Getting into Fishing
By Tom Keer
Mar 04, 2015
In many of ways, getting into fishing has never been easier. Fast-tracked learning comes from the digital age which has spawned a wide range of content (pun intended).
In many of ways, getting into fishing has never been easier. Fast-tracked learning comes from the digital age which has spawned a wide range of content (pun intended). Websites are chock a block with technical data, blogs offer insights into conditions, videos show new anglers how it’s done, and conditions boards announce where the fishing is hot…and where it is not.
Tackle shops provide information in a hands-on approach. Whether it’s a seminar devoted to a particular technique or a series of classes about knots and rigging, the list they offer is long. Some shops present outfitters from away talking about species not native to local waters. There is so much snow on the ground that I’d welcome a show about tarpon on the flats or snook in the mangroves…Be sure to include plenty of shots of palm trees and sun, too.
Of course there are traditional fishing classes. Many companies and/or guides offer one or two-day crash courses where you’ll cover a little bit of all facets of fishing. Special interest and conservation groups conduct inexpensive if not free introductions to fishing. You’ll see them offered on the water in the spring or on the town green in the summer. And get this: some colleges and high schools offer learn to fish classes, for credit. I wish those were around when I was in school…
Print magazines are one of my favorite ways to learn about fishing, and books are, too. Nothing beats sitting by the fire reading about the Tuck Cast or how to troll up tuna, especially on a winter weekend.
A tremendous amount of information is passed through the ages, and no one is better than a grandfather or a dad. Their wisdom and experience is invaluable, and most of the time they have a funny story or two as well. Learning from an older sibling or a friend makes for a great trip, and the ensuing competition never hurt anyone, either.
What hasn’t changed is the fact that practice makes the master. So grab your gear and go. Sometimes you’ll catch fish, sometimes you won’t, but every day on the water is a day well spent indeed.
If want to learn all about fishing and boating take some time around our website, there is an awful lot to read, see and learn.
Tackle shops provide information in a hands-on approach. Whether it’s a seminar devoted to a particular technique or a series of classes about knots and rigging, the list they offer is long. Some shops present outfitters from away talking about species not native to local waters. There is so much snow on the ground that I’d welcome a show about tarpon on the flats or snook in the mangroves…Be sure to include plenty of shots of palm trees and sun, too.
Of course there are traditional fishing classes. Many companies and/or guides offer one or two-day crash courses where you’ll cover a little bit of all facets of fishing. Special interest and conservation groups conduct inexpensive if not free introductions to fishing. You’ll see them offered on the water in the spring or on the town green in the summer. And get this: some colleges and high schools offer learn to fish classes, for credit. I wish those were around when I was in school…
Print magazines are one of my favorite ways to learn about fishing, and books are, too. Nothing beats sitting by the fire reading about the Tuck Cast or how to troll up tuna, especially on a winter weekend.
A tremendous amount of information is passed through the ages, and no one is better than a grandfather or a dad. Their wisdom and experience is invaluable, and most of the time they have a funny story or two as well. Learning from an older sibling or a friend makes for a great trip, and the ensuing competition never hurt anyone, either.
What hasn’t changed is the fact that practice makes the master. So grab your gear and go. Sometimes you’ll catch fish, sometimes you won’t, but every day on the water is a day well spent indeed.
If want to learn all about fishing and boating take some time around our website, there is an awful lot to read, see and learn.
Tom Keer is an award-winning writer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Writer for Covey Rise magazine, a Contributing Editor for both Fly Rod and Reel and Fly Fish America, and a blogger for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing program. Keer writes regularly for over a dozen outdoor magazines on topics related to fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor pursuits. When they are not fishing, Keer and his family hunt upland birds over their three English setters. His first book, a Fly Fishers Guide to the New England Coast was released in January 2011. Visit him at www.tomkeer.com or at www.thekeergroup.com.
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