every water calls for
its own way to fish
When to use it, gear, step by step, baits, where to look and the mistakes that cost the most fish. Each technique links to species, kits and guides.
surface casting
Lures that work the surface film (zara, prop bait, popper, stickbait, frog) to trigger the predator's explosive visual strike.
technique 02 · 43 speciesmid-water casting
Lures that swim below the surface (minnow, jerkbait, crankbait, lipless, spinnerbait, spoon, shad on retrieve) for active fish that won't rise.
technique 03 · 24 speciesbottom casting (jig and soft)
Artificial lures worked on or near the bottom (jig head with shad, feather jig, Texas and Carolina worm, artificial shrimp) for fish holding close to structure.
technique 04 · 33 speciesfly fishing
Fly casting: using the line's own weight to present light, bulky flies that no other technique puts on the water the same way.
technique 05 · 42 speciesnatural bait on the bottom
Natural bait still or dragged on the bottom with a sinker, the most direct way to catch catfish, bottom-feeding scale fish and bottom fish from the sea and estuaries.
technique 06 · 32 speciesnatural bait with float
Natural bait suspended at the right depth by a float, which signals the bite and lets the bait drift with the current or tide.
technique 07 · 13 speciesdrift fishing
Boat drifting down the river with the current and natural bait dragged on the bottom, with the line nearly vertical, to find catfish spread along the channel.
technique 08 · 3 speciestapping
Tapping the rod tip on the water under the tree to mimic falling fruit and attract pacu, pirapitinga and piraputanga to the bait.
technique 09 · 16 speciestrolling
Lures pulled by the moving boat to cover lots of water and find pelagic or channel fish, from dorado in the river to blue marlin at the edge of the shelf.
technique 10 · 19 speciesjigging
Vertical fishing with metal jig worked from the bottom up to the fish's layer, from fast speed jigging to slow pitch, in which the jig glides on the fall.
technique 11 · 9 speciessurf casting
Casting sinker and natural bait from the sand to the trough, inside or beyond the breakers, for pompano, betara, croaker and friends.
technique 12 · 12 speciesrocky shore
Fishing on foot from rocky shore ledges, with natural bait on the bottom and in the foam, and artificial lures for predators that hunt along the rock.
technique 13 · 12 speciesstillfishing
Natural bait on the bottom with the rod on a holder and the ratchet or light drag, waiting for fish that move at night or before dawn.
technique 14 · 10 speciespay-to-fish lake
Fishing in a stocked farm pond with dough, feed and feeder floats: a technique school, a guaranteed fight, and house rules.
technique 15 · 18 speciescaniço (cane pole)
Rod without a reel, with the line tied to the tip: the simplest and most sensitive way to fish small and medium fish near the bank.
technique 16 · 13 speciesbottom fishing from a boat
Boat anchored or drifting over a reef, slab, wreck, channel or pool, with a rig of natural bait or jig on the bottom.
technique 17 · 12 speciesspearfishing
Breath-hold catch with a crossbow or speargun: allowed for licensed amateurs, but surrounded by rules and bans.