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Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > How To Fish > How to Catch Fish
You should learn how to cast with spinning reels if you like to fish with smaller baits or lures. If you prefer to fish with heavier lures, you should learn to cast with baitcaster reels.
The first step in learning how to catch fish is learning how to cast. Each of these techniques takes a bit of practice. Practice, whether in your backyard or the neighborhood park, will make reel casting second nature, if you give it some time.
Spincasting reels are ideal tools for fishing for beginners and among the most popular beginner casting reels due to their relatively low cost and easy maintenance. In fact, when learning how to fish, spincasting is often the easiest reel casting method to master. Unlike open-face spinning reels, spincasting reels come with the line enclosed in a plastic housing designed to minimize tangles. While less powerful and less accurate than open-face spinning reels, spincasters can still be used to cast both light and heavy lures without breaking your fishing line. Basic equipment includes a 7-foot rod, a spinning reel and 6- to 10-pound test line for casting 1/16- to 3/4-ounce lures.
Baitcasting is a style of reel casting that relies on the weight of the lure to extend the line into the target area. Baitcasting involves a revolving-spool fishing reel or "free spool" mounted on the topside of the rod. Learning how to use baitcasting reels is an acquired skill, however, once you get the hang of the technique you will be casting your lures right on target into the structures where fish are feeding and hanging out with these popular saltwater reels.
Now that you know how to cast, learn how to reel in a fish in our next section.
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.
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