How to Teach New Anglers to Fish: A Fun, Beginner-Friendly Guide

Here’s how to make their first fishing trip easy, fun, and memorable.

Taking a newbie fishing? Keep it fun, simple and entertaining and your guest may be hooked for life! | Joe Shead

Why Teaching Fishing Matters

Those of us who grew up fishing may take our fishing skills for granted, but if you didn't grow up with a fishing mentor, it's a tough sport to learn. Introducing a new angler to fishing isn’t just about teaching them to cast or bait a hook, it’s about connecting with nature, learning patience, and building a life-long passion.

Sharing your knowledge and witnessing someone’s excitement when they catch their first fish is incredibly satisfying as an angler. And we strengthen the future of our sport by bringing new anglers into the fold.

Get Them Involved

Whether you'll be fishing with a child or perhaps an adult boyfriend or girlfriend, it's important to make them feel involved. You're the guide, but let them help out so they feel part of the experience. They can help you dig worms, hold the rope when you launch the boat or be in charge of anchor duty. To be clear, they are your helper, not your slave. Give them simple tasks that give them a sense of accomplishment, but don't become a drill sergeant, barking out orders or making the experience more like work than play.

Yes, you'll be teaching them to cast or bait a hook, but it’s really about connecting with nature, learning patience, and building a life-long passion. | Envato | LightFieldStudios | 2M87DCK

Put the Focus on Their Experience

It may be your boat and equipment, but this isn't your fishing trip. Your protégé needs your full attention. You need to show them how to bait the hook, how to cast and where to pitch their lure and why they should cast there. Plus, you may have to tell them when they're getting a bite and unhook their fish. This doesn't leave much time for your own fishing. So plan on doing minimal fishing for yourself or leaving your rod behind altogether. It's not your show.

Keep It Light, Fun, and Flexible

Don't expect your aspiring angler to have the same drive and dedication that you do for fishing. They are just getting their feet wet, so make it an enjoyable experience.

• Be willing to answer their questions.
• Keep them entertained.
• See how close they can cast to a piece of structure as a contest.
• Challenge them to rip out their longest cast just for fun.
• Tell them stories.
• Bring snacks.
• Allow breaks if they just want to stop fishing for a while.
• Show them how your electronics work and point out fish and underwater structure.
• Point out the ducks.
• Let them dig through your tackle box.
• Take a kid for a fast boat ride if he gets bored.
• Let them swim during the heat of the day.

Remember, they are children, or at least rookies. Try to see the day through a child's eyes.

Use basic techniques and set them up for success. Focus on proven areas with lots of willing biters, regardless of the size of the fish. | Kurt Mazurek

Keep It Simple: Gear and Techniques for First-Timers

Your first-timer will not likely have a natural feel for angling and start out paying out line to light-biting walleyes on slip-sinker rigs. We're talking worm and bobber territory here. And definitely use spinning or even spin-cast reels. Leave the baitcasters at home.

• Let them cast (or help them cast) off the dock to a promising bluegill weedbed.
• Take them to a stocked trout pond.
• Give them a floating lure they can cast to a millpond teeming with hammer-handle pike.

Just put them on fish. Size doesn't matter; action does. You might turn your nose up at 6-inch bluegills under a dock, but it could be great fun for a beginner, especially if he catches a bunch of them. Don't overcomplicate things and focus on action. You may not think much of a 20-inch pike, but to a 10-year-old who has never caught a fish before, that's a giant!

Fishing a stocked trout pond is a good way to introduce someone to fishing. | Joe Shead

Know When to Quit

In show biz, they say leave them wanting more. It's the same with fishing. If your rookie angler is bored, or tired or too hot, it's time to quit. Don't let fishing become boring or a chore. Even though you might want to fish all day, they probably don't. When the snacks run out, the fish stop biting or the laughter stops, pull the plug and get some ice cream.

Creating Life-Long Anglers

A passion for fishing starts with early experiences that are positive, fun, and rewarding. If you teach with patience, encouragement, and a sense of adventure, your new angler will learn to catch fish and may find a pursuit that brings them joy and satisfaction for a lifetime.