Fishing, especially for beginners, can be hard. On TV and on YouTube the presenters make it look so easy. They ALWAYS catch lots of fish. But for beginners, even though they may have spent a fortune on shiny new gear, it’s not so easy. There are basic commonsense rules though, that can help even the most ham-fisted of anglers.
First thing is: don’t give up. You may have tried hard and caught nothing and got really frustrated. That is only natural. But if you want success you need to keep at it. You’ll catch a fish soon enough, and then you won’t look back.

Fishing has its own rules and logic, same as any other activity.
To catch fish, you need to ‘fish for the right fish, at the right time, in the right place, with the right bait‘.
- The right fish. Target a particular species. Learn about their habits and behaviour. Where are they liable to be found and what are they likely to be eating in various seasons? Find out all about the the baits and techniques that have worked for people targeting that species.
- The right time. Are you fishing tidal waters? No point fishing at low tide. There’ll be no fish there (usually) and you’ll be wasting your time. Wait for a rising or an ebb tide. In freshwater, best times are usually early in the morning or at dusk. Fish for trout, for example, in the middle of the day, and you’ll be lucky to catch anything. Study the cycles of the moon – the creatures that fish feed on, e.g. prawns are often most active around full moons, so the fish will be on the hunt then too. Otherwise… buy a Fisherman’s Almanac. It’ll actually tell you the best times/days to fish in your area.
- The right place. Where are the fish likely to be? Study the water. Where are the big snags where the fish are likely to lurk? This especially important when lure fishing. You might lose a few lures casting close to snags, but you’ll catch more fish. On the beach, do some reconn and find out where the gutters and channels are. Where are the weed beds? Rock structures? Get to know your water, which bits are deep and which bits are shallow and get to know where the fish are likely to live. And keep mobile – if the fish aren’t feeding in one spot, move somewhere else. No point just thrashing the water endlessly. Otherwise, use berley to bring the fish to you, and get them feeding – although this is more appropriate to bait fishing, if you can get even small fish feeding in your area, you’ll attract larger predators, and increase your chances of a hook-up.
- The right bait. You’ll want your bait to imitate the behaviour of the food your target species is currently feeding on. If you’re using lures, you’ll want to vary the size and colour of your lures depending on visibility in the water. Brighter for dull days/low visibility. If one lure doesn’t work, then try another. If lures don’t work, then pull out some bait. Use good quality fresh bait and avoid pre-packaged servo stuff. Invest in a shrimp net. I find that fresh bait right from the area your target species resides in, usually has great results. The more natural the bait the better, IMHO.
If there’s a theme here, it’s this: fishing is not about luck. I think you’ll find that the ‘luckiest’ fishermen (and women) are also part-naturalists. They get to know the ecology of the waters they fish, and the feeding cycles of the species they target.
Good luck! And keep at it.