Step 1 : Choosing your tackle

It is easier now to rig yourself up with some decent tackle at an affordable price, with the advancement in tackle design, manufacture and mass import being responsible for some really good pieces of tackle at the lower end of the market, an angler whom is just starting out should be able to equip themselves with all that they will need for somewhere between £200 to £300 depending on their budget, this will get them a  waggler rod, feeder rod, a couple of reels, brolly, seat box, keep net, landing net, line, hooks, floats, shot and general bits and pieces, this tackle is of better quality than it used to be in years gone bye when all you could buy at the bottom end of the market was heavy glass or composite rods that put the angler at a disadvantage before they even started, many tackle shops now offer starter kits especially when buying a pole set up, these starter kits can be of very good quality and include all of the bits and pieces that you will need to get started with this method but be a careful that you do not get a really cheap set up that may be too heavy, to cumbersome or of very low quality to use as there are still some who may sell them to you, the general rule is, if it feels right for you and is at the right price then you will not go far wrong but make sure that you shop around before going into the nearest tackle shop and buying your tackle although I would advise you to buy locally as apposed to mail order or on the internet as you can feel and see the quality of the tackle before you buy it, you can  buy just a waggler rod, feeder rod or pole and some little bits and pieces to get you started and then buy the tackle as and when you need it but don't forget your national rod licence if you are over 12 years old before going fishing.    

Step 2 : Your first session

Most anglers start out by going fishing with a friend or relative before setting their minds to getting some tackle of their own, once they have bought their own tackle then they can start to fish independently without sharing their friends tackle, this is when the true angler starts to develop, it is a good idea to join a local angling club when you first start fishing as this should give you access to some great waters to fish which are usually full of anglers willing to help you learn, some clubs even run teaching schools for the junior or inexperienced angler, It is a good idea to visit your local tackle shop and ask their advice on where to go fishing they will always know where is fishing particularly well and will often tell you the exact peg or bait to take with you having been told by the many anglers that visit the shop.

Most anglers learn the ropes from someone more experienced than themselves, If you see an angler catching a lot of fish then try to ask them some questions as to what they are doing or how they are catching, sit well back and watch them for a while as it is often the best way of learning, the first few times that you go fishing you should try to go to a commercial type fishery as these fisheries are often full of fish which can be caught easily, these fisheries will teach you the fundamental things that you need to know before you venture to a fishery that has less stock, a river or canal which can be harder to fish.

whichever area of angling that you may follow you should be able to find some literature or other media such as DVD's to help you learn more about angling, there are some very good websites on the internet for you to visit or you can buy one of weekly or monthly magazines that are on sale at newsagents.

Step 3 : Learning more

Every angler should have a thirst to learn more about the sport that they love, all great anglers have to start from the same place that you are starting from although many anglers just go fishing for the peace and quiet that they can enjoy when on the banks of a river or canal, this is fine if you just go fishing to relax but if you wish to catch more fish then you should take your angling a little more seriously learning more about the fish, tackle and bait every time that you go fishing, you can learn more about different baits in the bait section of this site use this link to visit the bait pages, you should be mindful that you will only learn as much as the person that you go fishing with until you start to apply your own analytical mind and methods to your fishing, whether pole fishing, waggler fishing or feeder fishing, which are the three main methods used when starting to fish, there is only one method for each ? and each method has many variations to its use, for example, Waggler fishing can cover using the stick float, big waggler, slider fishing , up in the water waggler fishing, fishing over depth or laying on, surface fishing, river waggler fishing with many different patterns of shot and waggler's that will help you to stay in touch with the fish but there is only one basic method and all of these areas of waggler fishing are just variations of this method so if you learn the basics of good waggler fishing first then you should have no problem learning these variations.