Fishing for Beginners

Fishing gets you outside, it’s affordable once you have the basics, and the moment a fish pulls your line tight never gets old. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) puts it simply: you don’t need to spend a lot of money on fancy equipment to go fishing. This guide follows MDC’s “get started fishing” pages, with NOAA Fisheries for releasing fish.

Get a fishing license first

Before anything else, check whether you need a license. The age at which one is required and the fees are set by each state, and our license table links to every agency. Missouri, for example, requires a permit for residents aged 16 to 64 and for nonresidents, plus a trout permit for trout. Saltwater fishing may need its own license or registration, so check your agency’s rules.

The beginner gear list

MDC’s basic list for your first outings:

• A rod and reel: a medium-light rod 5½ to 6½ feet long, with a matching reel that handles 4- to 12-pound-test line. “Pound test” tells you how strong the line is.
• Line: 8-pound-test monofilament in light blue, clear or green; a 100-yard spool usually fills a medium-light reel.
• Hooks: a package of size 6.
• Weights: a “wheel” of split shot in assorted sizes, and a few ½-ounce bell sinkers.
• Two or three bobbers.
• Needle-nose pliers and fingernail clippers, and a small plastic tackle box.
• A cooler or bucket, with ice in warm months if you plan to keep fish.

MDC also explains the reel choice: with an open-face spinning reel, the reel hangs under the rod for casting and reeling; with a push-button closed-face (spincast) reel, the reel sits on top. Choose the one you’re most comfortable with.

Choosing bait

MDC calls a worm, or part of a night crawler, probably the best all-around bait: it catches panfish and trout as well as most larger species. Its other tips:

• Keep bait fresh - with few exceptions, fresh bait gets more bites than old bait.
• Match the bait to the fish - for example worms, minnows, plastic worms, crankbaits, jigs or spinnerbaits for bass; worms, cheese or stink baits for catfish; worms, minnows, grasshoppers, small spinners or flies for trout. Don’t expect a bluegill to eat a big minnow.
• Never dump unused live bait into the water: unwanted animals can invade local waters.

Your first setup: the bobber rig

MDC’s advice for rigging:

1. Use light tackle. One or two split shot are often enough, and lighter weight is less likely to alert a fish sampling your bait.
2. Tie on the hook with an improved clinch knot: pass about 6 inches of line through the hook eye, fold it back, twist it about ten half-turns, pass the end through the first twist by the eye, then back through the loop you made; moisten and pull tight, and trim the tag to about ¼ inch.
3. Add a small, streamlined bobber, balanced with enough split shot below it that a fish can pull it under without much resistance.
4. Bait the hook by running it through a worm several times, or through a pinched-off piece of night crawler.

MDC notes that crappies and many other panfish often swim a few feet below the surface, where a bobber holds the bait in view, while catfish usually feed near the bottom, where you need weight.

Where to fish

MDC’s advice on finding fish:

• Fish gather near food. Schools of minnows draw bigger fish; minnows darting at the surface are often escaping larger fish.
• Fish use cover to hide and to ambush prey: weeds, docks, brush, rocks, logs, overhanging trees and shade, plus underwater rocks, sunken logs and brush piles you can’t see.
• Fish move between feeding and resting places each day and between seasonal habitats.

A neighbourhood pond or a public lake with a dock or shoreline access is a fine place to start. Our guide on how to read water goes further.

How to catch something

MDC’s fishing tips:

• Be patient - even the best spots don’t produce nonstop action.
• Be quiet - commotion on a dock, shore or boat can scare fish or stop them feeding; bigger fish are more skittish. Don’t let your shadow fall over the water you’re fishing.
• Cast beyond the fish and bring the bait to them, rather than landing it on their heads.
• Set the hook on a tight line: reel up loose line, then sweep the rod up firmly. A hookset with slack line usually fails.
• Keep the rod high and let the fish run when it pulls; that’s the drag doing its job, so don’t reel while it takes line. Our guide on how to land a fish covers the fight.

Handling your catch

MDC: bass, crappie and small catfish can be held by pinching the lower lip with your thumb in the mouth; walleye, gar and large trout have sharp teeth, so grip them around the back of the head; catfish have mildly venomous spines at the front of the pectoral and dorsal fins, so hold them from below with your fingers under the pectoral spines. Use pliers or hemostats to remove hooks.

If you’re releasing the fish, NOAA Fisheries advises handling it as little as possible and only with wet hands, keeping it out of the water for less than a minute, and supporting its weight along its body. If you’re keeping it, check your state’s size and bag limits; our guide to bag and slot limits explains them.

Common beginner mistakes

• Too much gear. MDC’s basic list is enough to start.
• Slack line on the hookset (MDC).
• Reeling while the drag is giving line - MDC warns this twists the line.
• Tightening the drag mid-fight - MDC advises against it; set the drag before you fish.
• Giving up too soon. Some days are slow.

Conclusion

With a medium-light spinning or spincast combo, a license, some worms and a nearby pond, you have what you need to catch your first fish.

Sources

• Missouri Department of Conservation, get started fishing: fishing gear, bait and lures, rigging your pole, fish habits and habitat, fishing tips. Read 28 October 2026.
• NOAA Fisheries, Catch and Release Best Practices. Read 28 October 2026.

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Recommended Gear on Amazon

• Beginner spinning combo - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
• Beginner tackle kit - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
• Line clippers - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.

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