A plain fishing guide to rods, bait, fish, weather and water. You have a rod, a bait somebody recommended, and a spot that is easy to park near. Some days it works and you don't know why. Most days it doesn't, and you don't know why either. This is a 78-page book that answers the five questions behind every good day's fishing: what to hold, what to tie on, which fish to look for, when to go, and where to cast. Plain words, real numbers, and no promises about what ends up in the net. 78 pages. 5 parts. 19 chapters. 4 charts and 17 tables. Instant PDF + EPUB download, yours forever. What you get Read the Water, 78 pages. Five parts and 19 chapters: the gear, bait and lures, the fish, when to fish, and where to fish. Supplied as a PDF set at 6 by 9 inches in large readable type, and as a large-print EPUB. One starter setup, spelled out. The exact rod length, power and action, reel size and line strength that cover most freshwater fishing, with the reason for each piece and an honest list of what it won't handle. Ten fish across five chapters. Bluegill, crappie and perch; largemouth and smallmouth bass; trout; catfish and carp; walleye and pike. Where each one lives, what it eats, the tackle, the two or three baits that work most reliably, and how to handle it. 4 charts drawn from the book's own numbers. Feeding temperature by fish, line strength by fish, running depth by lure type, and a summer temperature profile of a layered lake. 17 tables, including rod power and lure weight, bait and how to hook it, hook size by fish, what to tie on in which conditions, weather and how to adjust, and how to fish each lake and river feature. Three knots and four rigs, described step by step in words you can follow at the water's edge. A Quick Reference section at the back. Line, hook and water temperature for ten fish on one page, a water-clarity table, four questions to ask before the first cast, a tackle box checklist, a before-you-leave list and a twelve-month tracker. What is inside Part One · The Gear. What a rod actually does, and how length, power and action change the cast, the hook-set and the fight. The four kinds of rod and reel and who should buy which. Reels, drag, the three kinds of line and three knots that hold. Then the one setup that covers most fishing. Part Two · Bait and Lures. Live and natural bait, and how to hook each one so it stays on. The six families of lures, how each wants to be moved and the classic mistake with each. How to match bait to the fish, the water and the day. Hooks, weights and four simple rigs. Part Three · The Fish. Panfish: bluegill, crappie and perch. Largemouth and smallmouth bass. Trout. Catfish and carp. Walleye and pike. Each chapter gives the water, the tackle, the baits, the presentation, the season and the handling. Part Four · When to Fish. Dawn, dusk and the middle of the day. The four seasons and water temperature, with the range where each fish feeds most actively. Weather: fronts, wind, cloud, rain and pressure, including what is known and what anglers only argue about. Part Five · Where to Fish. Reading a lake or pond from the bank. Reading a river or stream by its current. Clear water, stained water and deep water, and what each changes about your line, your lure and your retrieve. The honest version This book does not promise you fish. Nobody honest can, and it says so on the first page. The numbers in it are the ones experienced anglers commonly work from. They are starting points, and your own water will adjust them. It covers freshwater fishing with a rod and reel for common North American fish. It does not cover saltwater, ice fishing, or how to cast a fly rod. It will not replace time on the water. It tells you what to look for and why; turning that into habit is your part. Where the evidence is mixed, as it is on barometric pressure and moon phase, the book says the evidence is mixed. Who it is for You are new to fishing, or you have fished for years without knowing why some days work You fish from the bank, a dock or a small boat You want one sensible setup, not a garage full of tackle You want the reasoning in plain words, with the numbers shown Who it is not for Tournament anglers looking for advanced electronics and boat tactics Saltwater, ice or fly fishing Anyone who wants a named lake, a secret spot, or a guarantee About Mike Mike runs Fishing With Mike, where he teaches fishing skills, tips and tricks. He wrote this book for people who would like to catch more fish and understand why they did. Questions What exactly arrives after I buy? Two files, immediately. Read the Water as a 78-page PDF, set at 6 by 9 inches in large readable type, and the same book as an EPUB. You get a download link on screen the moment the payment clears, and the same link by email. Both files are yours to keep, and you can download them again whenever you like. Which file should I use? The EPUB for a phone, a tablet or a Kindle, because the text reflows to fit the screen and you can change the size. The PDF for a computer, or for printing the tracker and the checklists. Can I read it on a Kindle? Yes. Send the EPUB to your Kindle with Amazon's Send to Kindle, by email or through the app, and it appears in your library like any other book. Is checkout secure? Yes. Payment is handled entirely by Gumroad, which processes the card and sends the receipt. The card details never reach this page and are never seen by Mike. Is it for complete beginners? Yes. It starts with what a rod does and assumes nothing. If you have fished for a while, the chapters on timing, weather and reading water are where you will find the most that is new. Does it cover my country? The fish are the common North American freshwater species, and measurements are given in imperial units with metric in brackets. The gear, bait, weather and water chapters apply to freshwater fishing anywhere. Fishing rules are local everywhere, and the book tells you to check yours. Will this make me catch more fish? No book can tell you that honestly. It will help you choose better gear, bait, times and places, which tilts the odds. The fish still get a vote. What is the refund policy? All sales final — but if a technical problem stops you from opening the file, reply to your receipt and we'll make it right.