Fishing is about patience, skill, and respect for the outdoors. You'll learn your gear, tie knots, follow the rules, and catch a fish of your own. Then you'll get to clean and cook it, which is a great reward.
Why it's worth it
Fishing gets you outside, teaches patience, and gives you a skill you can enjoy your whole life at a farm pond, a city lake, or the ocean. On this badge you'll learn to choose and use the right gear, tie knots that hold, follow the rules that keep fish populations healthy, and catch, clean, and cook your own fish. You'll also learn when to let a fish go and how to leave the water better than you found it.
Start this week
- Find a public lake, pond, or river near you where fishing is allowed. Many parks have fishing piers.
- Look up your state's fishing regulations and check whether you need a license at your age.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Fishing counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- Practice the improved clinch knot with a piece of string or old line until you can tie it without looking at instructions.
Stay safe
- Fish with a buddy and an adult, wear a life jacket on boats and near fast or deep water, and follow Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat.
- Wear sunglasses or safety glasses to protect your eyes from hooks, and look behind you before every cast.
Requirements · 10
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
Note: Follow all local fishing regulations and property laws.
- Requirement 1
Safety and first aid
Tips for this section: Learn how to handle hooks safely and what to do if one sticks someone. Always fish with a buddy and an adult near the water.
Example for this section: Explain how to handle a hook stuck in skin: if it's shallow and not near the eye, an adult with first-aid training can remove it, then clean and bandage it; deep hooks or any hook near the eye mean going to a doctor. Also cover sunburn, heat, and falls.
- Requirement 1a
Tell your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face while fishing and how to anticipate, help prevent, reduce, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Discuss how to prevent and treat these health problems that can happen while fishing: sunburn, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, hypothermia, insect bites, puncture wounds, and cuts and scratches
- Requirement 1c
Explain how to take out a barbed hook stuck in someone's arm
- Requirement 1d
Name and explain five safety rules to always follow when fishing
- Requirement 2
Discuss how two types of fishing outfits differ. Point out the parts of several kinds of rods and reels and explain how and when to use each. Go over equipment care with your counselor
Tip: Visit a sporting goods store and compare different rods and reels. Ask an employee to point out each part.
For example: Compare a spincast outfit (easy push-button, great for beginners), a spinning outfit (more control, the most common), and a baitcasting outfit (accurate with heavier line, harder to learn). Name the reel seat, guides, drag, and bail.
- Requirement 3
Show how to properly use two different types of fishing gear
Tip: Practice casting in your backyard with a weight instead of a hook before you head to the water.
- Requirement 4
Tie these knots and explain how and when to use each: arbor knot, Palomar knot, improved clinch knot, uni knot, and uni to uni knot
Tip: Use a piece of fishing line and practice each knot until you can tie it quickly and neatly.
For example: Five knots and uses: arbor knot (tie line to the reel spool), improved clinch (tie line to a hook or lure), Palomar (a strong knot for braided line), uni knot (an all-purpose knot for hooks and lures), and uni to uni (join two lines together).
- Requirement 5
Name five basic natural baits and five basic artificial lures, identify each one, and explain how to fish with it. Explain why baitfish must not be released
Tip: Look through a tackle box with an experienced angler and talk about when to use each lure or bait.
- Requirement 6
Outdoor ethics and catch and release
Tips for this section: Pack out everything you bring, including old line, and learn to handle fish gently if you plan to let them go.
Example for this section: Show catch and release: wet your hands before touching the fish, keep it in the water as much as possible, back the hook out gently with pliers, and hold it facing upstream until it swims off. Pack out all old line, since it tangles birds.
- Requirement 6a
Explain why it matters to practice the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace, and discuss how both benefit fishing resources
- Requirement 6b
Discuss what catch and release means and why it matters. Describe how to return a fish to the water safely
- Requirement 7
Get and read the game fishing regulations where you live. Explain why they were made and what following them achieves
Tip: Find your state's fishing regulations online or at a bait shop. Check whether you need a license.
- Requirement 8
Explain good outdoor sportsmanship and how it applies to anglers. Tell how Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code apply to someone who fishes, including litter, trespassing, courtesy, and following fishing rules
Tip: Talk about how to be a good neighbor on the water, like giving others space and following the rules.
For example: Good sportsmanship: give other anglers plenty of room, don't cast across their lines, keep only what you'll eat and what's legal, help a beginner untangle a line, and report anyone breaking fishing laws to the wildlife agency.
- Requirement 9
Catch a fish and identify it
Tip: Ask an experienced angler where fish are biting nearby. Use a field guide or app to identify your catch.
- Requirement 10
If regulations and health concerns allow, clean and cook a fish you caught. If you can't catch one to eat, get a fish another way, then clean and cook it. You don't have to eat it
Tip: Have an adult help you clean the fish safely, then try a simple recipe like pan-frying.
For example: With an adult, scale and gut a panfish like a bluegill or clean a trout, rinse it in cold water, and keep it on ice. Then pan-fry it with a little oil, salt, and lemon until the flesh flakes easily.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A fish hatchery
See how fish are raised for stocking and why size and catch limits matter.
How: Have an adult check the state or federal hatchery's visiting hours and ask about a guided tour for your patrol.
A free fishing day or youth fishing clinic
Many states hold free fishing days and clinics where volunteers lend gear and teach casting and knots.
How: Check your state wildlife agency's website for dates and go with your family or patrol.
Where it can lead
- Fisheries biologistStudies fish populations and helps set seasons and limits.
- Fishing guideTakes clients out on the water and teaches them to fish; many guides start as passionate anglers.
- Conservation officerEnforces fishing and boating laws and teaches water safety.
- Hatchery technicianRaises fish for stocking lakes and streams.
- Commercial fisher or deckhandWorks on boats that catch seafood for markets and restaurants.
Ask yourself
- What did you learn from the fish that got away?
- How did you feel the first time you released a fish, or kept one to eat?
- Which knot or skill took the most practice, and how did you stick with it?
- What did you notice about the water and wildlife while you waited for a bite?
- Who would you like to teach to fish someday?
Good questions to ask your counselor or an experienced angler
- How do you figure out where fish are on a new lake or river?
- What's the one lure or bait you'd keep if you could only have one?
- How do you decide whether to keep a fish or release it?
- What's changed about fishing in this area since you started?
- What's your favorite way to cook a fish you caught?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Plan a troop fishing outing with experienced adult anglers to help Scouts with gear and knots.
- Set up a casting practice station at a meeting using practice plugs.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Your state fish and wildlife agency — Fishing regulations, licenses, and places to fish.
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (opens in a new tab) — Tips on caring for the places you fish.
- Local bait and tackle shop — Staff can help with gear and local fishing tips.
- Take Me Fishing (opens in a new tab) — Beginner how-tos, knot guides, and where to fish near you.
- Future Fisherman Foundation (opens in a new tab) — Youth fishing programs and learn-to-fish resources.
- National Fish Hatchery System (opens in a new tab) — Find a federal fish hatchery to visit and see how fish are raised.
Pairs well with
Helps you earn
Into this? Explore more
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.