It’s always best to talk to a real person about where to fish, as they likely have the most current and comprehensive information about local water. In a pinch, a crowdsourced fishing app like Fishbrain or the more data-heavy FishAngler provides good information on local spots. In general, lakes are a great option when you’re just starting out—they usually have a bank or dock to fish from and often have a larger volume of hungry fish than you would find in a river. Lake fishing mostly involves species like bass, panfish, or rainbow trout, while rivers are almost exclusively fished for salmon or trout species, like rainbow, cutthroat, or brown trout, among others.
