Best freshwater and saltwater fishing spots.

Locating of feeding fish or place where fish hiding is one of the most important steps for successful fishing.
   In a lake or pond, freshwater fish most of the time is looking for food or hiding in shoreline structures. They like cover, which hides them from their natural enemies.
   In a river or a stream, the food pretty much comes to them. So moving-water fish find hiding places and travel anywhere from a few feet to up to several hundred feet, several times a day to eat.
   The bays and inlets support a rich fish community, a mixture of freshwater and saltwater fish. Some fish are normally found only in bays, inlets and estuaries, whereas other fish only use these areas during part of their life cycle. Estuaries support saltwater fish and some fish that came to estuaries to find fresher water when it's time to mate.
   Surf and coastal shore fishing can be done right from the edge of the ocean, from jetties and breakwaters or from a boat. Points of land that extend into the surf or are on coastal waters are good places to fish. They usually have rougher edges fool of drifted food, where more vegetation collects.
   Fishing in coastal areas is possible near the mouth of rivers and streams. In coastal areas, closer to shore, the ocean bottom most covered with sand but may also have sections of exposed rock. Fish live at all depths in coastal water, but most stay close to the bottom. Many feed near cover, such as a rock or a coral reef, where they can ambush prey. Other fish roam, searching for an easy meal.
   You have to decide if you’re going to fish where the fish are hiding or where the fish are feeding. Places that provide protection from the predators, like hiding structures include undercuts in the banks, eddies, sunken trees and overhanging trees and bushes. Feeding places where food settles and concentrated.

Lake Pond Fishing River Stream Fishing Bays & Estuaries Fishing Surf & Coastal Shore Fishing Deap Sea Fishing Sea Fishing

Lake Pond Fishing

   Ponds and lakes are quiet, shallow bodies of water that allow enough sunlight to reach their bottom. The sunlight supports the growth of rooted plants from shore to shore. Pond plants grow fully underwater or could have some parts above the water. Some plants can grow next to the pond edge. Plants produce food for a large variety of animal including fish and cover for fish to hide. Rock formations, docks and other shoreline structures also provide shelter, shade and protection for fish. Wind and streams carry in eggs, seeds, and organisms that build up into a variety of life forms.
   You can fish in shallow or deep water, in open water or near natural or man-made structures, from the shore or from a boat. Any pond or lake structures like inlet created by a brook or spring, rock formations, reeds and weeds, holes and dams, islands, points, docks and overhanging banks, lily pads, natural objects are all the best places for fishing. Fish most of the time is looking for food or hiding in shoreline structures. They like cover, which hides them from their natural enemies.
   Good places for fishing is where the fish either looking for a cover, for a food or place for spawning.

• Any rocks that are in deep water or on the border of deep water give fish hiding place, food or a possible place to spawn.
• The rock which has an underwater shelf or bends gradually forward to deeper water or crumbed rocks from a underwater sharp cliffs are excellent places to fish.
• Any structure that extends out from the shore and bends gradually down into deeper water (between 2 and 10 feet in depth), the thermo cline place where fish are in warm water, but very fast can get deeper into cooler water.
• Fish could be near the drift lines that created when the wind pushing surface water around the lake together with the food.
• Weed beds provide food and hiding places for fish, also creates a break line when slope gradually down and into deeper water.
• Good places for fish are near the sunken islands; water is running around the islands carrying a food for the fish.
• Trees, branches, stumps, rocks all offer cover, shadow and protection for fish. Piers and docks protect fish from the sun and a good hiding place.
• Any inlet or outlet where there is incoming or outgoing water usually have a lot of food, fish are most of the time near the food.
• Any turn is a small inlet that create a break line with a shallow water.
• An inside turn is a small inlet that cuts into the shore. If the water in the turn is shallow, you've got another break line, and another great place to catch fish. Coves have more shoreline, more shallows and protection, and even better place.
• Lily pads are usually fool of insects and other animals that are food for a bait fish.
• Any failures at the bottom, deep holes, formed basins that are lower than the rest of the lake having cooler water, that draw fish.
• Bait fish come in for the plant food. Small game fish come in for the bait fish. Finally big game fish swim in to look for both the bait fish and the small game fish.

Read more about fishing spots, tips on Lake Pond Fishing page.
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River Stream Fishing

   Fishing In streams and rivers is a little different than on lakes. A stream angler has to take current into account and frequently requires greater casting accuracy.
   The current will always flow in the line of least resistance and will follow the outside bends of the river, and you can bet anywhere there's a strong current it will be deeper there (in most cases). Because the current keeps the flow channels washed out, slower water will fill in with sand and sediment. Snags and underwater log jams will cause turbulent swirling water tipping you off before your plugs get hung up. Plus, watch out for vee's heading downstream, they'll show you where a deadhead is.
   All fish will hold in and around log jams because of the cover, a hiding area and a natural ambush point for prey. A great technique when fishing in small rivers and streams is to allow a live worm to flow naturally with the current, bouncing along the bottom as it travels. If your worm is rigged on a set of gang hooks the results can be incredible. Gang hooks are the most natural way to present a live worm while fishing. The biting insects are also a good thing for the fisherman. They indicate that the fish have the source of food needed to grow and to live. The insects also give a fisherman a distinct advantage in knowing what to use to catch the fish. For example, in an area that is filled with blood hungry mosquitoes, a fisherman might want to try using a mosquito fly when fishing.
   In the rivers fish often feed near current breaks, where the flow changes directions or slow down. Usually it is a good spot for fish to feed where the flow is deflected or slowed. When current hits rocks, it divides and goes around the block, creating an area of calm water on the downstream side of the obstruction. Good place for fish to rest from the current, face the flow of water. Depth of water may be found at the heads of pools, also the incoming current brings a constant supply of food forms developing upstream.
   A current edge is a place where any objects in the river slows the current, and slows the food. Good spot for fish to rest and look for a food, coming with the current. Rocks, islands, bends, drop-offs and merging currents are all structures create current edges. Avery time when water flows over a drop-off the current slows down and sinks, taking the food it carries with it. Any slow down is a great feeding place, especially drop-offs, because it is in deeper water.
   Other good fishing spots would include waterfall bases, mixed currents broken by fallen timber or large rocks, areas where fast and slow waters converge, undercut banks, beneath overhanging trees or shrubbery, and deep beneath mainstream currents. When two currents of flowing water meet, the currents collide and the water and food slowing down, making merging currents an excellent place to fish.
   Most fish in a river face the flow of water and wait for food to come to them. Fish in flowing water seldom move far for food, mostly it waits for food to come close enough to ambush.
Read more about fishing spots, tips on River Stream Fishing page.
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Bays & Estuaries Fishing

   Bays, inlets and estuaries are important reproduction areas for several fish.
A bay is an inlet of the sea; it is a body of water partly enclosed by the ocean. They don't have much freshwater influence. But because they have lower wave energy than the open coast, limited water exchange patterns, they become ideal places for many species of bait fish and shell fish, and saltwater game fish.
   Estuary is a coastal area where the river enters to the ocean with mixture of salt water from the sea and fresh water from the rivers. Many bayous and lagoons next to coasts are estuaries. The bays and inlets support a rich fish community. Some fish, such as Black Bream, are normally found only in bays, inlets and estuaries, whereas other fish only use these areas during part of their life cycle. Estuaries support saltwater fish such as tarpon, snook, redfish and striped bass. Other saltwater fish like shad, herring, salmon and sea-run trout came to estuaries to find fresher water when it's time to mate. Freshwater fish like largemouth bass can also survive in the salty waters found in estuaries. They have a variety of salinity from almost fresh to fully salt water, lower wave energy than the open coast, limited water exchange patterns and their floors are generally covered in soft sediments.
   When waves roll in toward the beach, shallow water causes them to break. Consequently, waves breaking offshore indicate an offshore sandbar. If, on the other hand, the waves are rolling in very close to the beach before breaking, then that part of the beach drops off fairly quickly to deeper water. These are very good sorts for the fish, like flounder.
   When the tide moves into a small inlet, or point, it slows down and moves in a different direction than the main flow for a short period of time. Fish will feed where the backwards flow slows down and the food settles. Anywhere water is forced to move through a smaller opening, currents run faster and dig deeper into the bottom. Fish will be attracted to these places because the water is deeper and the supply of food is more concentrated in the 'pinched' area.
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   You may see feeding fish jumping on the surface, or perhaps they will be betrayed by sudden, swift flurries of harried bait. Sea birds get together in over feeding fish. If you see a baitfish jumping out of the water to the beach it mean that predators, like a strip bass or blue fish are feeding close to shore. Also look for different colors in the ocean, you can see a spot of weed beds and rock piles with weeds and other creatures attached to them. Bait fish and even schools of larger fish can swim so close together they actually change the color of the water. Weeds are the food for a bait fish, and where the bait fish the game fish is right there. Very good spots for fishing are around the edges. Fish tend to congregate along edges.
   Closer to and in the mouth of the inlet, the water is typically deeper and the drop-off steeper because the water is constricted between the arms of the inlet. Some fish can be found in the main channel, but the strong current usually prevents fishing for them there, unless it is a smaller inlet and the volume of water it moves is small. Inside the inlet the main spots are going to be along the edge as the shore slopes toward the channel. Most inlets are open in large, shallow coastal bays. The water usually gets shallower, the banks become more gradual and oyster bars and marsh-grass edges become common.
Read more about fishing spots, tips on Bays & Estuaries Fishing page.
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Surf & Coastal Shore Fishing

   The best fishing time is always on a rising or falling tide when the water moves. Rising or falling tides are best since they cause bait to move. Wherever two bodies of water meet is a great place to fish. Moving bait attract coastal game fish.
   When you fish in brackish water (coastal water that's a mix of salt and fresh water) tides changes, time of day and area are also important. Brackish water contains a mix of saltwater and freshwater fish and found in most tidal creeks and rivers as well as all coasts. It is very dependable on tides. Good spots are weed beds and rock piles with weeds and other creatures attached to them. Bait fish feed on the weeds and attract the game fish. Cliff, jetties and breakwaters also give shore anglers better access to deeper waters.
   Where waves crash up against jetties and breakwaters, and then drop to the bottom, a hole deeper than the ocean floor takes shape. Small shellfish and bait fish looking for calmer water and a place to hide in those holes. If the bottom changes from rock to sand, grass to mud, or any other type of land, look for the fish near that middle zone. Most predators prowl back and forth on a flooding tide if there are no deeper pockets where they can lie in ambush. Clear water conditions enable you to spot fish either cruising or holding. You can sometimes see them back under the branches.
   Points of land that extend into the surf or are on coastal waters usually have rougher edges, which mean they have more vegetation and hold drift food better than the flat beach. These points usually have access to deeper water so bigger fish. Normally, the same type of structure will be the same under the water's surface. Sheer cliffs indicate deep water below. Sharply dropping points on land should follow the same pattern under the sea. Fallen trees offer a haven. Gentle beaches simply ease into the sea.
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   Runnels are another beachfront formation that will concentrate numbers of feeding fish. A runnel is a shallow, linear depression that runs parallel to the beach. Think of it as a long mud puddle. They are best spotted during low tide. The runnel will be the area that is still holding water once the tide has gone out. Runnels serve as travel routes for baitfish and larger fish, particularly as the tide begins to flood and in the later stages of the ebb. Once the tide starts back in, runnels will begin to receive new water and any baitfish stunned by the inrushing surf. Fish simply wait in the runnels, often near the small break where the water is rushing in, and pick off baitfish as they move along the surf zone.
   During low tide along the beach, the surf is usually at its calmest point. At that time, wading out to near shore sandbars is a good tactic. Once the tide begins to flood, fishing around the runnels and any drop-offs along the beach are going to be your best bets.
   When finding a good spot to fish look for areas where there is a section of wash or fast-moving water, this is a great area to find fish as they will gather in these areas waiting for food that has been washed off the rocks. It also provides cover to small baitfish in turn attracting larger fish. You can hook a large variety of fish from the surf and coastal shores. Striped Bass are the most common. Other surf fishing species include bluefish, Redfish (Red Drum), Tautog (Blackfish), Flounder (Fluke), Atlantic Codfish , Pollack, Weakfish (sea trout), Atlantic Bonito and Albacore Tuna, Black Drum, Pompano, Permit, Tarpon Spanish Mackerel, Snook, Cusk, Haddock, and other species.
Read more about fishing spots, tips on Surf & Coastal Shore Fishing page.
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Deap Sea Fishing

   Most marine fisheries are based near the coast. This is not only because harvesting from relatively shallow waters is easier than in the open ocean, but also because fish are much more abundant near the coastal shelf, due to coastal upwelling and the abundance of nutrients available there. Fish live at all depths in coastal water, but most stay close to the bottom. Many feed near cover, such as a rock or a coral reef, where they can ambush prey. Other fish roam, searching for an easy meal. Many marine fish migrate up and down the coastline seasonally. Smart anglers monitor water temperatures to determine which species they should fish.
   Fishing in coastal areas is the best where the rivers or streams enter the ocean. Closer to the shore, in coastal areas, the ocean bottom most covered with sand, but may also have sections of uncovered rock. The possibility of catching big fish along the coasts is higher than in the other regions where the various large species live in deeper waters.
   Deep sea fishing involves several techniques out of which the first to mention is trolling, that is a form of angling performed by drawing a baited line on the bottom of the ocean. The bait usually resembles squid or other smaller fish regularly used for bait and it is used at the rear of the boat. Deep sea fishing boats have an equipment called stabilizers or outriggers that make the fish catching area larger. Another technique is the chumming or chunking which requires that large pieces of bait fish get thrown overboard in order to attract the larger wanted species.
   Deep sea fishing became a basic occupation in coastal areas. It is done in Gulf of Florida and in the Pacific Gulf, which includes the Gulf of California, the Sea of Cortez, and the Baja and Yucatan Peninsulas of Mexico, north of New Zealand, in Nova Scotia, Hawaii, and Mexico and so on.
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