How to Fish in Freshwater
Taken as a whole freshwater fishing can seem a daunting and confusing enterprise. There are many types of fishing opportunities. There are a variety of freshwater habitats and fish species you can catch. You can even use different equipment and techniques for trying to catch the same species of fish in different conditions. To begin to learn how to fish we can focus here on a few popular and relatively easy ways you can get started. Once you do have some success and discover that you like fishing then you can begin to learn more about the nuances and techniques. The following provides a quick overview of the different freshwater habitats and how to fish them.
Pond Fishing
The simplest form of freshwater fishing is arguably pond fishing. The most common fish sought in ponds are what are broadly called sunfish. This includes a number of species: small pan fish that are easy to catch, the larger white and black crappie, and others. Larger ponds may also hold larger game fish, many of which are more commonly fished for in lakes. The difficulties encountered in pond fishing range from little to none (still fishing, easy to catch fish, few skills needed, great for teaching kids) to other kinds of fishing that is typically more challenging but can be just as fun. Fishing from the shore or from a boat may both prove profitable in a pond.
Some people take a very low tech, low energy approach to pond fishing, and fishing in general. This form of fishing only requires some basic things - a cheap rod and real, some earthworms, and a bobber. Once you have your hook baited and get your line in the water there is nothing to do but wait.
There is another page about lake and pond fishing that provides a lot more details about how to fish in this type of fresh water.
Lake Fishing
Lake fishing is one of the most popular forms of freshwater fishing, in terms of number of total anglers. Lakes can have the sunfish one finds in ponds but can also contain more species such as largemouth bass, sturgeon, striped bass, and many others. The techniques used in ponds can and are used in lake fishing but there are additional techniques and equipment that come into play. The popularity of bass fishing has been a boon for fish equipment manufacturers and helped spur the creation of a tremendous amount of tools, gadgets, lures, boats, and fishing "toys" you can use for a fishing in a lake. While you can clearly expand your fishing options if you have a boat, in many lakes there are plenty of places where you can have a lot of success fishing from the shore. There are many man made lakes around the U.S., like Allatoona Lake in Georgia, which has numerous parks around it where you can fish from the shore. Red Top Mountain State Park and Acworth Beach. An example from Texas would be Joe Pool Lake which has parks like Loyd Park and Lynn Creek Park around it's shores.
There is another page about lake and pond fishing that provides a lot more details about how to fish in this type of fresh water.
Stream Fishing
Stream fishing is largely dominated by the allure and mystique of trout. They are wily, wary, and a lot of fun to catch. There has probably been more written about trout fishing than any other type of angling. From how to books to philosophical tomes that meld pursuing trout with life itself. There are other fish to be found in many streams, with catfish being one of the most popular non-trout species. Small non-navigable streams can only be fished from the shore or by wading into the water. Larger streams may be fished from a boat, from the shore, or by wading.
River Fishing
Rivers can vary tremendously in size and the fish species they contain. One of the unique fishing opportunities they can offer are runs of spawning fish that only occur during a short period of time during each year. Also, like lakes, rivers offer different opportunities for those restricted to the shore versus those fishing from a boat.
Cool it - Ice Fishing!
If you are really feeling adventurous, you can learn about and go try ice fishing.