Alright, you've finally decided to try fishing and see what all the fuss is about. Perhaps you've gotten envious of all your friends getting together and having a great time on fishing trips during the weekends, or perhaps you finally caved in to the yakking of your father, uncle, grandfather, and everyone else in your family who's into the sport but you. Whatever the reason, now you're ready to pick up a rod and head out into the deep blue yonder to catch your very first fish.

That's what you think. First you need to know a lot, and I mean a lot, of things about fishing. There are a lot of ways to learn how to fish, not the least of which is trial and error. True, this method might be one of the toughest out there, but nothing could have a more lasting effect on your experience and knowledge than this. Even so, I'm assuming that you are reading this article because you're an absolute beginner who wants to learn all about fishing. If you're interested in learning the ropes at saltwater fishing, here are some good ideas for you to ease your way into it.

First off, get some seasick medicine. Yes, that's right. But this has absolutely nothing to do with the fish. It's about keeping yourself healthy while you're out at sea. You're going to appreciate having some seasick medicine around, especially if you're a novice on the water. Even experienced fishermen and sailors have been known to take some in especially rough waters.

Next piece of advice: read and watch. There are lots of good books and videos about fishing available in online fishing and book stores. These materials can give you valuable information about fishing, and some also provide simple instructions, terms and definitions for the beginners. Learn all you can about fishing from them, including the different kinds of fishing rods, bait, tying knots, etc.

After this, I recommend going out and joining a party or head boat. These boats can carry up to fifty or sixty anglers, and can provide you with everything you need, like rods, reels, bait, hooks, sinkers, the whole caboodle. Helpful guides can spot you if you're a beginner, and they'll help you fish and even take the fish you catch off the line for you. Head boats can cost up to $60 a day, but you get to keep the fish that you catch. This is an absolute bargain for beginners.

Now, I'm thinking that you know how to operate a rod and reel by now. Go and find a fishing pier. If you don't have your bait, hooks, and sinkers yet, you can often rent or buy these from fishing piers. You might feel as if you're on your own this time, and technically, you are. But lots of helpful people here will offer help and advice if they see you having trouble or if you just ask them nicely. That's one of the reasons why I'm recommending going to a fishing pier at this point, because pier anglers are usually some of the friendliest people around.

To make sure that you get it right and to build your experience and confidence, I suggest that you go out in head boats and onto fishing piers again and again, several times, until you really get the hang of it. By now you should have had a friend or at least a few fishing acquaintances made. I also suggest trying out another rod and reel. Your fishing contacts could probably help you with this, as well as any other fishing advice you might need.

Any fisherman worth his bait should master the mechanics of fishing, such as casting, knot tying, and baiting. These are actually the easiest to learn, even by someone who doesn't fish. But the hardest thing to learn is knowing where to fish. Now, I could write several more paragraphs on the subject, but I'll just tell you this: A successful fisherman knows that fish move from place to place, depending on the tide and current. Experience will teach you this. If you're out fishing every day and learn how to keep track of the fish, you will catch them where others cannot.