Fishing is a great recreational sport, that can be very relaxing, and enjoyable if you are prepared. I have made a list of the top five things you need to help you enjoy your trip, and they are.

1. Knowing the location of your trip, is it a lake, a river, or the ocean. This will help you to choose what equipment you will need, so you don't take equipment for fishing in the ocean if you are on a lake, or river, or vice versa.

2. Knowing what your fishing for. If you are fishing in fresh waters, bass and trout, in the ocean, well you name it, you can catch anything from a shark to a squid, that's what makes fishing in the ocean so exciting.

3. Bait, this is the most important thing, without it you won't catch anything. Location is also important for what bait to use. If you fish in lakes and rivers, you can use worms, lures, flies, shiners. In the ocean well you can write a book on all the bait you can use, just make sure you bring plenty of bait, because if you run out, so is your trip.

4. Make sure you have plenty of equipment, like poles, hooks, weights, bobbers, line, and of course all this stuff needs to go into a fishing box. You will also need a fish chain, or bucket to put the catch of the day, you can also use a net when you catch a fish, but you don't really need one, it's optional.

5. Bring food and an emergency kit. You should always bring a small cooler, with water, or drinks, and sandwiches, trail mix, ect. Trust me you will get hungry, and many fishing spots don't have stores right next door, so it's wise to be prepared especially if you are with kids, they are always hungry. It is also wise to bring an emergency kit, this will include, band-aids, ointment, cell phone, and bug spray is always a good idea, because like food, there is no store next door.

When I go fishing I use this list to help me prepare for my trip, I have two types of gear, one is for fresh water, like lakes and rivers, and another for deep sea. If you follow this list hopefully it will help you be more prepared and safe, because fishing is a lot of fun when your one step ahead. With the economy the way it is, fishing is a good way to have fun and not spend a lot of money doing it. So take your family and enjoy the outdoors, it helps families get closer.

For more specific information on this list see bellow.