How to fish – Ultimate step by step guide for beginners

Learning how to fish is easy. It can be mastered in all ages – from kids as early as 5 to 65+ seniors – and an excellent pastime. There is no rocket science in angling but you do need to know the basics and learn from the experiences of the previous generations (as my grandfather always says it). Before you start fishing, you need to know:

• How to set up your fishing gear?
• How to fish properly and increase your chances of catching a fish?

It might feel like a drag to you, just looking at the points above, but don’t get discouraged. Once you get the basics ready, it just like taking your fishing rod and reel, baits, livewell and then heading out to your favorite destination for fishing. So, let’s get to the basics first.

How to set the hook when fishing

Before you learn about how to set the hook, your first question should be what is setting a hook? Yes. The answer is easy. It means when the fish bites on the hook, it’s your job to embed the hook inside the fish mouth (all it takes is just a sharp pull of the fishing rod when the fish bites the lure – and that’s it! You set the hook).

Now, your next question is why is it so important to know about setting the hook. The fish bites the hook, it gets planted automatically, that’s it. Right? No. Not so fast. Why? Because, you are not really sure when the fish bites.

Let’s say, the fish takes a nibble, and then you pull the fishing rod to plant the hook. But, because it was just a nibble – not a bite – the hook does not get planted into the mouth of the fish properly. The hook slips from the mouth of the fish and then – the fish escapes, leaving you disappointed. 😐

The hook can also be moved due to the current or it can just be bumped by foreign objects in the water or by the body of a fish, in which case, you definitely missed a golden opportunity. Thus, to avoid failures, you need to know when to set a hook.

When to set the hook for fishing

1. The common practice when setting a hook is to wait and feel the weight of the fish.
2. Stand straight with about a shoulder length between your legs. Bend the knees slightly and relax. Keep your reel slack with the line taut with the bait. This will increase your sensitivity to feel the pull of the fish bite.
3. If the fish is just tapping the fishing line instead of biting, it’s always best to wait until you feel the weight of the fish. The more you practice, the better you will be able to tell whether you have a fish biting down or just a tap.
4. Once the fish takes the bait, and you feel the weight, pull! And reel it in! Pull! And reel it in! I mean, set the hook and then reel it in. We covered how to reel in fish in the next section of this article.

Knowing how to set the hook correctly helps a lot in catching the fish. But, if you can’t master the skill, then go with a circle hook that will lock onto the fish mouth automatically without breaking a sweat. Circle hooks are mandatory according to some state laws when trying catch and release. These hooks are more fish friendly than the sharp lures or baits that pierces through the skin of the fish’s mouth.

How to set the drag on a fishing reel

Before we talk about how to set the drag, you should know why you need to set the drag. Setting the drag on your fishing reel is the first thing you must do before you start fishing, because trying to adjust the drag while catching the fish can get the gears damaged. The drag is just a pair of friction plates inside of a fishing reel.

Why should you set the drag when fishing?

Let’s say, you’ve lured in a fish, the fish bites your bait and you’ve set the hook. Now, as you reel the fish in, the fish tries to free itself from the hook. As the fish exerts the sudden force, your fishing line breaks.

Another reason for setting the drag is when you have got a trout or a snook on the line. They have very thin mouths and very thin linings. When the hook point is lodged into the mouth of a trout or snook, if there is no give from a very high drag, it’s going to tear a big hole in the fish’s mouth. A lot of times, if the fish shakes its head violently, the hook is going to tear away from its mouth, and you are going to lose that fish. You will be left with a frustrated feeling, a broken line and a missed opportunity.

Also, setting the drag correctly is very important. If you set it too high, the friction would be too high. So, if the fish pulls hard and your reel does not start rolling backward due to the high friction, the line will break in this case as well. And, if you set the drag too light, you will have to do a lot of pulling and reeling in, and your fishing line might be spooled out completely.

How to set drag on spinning or spincast reels

Now, there are two methods of setting drag on spinning or spincast reels – setting drag with and without a scale. We will talk about both of them:

How to set drag without a scale

1. To set the drag on a spinning reel or spincast reel, you need to first spool the fishing reel with the fishing line.
2. Next, test the drag by pulling the line directly above the reel with your hand.
3. If you feel that the line is spooling out too easily, rotate the drag adjustment knob to the right.
4. To measure whether your drag is tightened enough or not, you can wrap the fishing line around your hand, and pull it just enough so that the line is putting an indentation on your hand.
5. If the line feels too tight to pull out (or spool out), turn the drag to the left to loosen the drag.

How to set drag with a scale

1. If it is difficult for you to evaluate the force accurately, you can use a spring scale or a Boga Grip. The Boga Grip has a built-in scale, that can be used to measure the force too.
2. If you are using a scale, attach the scale or the Boga Grip to the fishing line. Pull the scale hard enough but do not cross the threshold strength of the fishing line. That is, if the fishing line has 10 lb (approximately 4.54 kg) strength rating, your scale should read 30% to 50% of the strength of the fishing line, which is 3 to 5 lb in this case.
3. Remember, it is always a good idea to keep your drag force at 30% of the strength of the fishing line. Because, fighting your fish a little longer is better than breaking off your fishing line while trying to catch a big one (e.g. a tarpon or a shark).

How to set drag on a Baitcaster reels

The process of setting the drag on baitcaster reels is almost the same as setting the drag on conventional (or spinning) reels. The only difference is in the drag mechanism as the baitcaster reels have a star shaped drag knob right next to the reel. Also, braided fishing line is the best type of fishing line for use with baitcaster reel.

One Word of Caution: If you are setting drag with braided fishing line rather than the monofilament fishing line, Do Not Test With Hand. Braid will cut right into your fingers if you pull the string with too much force with bare hands. Instead, use a fishing plier or a pen. Wrap the braided line over the fishing plier or pen, and then pull the wire with the pen or fishing pliers.