Back Close

How to Catch Fish How to Tie Fishing Knots Fishing Gear and Tackle How to Fish with Lures How to Fish with Live Bait Fishing Safety Fishing Tips When to Fish Types of Fishing Fishing Terms Fishing and Conservation Fishing Resources View All

When to Saltwater Fish Saltwater Bait and Lures Saltwater Fishing Tackle Types of Saltwater Fishing Saltwater Fishing Gear Saltwater Fish Species Saltwater Fishing FAQ View All

Best Freshwater Fishing When to Freshwater Fish Freshwater Bait and Lures Learn About Freshwater Fish Species Best Freshwater Fishing Gear Freshwater Fishing FAQ View All

Fly Fishing Basics Fly Fishing Flies Fly Fishing Gear Fly Casting View All

Ice Fishing Basics Ice Fishing Gear Ice Fishing Techniques View All

Boating Basics How to Boat Boating and Water Safety Choose Your Boat Use our Boat Explorer Tool Get on the Water View All

Select a state to find fishing and boating information:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho

Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania

Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Get A Fishing License

Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.

Bring on Spring!

Stephanie Vatalaro

2/2/2011

Can you believe it’s already February?

I’ve got to admit, hearing that good ol’ Punxatawny Phil did NOT see his shadow this morning was the best news we’ve heard all year. For northern boaters especially, the sooner Spring appears, the sooner we can all get back out on the water!

To celebrate the mere 16th time Phil’s been shadowless since 1887, why not get a head start on planning your first 2011 boating excursion? This year, think about introducing someone new to the joys of boating! You can start by taking them to a boat show or hook them up with Discover Boating’s “Get Started in Boating” DVD (free for you, priceless for them). And when it’s warm enough, take them out on the water!

You can start planning a day trip or weekend getaway today to take your pals out on a boat and introduce them to their future favorite pastime! Think about where you’ll go, use our Hotspots Map to find the perfect location and download our Boat Ramp app right to your mobile phone to find out where to launch.

You can browse around TakeMeFishing.org for more boating basics to share with your newbie friends, or for information on how to register your boat if you’re the newbie! Either way, we hope you’ll take full advantage of everything an early spring has to offer. Thank you, Phil!

Happy boating!

Boating, Boating Basics, Spring

Stephanie Vatalaro

Stephanie Vatalaro is vice president of communications for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and its Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar campaigns where she works to recruit newcomers to recreational fishing and boating and increase awareness of aquatic conservation. Stephanie grew up in the Florida Keys as the daughter of a flats fishing guide. Outside of work, you can find her fishing and boating with her family on the Potomac River in the Northern Neck of Virginia.

Latest Posts

The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.

Go To Fish Identifier