By Laura Baginski

Few of us in the modern world still fish to survive. But nothing beats the age-old showdown of man versus fish, even if the end result is releasing your prize back to the water. The skills needed for fishing are not nearly as innate as the lust for the fight, but with a little coaching and proper instruction, you'll be reeling in enough fish to satisfy your primeval urges.

Can You Handle It?
Fishing can be as lazy as casting a line with one hand and drinking a beer with the other. Or it can be as intense as an hour-long wrestling match with 30-pound snook (with a beer in your other hand). In those situations, fishing requires some moderate upper arm strength, but there's no reason why anyone can't be fit enough to fish. One thing you might want to exercise, however, is your patience. There will be days you get nary a nibble.

Essential Skills
If you haven't fished since the days when baiting a hook with a worm made you shudder, you may need a refresher. There's a lot to learn: what fish bite on what bait, how to cast, how and when to hook the fish, how to reel in that sucker, to name a few. Fly-fishing has a more demanding skill set. If you want to keep up with fly-rodders, you'll need to know how to tie intricate flies and cast your line with the dexterity and grace of an orchestra conductor. Peruse some fishing books before you strap on the waders; there are plenty of books with detailed diagrams and lengthy instructions. Better yet, ask an angler friend (not your significant other, if you want to keep him/her) to take you out and teach you some pointers, or hire a guide to show you the ropes.

By far the most important fishing skill you can learn is simple: Open your eyes. Think of those concentric circles where fish touch the surface as a target, and cast your line there. Concentrate your efforts where fish hide: rocks, shadows, deep water. Once you cast, watch your lure or fly; many a fish has gotten away because anglers were too busy daydreaming to notice they had a bite on the line.

Gear Up
When it comes to fishing, there's essential gear and superfluous gear. Essential gear: rod, reel, bait, and lures or flies. Superfluous gear: a vest loaded down with a trillion trinkets and a huge tackle box filled with every kind of lure, bobber, and fly imaginable. Keep it simple and plan ahead; you're going to have to carry all this stuff yourself. Bring only the lures or flies appropriate for the fish native to your destination. Some vital things to keep in your vest include bug repellent, a first-aid kit, and a rain jacket. Waders, a hat, sunscreen, and layered clothing are also essential.

Speaking the Language
Fly: This lightweight lure was once solely made to look like a mayfly (using a hook, feathers, and leather), back when the only purpose of fly-fishing was to catch trout. But now the sport has expanded beyond trout, and so have flies. The mayfly is still the most common, but flies today also are made to look like mice, shrimp, and eels.

Leader: A tapered piece of clear monofilament attached to the end of a fly line, which is too thick to accommodate flies.

Plug: A lure that looks like bait fish, with one or more hooks hanging from its body. Different plugs can be jerked around to shimmy, swim, pop, and otherwise look like an injured fish.

Spinners: A small oval blade attached to a lure with a spinning hook trailing off the end.

Tippet: A piece of clear monofilament attached to the end of a leader to preserve the leader's taper.

Woolly Bugger: With simple design and a long feather tail, this fly is the most popular with anglers.

Laura Baginski is iExplore's Editor.