The biggest mistake you can make when you are interested in fishing is not buying the wrong rod or tying the wrong knot. It is being too intimidated to ever try it. Maybe your husband fishes. Maybe your boyfriend does. Maybe a group of your girlfriends keeps telling you to come along. Or maybe you have watched people fish your entire life and thought: that actually looks fun.
There is just one problem. You have absolutely no idea what you are doing, and somehow everybody else seems like they do.
What rod do you use? What bait do you buy? What is a jighead? Why are there 47 different hooks hanging on the wall? Do you need one of those expensive fishing shirts? How do you hold a fish? And perhaps the biggest question: am I going to look like a complete newbie asking all of this?
Yep. You might. And that is perfectly fine, because every single person who fishes was a beginner once.
You Don't Need to Become an Angler Before You Go Fishing
This might be the most important advice in this entire article.
Do not spend three weeks researching fishing before agreeing to go. Do not watch 75 YouTube videos. Do not try to learn every knot. Do not walk into a tackle shop and buy $600 worth of equipment because someone told you that you need it.
Just go fishing. Let someone who knows what they are doing help you get started.
Fishing is one of those activities that makes considerably more sense once you are actually standing beside the water with a rod in your hand. Casting makes more sense when someone shows you. Working a lure makes more sense when you can see it. Setting a hook definitely makes more sense after you have missed a fish or two.
You do not need to become an angler before you go fishing. Go fishing and let yourself become an angler.
Nervous About Fishing With People Who Know More Than You?
This is probably more common than people realize. I have female friends who are genuinely interested in fishing but are nervous about going with people who already know how. And it is not necessarily their husband or boyfriend — sometimes it is girlfriends, sometimes a mixed group, sometimes somebody invites them on the boat and they immediately start thinking about everything they do not know.
That is understandable. Trying anything new as an adult can feel weird. It is the same reason someone might be nervous walking into a gym for the first time, joining a mahjong group where everybody already knows the rules, showing up at a book club where everyone somehow remembers the names of every character, or attending a first wine tasting and wondering whether you are supposed to actually know what “notes of leather and tobacco” means.
Fishing has its own language too. People start throwing around words like jighead, leader, braid, fluorocarbon, weedless, paddle tail, popping cork, drag, action, power, structure, cover. Meanwhile you are thinking: can somebody just tell me where to throw this thing?
Absolutely. Start there.
There Are No Stupid Fishing Questions
Well… there probably are. But fishermen ask them too.
Fishing is an activity where people who have been doing it for 40 years still learn something new. I have spent much of my life around fishing, studied fisheries biology, worked professionally in the industry, built fishing products and spent countless hours on the water. I am still learning. That is part of what makes fishing so addictive.
So ask questions. What does this bait do? Where should I cast? How fast should I reel? Why are we fishing here? How do I know when I have a bite?
Those are not annoying questions. Those are exactly the questions that help someone understand fishing. And if somebody makes you feel stupid for asking them, you probably need a different fishing partner.
Your First Fishing Trip Should Be Simple
You do not need six rods sitting beside you. You do not need a $700 electronics setup. You do not need 14 tackle boxes. And you definitely do not need to understand every fishing technique before you start.
For your first few trips, simplicity wins. A basic spinning rod and reel is usually one of the easiest places to begin. Have someone show you how to hold the rod, open and close the bail, cast, reel properly, adjust the drag, recognize a bite, set the hook, and safely handle and release a fish.
That is enough. Seriously. Catch a fish first. We can worry about becoming obsessed with tackle later — and trust me, that part seems to happen naturally.
Don't Buy a Bunch of Fishing Gear Yet
This is especially important if you are fishing with friends. Borrow their equipment. Most serious anglers own enough fishing rods to equip a small summer camp. Let them set you up, try different rods, try different reels, and see what feels comfortable.
If you decide you love fishing, then start building your own setup — and buy equipment based on the fishing you actually enjoy. A woman fishing for largemouth bass in a neighborhood pond may need something completely different from a woman fishing for redfish around Charleston. A crappie angler does not need the same setup as someone fishing offshore.
That is why the question should not be “what is the best fishing rod for women?” It should be “what is the best fishing rod for what I want to catch?”
What Should a Woman Wear Fishing?
Whatever keeps you comfortable and protected. We do not need to make this complicated.
If you are going to be outside for several hours, think about sun protection, polarized sunglasses, comfortable shoes, lightweight clothing, a hat, sunscreen, rain gear if needed, and layers when temperatures may change. If you are fishing on a boat, ask beforehand whether there is anything specific you should bring.
And please do not feel like you need to show up looking like you walked out of a fishing catalog. You are going fishing, not auditioning for a fishing commercial. Comfort wins.
Bring Food and Water
This sounds ridiculously obvious until you have been on a boat for six hours with someone who said “we’ll probably only fish for a couple hours.”
Fishing time works differently from normal time. Bring water. Bring snacks. If you are going out for a while, bring more than you think you will need. And if your fishing partner tells you “one more spot,” there is approximately a 97% chance that is not actually the last spot. Welcome to fishing.
To the Experienced Anglers: Don't Ruin This
Guys — and experienced female anglers — this section is for us.
If someone finally agrees to go fishing with you for the first time, your job is not to show them how serious you are about fishing. Your job is to make sure they want to go again.
This probably is not the day to launch the boat at 4:30 AM. It probably is not the day to make a 40-mile run through three-foot seas. It probably is not the day to spend eight hours staring at forward-facing sonar trying to convince one bass to bite. And handing someone a baitcaster they have never used and getting frustrated when they backlash it is not exactly a brilliant recruitment strategy.
Make fishing easy. Put them around fish. Give them equipment that is simple to use. Help them cast. Tie their knots. Explain what you are doing. Let them ask questions. And when they catch something, let them enjoy the moment — do not immediately start explaining everything they did wrong.
Pick Fishing That's Actually Fun for a Beginner
Your first fishing trip does not need to produce a trophy. Actually, numbers can be better. Bluegill. Crappie. Small bass. Trout. Anything willing to cooperate.
Getting bites builds confidence. Catching fish builds excitement. And suddenly the person who was worried about looking like a newbie two hours ago is saying: “Okay…where should I cast next?” That is when you have got them.
Women Don't Need "Women's Fishing Tackle"
Once you start buying your own tackle, here is something worth knowing: fish do not care whether the person holding the rod is a man or a woman. Good fishing tackle is good fishing tackle.
Hooks should be sharp. Jigheads should perform correctly. Soft plastics should stay where they are supposed to stay. Weights should match the depth and presentation. Equipment should solve actual fishing problems.
That is our philosophy at Ebb N Flow Outdoors. We do not believe women need dumbed-down fishing equipment, and we definitely do not think taking ordinary fishing tackle, making it pink and putting FOR WOMEN across the package magically makes it better. You need the right tackle for how you are fishing. That is it.
Start With a Few Versatile Pieces of Tackle
Once you are ready to start carrying your own tackle, resist the temptation to buy everything. A handful of versatile products can cover a surprising number of situations.
For jigheads, common weights like 1/8 oz, 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz can cover a lot of freshwater and inshore saltwater fishing. Finesse techniques may take you lighter, including 1/16 oz and 3/32 oz, while deeper water, current and offshore situations may require 1/2 oz, 3/4 oz, 1 oz or heavier.
Pair those with a few versatile soft plastics and suddenly you have a tackle selection capable of catching a lot of different fish. You can build from there as you figure out what kind of fishing you enjoy.
Fishing Doesn't Have to Become Your Entire Personality
This deserves to be said too. You can enjoy fishing without becoming completely obsessed with it.
Maybe Saturday morning fishing becomes your escape. Maybe you still want Wednesday night mahjong. Maybe Thursday is book club. Maybe Friday is wine night. Maybe your job has completely fried your brain this week and you just want to sit beside the water without thinking about schedules, appointments, groceries, practices, birthday parties and the thousand little things required to keep a household moving.
Men experience that mental overload too. Everybody needs an outlet, and fishing can be one of them. There is something wonderfully simple about standing beside the water waiting for something to pull back.
And you might discover that you do not just enjoy fishing because your husband, boyfriend or friends enjoy it. You enjoy fishing because you enjoy fishing. That is when things get interesting.
You Might Be Better at This Than You Think
I have watched new anglers pick things up incredibly quickly. Sometimes beginners actually have an advantage — they have not developed bad habits, they listen, they experiment, and they do not automatically assume something will not work because that is not how we normally do it.
And occasionally the person who came along because her friends convinced her to try fishing catches the biggest fish of the day. Which is fantastic. Unless you are the experienced angler who brought her. Then you will hear about it forever. As you should.
Making the Next Step Easier
This entire women’s content project at Ebb N Flow Outdoors came from a simple realization: fishing can be unnecessarily intimidating from the outside. Not just fishing itself — shopping for it too.
Walk into the fishing aisle at a large sporting goods store and there may be thousands of products staring back at you. That is intimidating if you are buying a gift. It is also intimidating if you are trying to buy your first tackle.
That is part of what we are building with Emily’s Picks. The goal is not to create girl fishing gear. It is to make choosing fishing products easier. Whether you are buying something for yourself or trying to find the right fishing gift for someone you care about, we want to cut through some of the noise. Good products, simple explanations, less guessing. Fishing should be the fun part.
So…Should You Go Fishing?
Yes.
If your husband has been asking you to go for five years, go. If your boyfriend keeps telling you he would love to take you, go. If your girlfriends are heading fishing Saturday morning and you are nervous because they have done it before, go. If a group of friends invited you and you are worried you are going to be the only person who does not know what they are doing, go anyway.
Tell them you are new. Ask questions. Laugh when your first cast goes sideways. Celebrate your first fish whether it is 12 inches or 12 pounds. Take the picture.
And do not worry about whether you look like an angler yet, because there is really only one requirement for becoming one: go fishing. The rest comes later.
— Dave Erdly | Founder, Ebb N Flow Outdoors
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a woman start fishing as a beginner?
Start by fishing with someone experienced, use a simple spinning rod and reel, learn basic casting and fish handling, and avoid buying lots of equipment until you know what type of fishing you enjoy.
Do women need special fishing gear?
Some apparel, footwear and safety equipment can benefit from women-specific sizing and fit, but fishing tackle such as hooks, jigheads and lures should generally be selected according to species, technique and fishing conditions rather than gender.
What should I bring the first time I go fishing?
Comfortable clothing, sun protection, polarized sunglasses, water, snacks and weather-appropriate gear are a good start. If you are fishing with an experienced angler, ask whether you can borrow a rod and tackle for your first trip.
Is fishing hard to learn as an adult?
No. Basic casting and fishing techniques can be learned quickly, especially with help from an experienced angler. More advanced techniques can be learned gradually as you spend more time on the water.
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