Finding fishing near you is not hard. People overthink trying to find a fishing spot. There are several methods to find a place to fish near you. People tend to search for “fishing near me.” The search term is too generic for good results. This leads to many unrelated articles on where to fish. Finding places close to you requires different tactics.
A place to fish like this spot is close to roads and not far from urban areas.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 57 seconds. Contains 991 words
The following techniques work for finding bass fishing near you, along with walleye, catfish, or any other species in your area. The methods will take a few minutes. As a result, you will find better fishing spots and success when fishing. Using the methods will work for shore or boat fishing. If you have a boat, find a launch near the places you plan on fishing.
Use the State DNR to Find Fishing Near Me.
The best place is your state’s regulating agency for fishing. These websites will have the waterways, the fish, and biologist reports, on the fish. The majority of the sites have information on the fish and what waterways have the fish present.
I recommend reading the biologist’s reports also. They contain population and size studies of the fish in the waterway. The site for Pennsylvania is https://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/Pages/default.aspx. Other states have similar sites.
Find the site’s homepage and look at the menu. Find the section on waterways or fish; these are good places to look. Once you locate a waterway near you, it is time to research the waterway. Do a specific search on the water for launches, shore access, and other features. Look for what you desire when fishing.
There are sites listing boat launches for many waterways. The resource agency in your state will likely have much of the information.
It will take a little time to search the site but it is worth the time. A key to successful fishing is preparation. The state sites have the most information. Check to see if the state regulating body has social media sites also. The social media sites will have more information.
Use Social Media Groups to Help
A few social media platforms have groups for specific areas and species of fish. You will find current posts on what is being caught and often the waterway. The people will not give out the exact location but knowing the waterway is a good start. A lot of times the poster will list the general area of a river or larger stream.
In the groups, you can ask for recommendations on where to fish for a species. People tend to give many places to try catching specific species. Once you know the place to try check the state’s site for the waterway.
Facebook has many sites of this type. In the search, list fishing for “species” or “the location” and it will give you options for the species or location. You likely will need to join a few groups. I do suggest some caution in the groups concerning fishing regulations. People will give bad information about regulations due to not knowing the law.
Use your fishing regulation summary book or go online to the state regulating agency. There are differences in regulation for bodies of water in many states.
Use Google Maps to Find Fishing Near Me
Google maps will show the waters in your area. Also, you will find the roads leading to the fishing spots. The map feature often lists the name of the water. In some cases, the sidebar will have additional information. This applies to lakes and ponds in parks or on government land.
You will need to determine if the water has public access. In general, larger waters will have public access. The small ponds or lakes may be on private property.
Finding the water will be easy. You need to do extra research to find the species in the waters. The state site usually will help you with the species in the water if it has public access. Some places will have county or local sites providing information on fishing. You only need to search the water online using the location also. The search will give you information on access and other regulations.
Additional Tips
The waters you find will have places that are productive and areas without fish. Learn how to find productive waters by reading about cover and structure. Knowing the habitat the species uses helps find the fish also. The United States Fish and Wildlife website has information on all species of fish. This is being prepared for success when fishing. It only takes a few minutes, at most an hour to gather all the information.
Fish will move around throughout the year. In spring places close to shore and shallow water will be productive. In the summer the spots may become non-productive. You will need to find places the fish like during the summer. Fish look for food, stable water conditions, and shelter. You need to learn where these spots are for each season.
Talk to other anglers you may know or see when out fishing. The majority will share some information, although you will meet a few jerks. This is the same as using the groups for tips for fishing. An experienced angler will know what tackle is best for the waterway or species.
Take advantage of their experience when they share the information. Do not be a pest and keep it a simple and short conversation. They are out to enjoy fishing and relax also.
The small mom-and-pop tackle shops are in decline but are good sources for fishing spots. Take a visit to one if you have one close by in your area. These shops are run by people who fish. Employees talk with the regular customers and hear what is biting and where. A few have a bulletin board with what is biting and which bait to use.
Conclusion
Finding fishing spots near you is easy but requires a little time. One of the methods will give you several options to explore fishing. Finding a honey hole( a very good fishing spot) will take more time. The first step is finding a few waterways to fish. Then learn the best spots on the waterway.