattern along the sides, the markings reaching lower on the body than a spotted bass's; lives in flowing Hill Country streams.

Smallmouth bass have vertical bars, which Guadalupe bass lack.

TPWD Outdoor Annual: Bass identification · TPWD: Largemouth Bass · TPWD: Spotted Bass · TPWD: Guadalupe Bass · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: The state fish of Texas, Guadalupe bass

White bass, striped bass or hybrid?

Stripes. Striped bass: strong, dark, unbroken stripes, several reaching the tail. Hybrid: distinct but usually broken stripes. White bass: faint stripes, only one reaching the tail.

Body shape. Striped bass are slender (body depth less than a third of the length); white bass and hybrids are deeper-bodied.

Tongue. White bass: one tooth patch. Striped bass: two distinct parallel patches. Hybrid: two patches close together, or a single one.

Size. A white bass rarely gets big; a hybrid can exceed 5 lb.

TPWD: White Bass · Missouri Dept. of Conservation field guide: Striped Bass · Missouri Dept. of Conservation field guide: Hybrid Striped Bass · TPWD Outdoor Annual: Bass identification

Crappie, bluegill, redear or another sunfish?

Crappie: silvery and deep-bodied. White crappie have vertical bars and 5–6 dorsal spines; black crappie have irregular black blotches and 7–8 spines.

Bluegill: a black spot at the back of the dorsal fin, vertical bars, a small mouth and a flexible black ear flap.

Redear sunfish: a red (male) or orange (female) edge on a short ear flap, and long pointed pectoral fins.

Green sunfish: a large mouth and turquoise spots. Warmouth: a large mouth and dark lines radiating from the eye. Longear: a long black ear flap edged in white.

TPWD: White Crappie · TPWD: Black Crappie · TPWD: Bluegill · TPWD: Redear Sunfish · TPWD: Texas sunfish identification sheet (2015)

Gizzard shad or threadfin shad?

Upper jaw sticks out well past the lower: gizzard shad. It doesn't: threadfin shad.

Threadfin shad have yellowish fins and rarely pass 6 in; gizzard shad are commonly 9–14 in.

The anal fin has 29–35 rays on a gizzard shad and 20–25 on a threadfin.

TPWD: Gizzard Shad · TPWD: Threadfin Shad

Carp, drum or trout?

Common carp: heavy body, brassy to golden, whiskers on the upper jaw and a long dorsal fin with a toothed spine.

Freshwater drum: silvery, deep-bodied, a long dorsal fin split in two, and it grunts. Its saltwater relative, the red drum, has a spot on the tail.

Rainbow trout: slim, speckled all over, a pink to red stripe along the side and a spotted tail; in Texas mostly in stocked winter lakes.

TPWD: Common Carp · TPWD: Freshwater Drum · TPWD: Rainbow Trout

Best time of day

Low light is prime time for many fish. Catfish are most active at dawn, dusk and overnight, and big flatheads feed mostly at night.

Bass take topwater lures best early in the morning and toward dark.

White bass and hybrids are most active at dawn and dusk; hybrids are near the bank early and move deeper as the day goes on.

Guadalupe bass go deeper on hot, sunny days.

Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: Catfish angler guide · Missouri Conservationist: Hunting flathead catfish (1997) · Minnesota DNR: How to catch largemouth bass · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: White bass angler guide · Texas A&M Fisheries: Hybrid Striped Bass · Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine: hybrid bass (2014) · Torwick's Guiding Service: Catching the Guadalupe bass

Best time of year

Spring spawning gathers fish in the shallows: largemouth at about 60°F, crappie at 60–70°F, bluegill from about 70°F, redear when the water reaches the 70s, channel catfish at 75°F.

White bass run up rivers to spawn in early spring.

Winter is prime for blue catfish in Texas, and the season for stocked rainbow trout, which stay active when bass and crappie slow down.

Flathead catfish feed little while spawning but heavily before and after it.

TPWD: Largemouth Bass · TPWD: White Crappie · TPWD: Bluegill · Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: May is a great time for redear sunfish (2021) · TPWD: Channel Catfish · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: White bass angler guide · Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine: winter blue catfish (2020) · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: How to catch trout · Missouri Conservationist: Hunting flathead catfish (1997)

Casting a spinning or spincast reel

Let the bait or lure hang 10 to 18 inches below the rod tip, and hold the rod at about waist level with the reel underneath.

Hook the line with your forefinger and open the bail, keeping hold of the line. On a spincast reel, press and hold the button instead.

Sweep the rod tip back over your dominant shoulder, then bring it forward quickly toward the target. As the rod comes forward past your shoulder, let go of the line (or release the button) and the weight of the lure pulls line off the reel.

Close the bail by hand, then reel. A spincast reel's enclosed housing is what keeps it from tangling, which is why it suits a beginner.

Take Me Fishing: how to cast · Take Me Fishing: A brief guide to fishing reels (2022)

Casting a baitcaster without a backlash

Let the lure hang 8 to 10 inches below the rod tip. Hold the rod at waist level with the reel on top and your thumb resting on the spool.

Press the button to go into free spool, keeping your thumb against the spool so it can't unwind.

Pull the rod back over your dominant shoulder and bring it forward swiftly, aiming the tip at the target. Lift your thumb off the spool as the rod comes forward.

Put your thumb back on the spool as the lure hits the water: the spool keeps spinning after the lure stops, and that is what makes a backlash. Then reel once or twice to engage the anti-reverse.

Baitcasting is an acquired skill. It is worth learning for heavy lures and heavy line, and it is not the reel to learn to cast on.

Take Me Fishing: how to cast · Take Me Fishing: A brief guide to fishing reels (2022)

Setting the drag

The drag is a stack of friction plates in the reel. When a fish pulls harder than the friction, the spool turns backwards and gives line instead of letting it break.

Set it before the first cast: adjusting it while a fish is on is difficult. The knob is on the front of a spinning reel, on top of a spincast reel, and shaped like a star beside the handle on a baitcaster. Right tightens, left loosens.

By hand: pull line straight up above the reel. If it slips out too easily, tighten; if it won't move, loosen. With a spring scale, set the drag to start giving line at roughly a third to a half of the line's rated strength — about 7 to 10 lb on 20 lb line.

Too tight and a big fish breaks the line; too loose and the fight drags on. Of the two, too loose is the safer mistake.

With braid, pull against pliers or a pencil rather than bare hands: it cuts fingers.

Take Me Fishing: how to set the drag

Measuring a fish

Lay the fish on its side with its jaw closed, and measure a straight line from the tip of the snout to the extreme tip of the tail fin.

Squeeze a soft tail fin together, or turn a hard tail, to get the longest overall measurement.

Length limits are set on that measurement and they vary by water body, so check your state agency's rules for the lake you are on before you keep a fish (in Texas, TPWD's).

TPWD Outdoor Annual: measurement tips · TPWD Outdoor Annual: catch and release tips

Fishing from the bank

You do not need a boat. Walk the shoreline and pick a spot away from roads, ramps and crowds: noise and fishing pressure near an entrance mean fewer bites.

On a lake or pond, cast parallel to the shoreline rather than straight out into the middle — fish hold along the bank, often within a foot or two of it.

Fish what you can reach: docks, laydowns, vegetation, rock piles, and any drop-off where the bank falls into deeper water. Under a pier, fish right against the pilings.

On a river, look for slower water — eddies and the slack behind rocks and log jams — because most game fish avoid heavy current. Where a bridge or pilings rub the line, use a heavier leader.

Take Me Fishing: shore fishing · New York DEC: where to fish in lakes and ponds · Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where

Your first trip in Texas

Three things to sort out first: somewhere to go, a licence if you need one, and the rules for that water.

TPWD runs free fishing events and intro classes, lists where to fish across the state, and publishes fishing and stocking reports that say what is biting where.

The Outdoor Annual app holds the regulations, works offline, and can carry a digital copy of your licence.

A rod and reel, a few hooks, split shot and bobbers, and a tub of worms is a complete beginner's kit. Some state parks lend tackle.

TPWD: Fishing for beginners

Your first trip in Georgia

Three things to sort out first: somewhere to go, a licence if you need one, and the rules for that water.

Georgia WRD has an interactive map of places to fish, including Public Fishing Areas, Wildlife Management Areas and state parks, and publishes fishing forecasts for the state's lakes and rivers. Check its closures page before you drive to a ramp.

Fish-n-Learn programs are for children 8 to 15 with an adult, and free fishing days are listed on WRD's site.

You can borrow a rod, reel and tackle box for the day from the office at participating state parks. The regulations guide is free online, and in print at WRD offices and licence sellers.

Georgia WRD: fishing in Georgia · Georgia State Parks: fishing and the tackle loaner program

Your first trip in California

Three things to sort out first: somewhere to go, a licence if you need one, and the rules for that water.

CDFW's Fishing in the City program runs short introductory clinics on safety, knots, rigging, casting and the rules, lends equipment to beginners, and stocks many urban lakes with rainbow trout and catfish before its clinics.

Anglers 15 and younger need no licence, and nobody needs one on Free Fishing Days.

Before you buy minnows, read the bait rules: most inland waters don't allow fish as bait, so worms, insects and lures are the usual start.

CDFW: Fishing in the City · CDFW: sport fishing licenses and report cards · CDFW: 2026 freshwater sport fishing regulations

Cover: weeds, wood and docks

Cover gives fish shelter, shade and protection, and draws the baitfish and insects they eat. It is where to cast first.

Weed beds and lily pads hold insects and baitfish; fish their edges and the openings in them, which also keeps your line out of the salad. The best weed beds run into deeper water.

Downed trees, stumps, branches and rock piles all work the same way.

Docks are productive at any time of day because of the shade. The biggest fish often sit far underneath, so do not fish only the outside edge.

Overhanging trees and brushy banks drop insects into the water, and big fish hold right under them — sometimes a foot from shore, wherever there is a foot of water.

New York DEC: where to fish in lakes and ponds · Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where

Points, drop-offs and inlets

A point that slopes gradually into deeper water is a route fish use between deep water and the shallows. Fish the tip and the corners. A point that drops off sharply, or has no deep water near it, is worth less.

A drop-off — where the bottom falls away — lets fish move between depths without crossing open water, which is why they follow it.

Where a creek or stream runs into the lake it brings food, and fish gather there. Inlets are at their best when fish stage before moving upstream to spawn.

New York DEC: where to fish in lakes and ponds

Water clarity and lure colour

How far you can see into the water decides what the fish can see, and so what to throw.

Clear water (two feet of visibility or more): natural, prey-coloured or flashy lures — spoons, spinners, jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, willow-blade spinnerbaits, soft plastics.

Stained water (a few inches of visibility): bright colours, such as chartreuse soft plastics, bright lipless crankbaits, and gold or copper blades.

Muddy water (an inch or two): dark colours and vibration — bladed swim jigs, rattling crankbaits, Colorado-blade spinnerbaits, soft plastic stickbaits.

Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where

Wind

Fish the windblown shoreline. Wind pushes warm surface water and the food in it against the bank, and the fish follow.

If the wind makes casting hard, use a heavier lure, and watch for snags.

An easterly wind usually means a high-pressure system has moved in, which is the old saying "wind from the east, fish bite least" — and there is something to it.

Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where · Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: best weather trends for spring fishing

Fronts and pressure

Weather matters more than most beginners expect, and barometric pressure is the part that matters most.

Fish feed hard ahead of a storm, as a low-pressure system moves in.

After it passes, a bright high-pressure "bluebird" day is the hardest fishing of all: fish hold tight to cover, go lethargic and sit on the bottom, especially in clear lakes in late winter and early spring.

In those seasons the best days come on the third or fourth day of stable weather, whatever the temperature. Plan a trip for the day before a front, or three to four days after one.

Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: best weather trends for spring fishing · Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where

Cloud, rain and sun

Cloud and rain cut the light getting into the water, which lets predators ambush prey, and fish roam further to find food. Rain also washes insects in.

On a bright, sunny day fish deeper, in shade, or later in the day once the shallows have warmed.

A bright spring day is good on a shallow, stained lake, where the shallows warm fast and draw fish in, and poor on a deep, clear one, where the fish are more light-sensitive and the water warms slowly.

In cold water, slow down: small lures, light line, a slow retrieve near the bottom.

Indiana DNR: fishing tips — when and where · Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: best weather trends for spring fishing

Life jackets

Who must wear one, and when, is set by each state; the law for your state is on its own card.

Of the people who died in recreational boating accidents in 2019, drowning was the reported cause for 79 percent, and 86 percent of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket.

Check the fit: do it up, raise your arms over your head and have someone pull up on the shoulders. If it rides up over your chin or face it is too big. A child's jacket does not work for an adult, and do not buy one for a child to grow into.

TPWD Boater Education: life jackets

Life jacket law (Texas)

In Texas every child under 13 must wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket on a boat under 26 feet while it is under way, which includes drifting but not at anchor. Adults must have one aboard that fits and is easy to reach.

TPWD Boater Education: life jackets

Life jacket law (Georgia)

In Georgia every child under 13 must wear a life jacket while the boat is under way, unless the child is inside a fully enclosed cabin.

Every boat must carry a wearable life jacket for each person aboard, and boats from 16 feet up to 26 feet also need a throwable one.

Anyone on a personal watercraft must wear a life jacket at all times.

Georgia Fishing Regulations 2026: boating · Georgia WRD: required boating equipment

Life jacket law (California)

In California every child under 13 must wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket while the boat is under way — on motorboats, sailboats, and human-powered boats such as kayaks and canoes. On a motorboat or sailboat a child inside an enclosed cabin is exempt, and on a sailboat so is a child in a harness tethered to the boat.

Every boat must carry a life jacket that fits each person aboard, within easy reach. Sailboats 16 feet and longer also need a throwable one.

California Division of Boating and Waterways: safety equipment

Handling a fish without getting hurt

Catfish have stiff, barbed spines in the dorsal and both pectoral fins, and they are the usual reason someone goes home early. Hold a catfish from behind, with your hand over its back and behind those fins, or use pliers and a grip.

Use long-nosed pliers or a hook-out to take hooks from any fish, rather than fingers.

A fish that is going back wants wet hands and as little time out of the water as possible; a fish you are keeping goes on ice straight away.

Utah DWR: How to clean and prepare catfish (2024) · TPWD Outdoor Annual: catch and release tips · Louisiana Sea Grant: Handling offshore catch on board

Do I need a fishing licence? (Texas)

In Texas, residents and non-residents need a fishing licence to fish public water, and a resident taking fish, mussels, clams or crayfish needs a freshwater or saltwater endorsement with it.

No licence is needed for anyone under 17, resident or not; for Texas residents born before 1 January 1931; and for certain people with intellectual disabilities under the conditions TPWD sets out.

You can also fish without one in Texas state parks.

A Lake Texoma licence covers both the Texas and Oklahoma water of that lake and nothing else. Licence terms and fees change: TPWD's licence page is the authority.

TPWD Outdoor Annual: fishing licenses and packages · TPWD: Fishing for beginners

Clean, drain and dry (Texas)

Zebra mussels and other invasive species travel between Texas lakes on boats, trailers and in water, so the law asks three things of anyone leaving the water.

Clean: remove all plants, animals and mud from the boat and trailer, and wash them thoroughly.

Drain: drain all water before leaving the area — livewells, bilge, ballast and engine cooling water. Pull the plug.

Dry: let everything dry completely before launching somewhere else, ideally for a week or more.

A boat kept on infested water, or with mussels attached, needs TPWD's advice and often professional hot-water cleaning before it is moved to another lake.

TPWD: Protect our waters — clean, drain and dry

Do I need a fishing licence? (Georgia)

In Georgia, anglers 16 and older need a current Georgia fishing licence with them, in fresh or salt water. Anyone helping an angler, for example by netting a fish, must be licensed too.

Nobody 15 or younger needs a fishing or trout licence; Georgia residents that age can buy an optional youth licence that includes trout privileges.

No licence is needed to fish a private pond, or for a resident and their immediate family fishing on their own land. A pond owned by a government is not private.

From 16, fishing designated trout waters or keeping mountain trout also needs a trout licence; in a state park's impounded waters you need one only to keep trout. Saltwater anglers 16 and older also need a free Saltwater Information Program (SIP) permit.

On the lakes and rivers Georgia shares with Alabama and South Carolina, such as West Point, Walter F. George, Hartwell and Clarks Hill, either state's licence is valid. Licence terms and fees change: Georgia WRD's licence page is the authority.

Georgia WRD: what license do I need? · Georgia Fishing Regulations 2026: license requirements · Georgia Fishing Regulations 2026: agreements with bordering states

Clean, drain and dry (Georgia)

Georgia WRD asks everyone leaving the water to stop the spread of aquatic nuisance species, such as zebra mussel larvae too small to see.

Clean: inspect the boat, trailer and gear, remove plants and mud, and wash everything with a high-pressure hose or hot water of at least 120°F.

Drain: drain all water from inside the boat — bilge, motor and livewell — and pull the plug, away from the ramp.

Dry: let everything air-dry, preferably for at least five days, or towel it dry before going to another lake. Never move bait from one waterway to another.

Georgia WRD: practice Clean, Drain, Dry · Georgia Fishing Regulations 2026: general freshwater regulations

Do I need a fishing licence? (California)

In California anyone 16 or older needs a sport fishing licence, kept in their immediate possession while fishing. Under 16, no licence is needed.

Report cards are needed by anyone, whatever their age, fishing for steelhead or sturgeon (and salmon in the Klamath, Trinity and Smith rivers), even on Free Fishing Days.

Fishing with two rods in inland waters needs a Second Rod validation on the licence; anglers under 16 may use two rods without one.

No licence is needed to fish from a public pier in ocean waters, and none on CDFW's Free Fishing Days. Licence terms and fees change: CDFW's licence page is the authority.

CDFW: sport fishing licenses and report cards · CDFW: 2026 freshwater sport fishing regulations · CDFW: Fishing in the City

Clean, drain and dry, and mussel inspections (California)

Quagga, zebra and now golden mussels threaten California's lakes, and many reservoirs inspect boats at the ramp: a boat that isn't clean, drained and dry can be quarantined or turned away.

Clean: remove all plants, animals and mud from the boat, motor and trailer, put them in the trash, and rinse away from storm drains and waterways.

Drain: drain the motor, ballast, livewell and buckets on land before leaving.

Dry: leave compartments open and let the boat dry for at least five days in warm, dry weather, up to 30 days in cool, damp weather.

By law, a motorized boat used in fresh water must display a current Mussel Fee sticker next to its registration. Report a suspected mussel to CDFW with a close-up photo and the location.

California Division of Boating and Waterways: invasive mussels · CDFW: quagga and zebra mussels

Old fishing line

Discarded line tangles birds and other animals and does not break down in a landfill. It never belongs on the bank or in the water.

Monofilament and fluorocarbon can be recycled, in colour or clear, at a collection bin — at tackle shops, ramps, piers and access points — but not in household recycling. Take the hooks and lures off first, and leave out line with weed or growth on it. Keep a coffee can in the tackle box until you have enough to drop off.

Braided and fused line cannot be recycled: cut it into pieces shorter than a foot and put it in a covered bin so animals cannot reach it.

Take Me Fishing: recycling old fishing line