Whether someone is new to the sport of fishing, an avid angler looking for a better spot near them, or fishing in a completely new area, finding new fishing spots can be daunting. Most other anglers aren’t interested in giving away their favorite fishing hole or sharing any leads when finding the best fishing spots near me in unfamiliar areas.
However, we at Bassonline believe in sharing the fun and helping anglers worldwide have a successful day on the water.
The Best Fishing Spots have a healthy ecosystem with good oxygen flow and tons of vegetation. Year-round, the top fishing areas are Lake Toho, Headwaters Lake, The Falls Canal, and The Everglades.
Through decades of experience and exploring new areas, we will share information for an angler to find a fantastic local fishing spot near them, anywhere in the world.
Of course, every fishing spot is different and may require changing techniques, but we will share all of our top fishing tips for choosing a location and how to have the most success while exploring a particular location. So let our fishing experts save you some time and help you find the best fishing spots near you!
What Makes It A Good Place To Catch Fish
Lakes
Freshwater lakes with good current flow and abundant vegetation often make for the best bass fishing spots because they supply the two most important things for an ecosystem, food and oxygen. A healthy-looking lake will have a thriving population of vegetation and microorganisms that feed the baitfish, which in turn feeds the trophy bass. The foliage and other structure in freshwater lakes also serve as an ambush point for the predator fish species.
Depending on the fishing location, productive lakes can hold healthy fish populations of popular freshwater species such as largemouth bass, walleye, trout, pike, and crappie.
Finding a Fishing Spot
Weather and water temperature will always be a factor in whether more fish are found in the shallow areas or the deeper spots. However, the best fishing areas for visitors to try in these lakes are areas where a river may be feeding into the lake, providing a cooler place for the fish and moving water.
Look for fishing locations with plenty of structures such as weeds, timber, or flooded trees which will serve as a place for the fish to hide. Drop-off points are also good places to catch fish in a lake.
Rivers
Rivers with deep river bends or streams feeding into them are often the most productive for catching fish. Fish species commonly caught in rivers are trout, bass, catfish, and carp.
Best Fishing Spots
The best places to look while on a river fishing trip are in pools, near areas with a change in current, or behind rocks. Any spots with a change in current will allow a fish to catch prey that’s being swept along. When trout fishing rivers, whether fly fishing or spin fishing, the trout will always be hiding in spots where they don’t have to fight the current and can easily feed on food floating by.
Coastal Waters
When saltwater fishing, you can still ask where are the best fishing spots near me. It’s essential for an angler to look at the tides to determine the best time to fish in certain spots. Usually, the least productive times are when the water is at its peak high tide or peak low tide.
These are the tidal times when the fish are either too spread out to catch, or the water may be too low for the fish to be there, depending on the location. Also, anglers should keep in mind that weather and strong winds will affect a fishing trip on coastal waters more than bass fishing charters in rivers or lakes, so checking fishing forecasts is necessary before each saltwater trip.
Tips
The best times for saltwater fishing are either the outgoing or incoming tides. Usually, both of these tidal periods will be productive, and determining which one is better will depend on the features of a specific location. However, if we had to choose one to start with, our experts would suggest fishing the incoming tide as that’s often when fish are being pushed in towards the shore.
Since saltwater fish tend to be bigger on average than freshwater fish, it’s best to be prepared with heavier-duty rods, lines, and reels. Popular fish caught along the coast include snapper, mackerel, marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna, flounder, catfish, snook, and tarpon. The species anglers catch while fishing coastal waters will depend on how close or far they are from the shoreline.
Finding Places To Fish And Boat
An interactive map or Google maps can be an angler’s best friend. One of the most helpful things an angler can do is use google maps or google earth as a fishing map. First, look at the location of interest on the map, then look at its features to determine if it’s a fishing spot worth traveling to and where to start.
Google has many different applications for anglers to use as a fishing map to find the amazing spots near them. Some of the most common are Google Earth Pro on a Pc or Mac, Google Earth App on a smartphone, or regular google maps on a smartphone.
Using Google Maps To Find New Fishing Spots Near You
Google Earth can show a lot about a specific area. Anglers can zoom in on a location and see logs, rock piles, sunken islands, weedlines, and down trees that may all spot-holding fish. Google Maps is also a great way to find boat ramps and bait shops, along with finding great fishing spots. Google being used as a fishing map will also help those who plan on fishing by boat to see shallower areas to avoid during certain times.
Find Fishing Spots
Maps can help anglers plan their journey, find fishing spots, and approach those spots in the best way. For example, if you see a nice patch of cover on the map that looks like a good fishing spot, you can plan how to get to the spot if fishing from shore or how to line up the boat. Sometimes these fishy-looking spots will come up fast, but if you look ahead on the map, you can know when you are approaching one even if you can’t see it yet.
Boat Safety and Water Depth
Looking at maps will help boaters know the areas with deeper waters and the shallower areas, which can help with both safety and finding the best spots to fish. Many shallow-water anglers look for flats for good places to fish, so they may be disappointed at the deeper waters if sight fishing was the goal. Other anglers may be looking for deeper water species or have a bigger boat that can’t safely travel in shallow spots.
Google Earth can allow you to look at the multiple places of a fishery and determine the best path to take and the ideal time to go in order to have a safe and productive day on the water.
Which Form Of Maps To Use
Maps and Earth
Google earth and google maps can both be used for most of the same things. Google Earth offers a complete 3D satellite view making it great for scanning the details of waterways. Maps have more labels and details for nearby places, making them better for regular navigation.
Overall, maps are best for regular travel and finding nearby attractions such as the location bait shop or the boat ramp. Google earth is best for explorers looking for features in the water and pathways.
Google maps is an excellent way to navigate in new areas or at night and find boat ramps. Maps in aerial photo view can also help tell deeper water from shallow water to help boats stay in unmarked channels that may be hard to see by just looking across the water surface in person, similar to what google earth would look like. Deeper channels are usually marked as dark green areas that you can follow.
Using either of these is a great way to navigate back to the boat ramp after exploring and do all of this on a device you already own. Both maps and earth are free apps on android and iPhone devices.
Google Earth Pro To Mark Spots
This is a free download for desktops and is a great way to keep records of your favorite places to fish with map markers. After each trip, you can mark the exact location, day, species of fish, size, and lure used on the map to keep a permanent record of your catches to help see patterns.
This way, you can always look back on any information from a previous spot or have options when looking for places to fish that you know are good.
Fishing Laws and License
Before heading to a new fishing spot, whether for freshwater or coastal waters, anglers should check local laws regarding a fishing license and any other rules for a specific species or no-fishing zones. Anglers can find local bait shops or other licensed vendors by visiting the state’s fish and wildlife website. The fish and wildlife site will usually allow you to purchase the fishing license online too.
The local bait shops are often an excellent place to buy fishing gear for a specific area, too. The state’s wildlife website will also inform you of any catch limits for specific fish you may catch there. The money from purchasing a fishing license goes towards helping the local environment, so having one is the law, but, it also goes towards a good cause.
Fishing boats
If you plan on exploring in a boat, you will likely need to make sure it’s registered or meets any specific requirements an area may have, like the Jacksonville or Florida Panhandle in places. This rule may also apply to canoes or kayaks with trolling motors. Registering fishing boats and knowing the local boating laws helps protect the local aquatic natural resources. In addition, many areas may have nearby boat rentals that should come with all requirements met.
Easy Conservation
As mentioned above, fishing license sales go towards the greater good of our aquatic natural resources. But this isn’t limited to just purchasing a license. Participating in boating and any supplies such as fuel and registration for the boat will often go towards the same cause.
Other ways to keep the environment thriving and fish responsibly are respecting other anglers, practicing catch and release or staying within limits, and being mindful of water conservation by not littering and picking up trash you see in or near the water.
Best Year-round Freshwater Fishing Spots
We believe fishing is one of the best ways to bond with friends and family or have the ultimate solitude time alone in nature. The best spots near you are the ones that consistently produce year after year to take away any guessing and allow you to head straight to a productive spot. Most of these good fishing spots have walking trails, picnic areas, and other things to do. Lake Toho, Headwaters Lake, The Falls Canal, and the Everglades are some of the best year-round places to fish are
These locations are consistent and make for significant fishing areas throughout the year, but there are many more incredible spots to experience in California, like Stockton and Sacramento!
Find All The “Best Fishing Spots Near Me” here.
Explore Your New Favorite Fishing Hole
Plan your next fishing adventure near you at one of the top fishing locations in the world for an experience of a lifetime. Charter boats are the best way to find your next most popular fishing spot and learn how to make the most of it. Find charter fishing near you at our many locations to catch your desired species or experience a beautiful location on your bucket list.
Our expert guides will provide tips to take with you to all your favorite spots to increase future success.
I would like to know where to fish any where near the the Redondo Beach area. Just moved here and need fishing info. Frinds would be great too.
Hi Stanley, Unfortunately not a lot of good freshwater fishing in the area. Try the local reservoir and retention ponds, the ones that are accessible. The best big bass fishing is going to be east near Corona where there are much bigger reservoirs. Let us know if find something!