Click to Enlarge   "Let's Go Fishing!" by Tom Cwynar The more you say "Let's go fishing!" to others, the more people will say those words to you. Fishing by yourself is OK, but fishing with buddies usually ends up being more fun.You and your friend--or friends--can joke, laugh and just have a blast. Sometimes, you'll help one another. Probably more often, you'll tease your fishing buddies for catching minnows, casting lures into branches or sliding down muddy banks. Maybe you'll be the one to be teased. It doesn't matter. It's all good fun, just like the bragging that seems to go along with every fishing trip. "I caught the biggest bass!" "Yeah, but I caught more fish." Digging a fishing hole Missouri is a pretty good state for fishing. We've got huge reservoirs and rivers, lots of city and community lakes, plenty of streams, and probably as many farm ponds as any other state. Don't think those little farm ponds don't have fish. Bass, bluegill and catfish can grow as large in a one-acre pond as they can in Lake of the Ozarks. Here's another benefit of having fishing buddies. If your parents, your grandparents or other relatives don't have some property with a pond or stream on it, the relatives of your fishing buddies might. The more fishing buddies you have, the more places you'll have to fish. You might even be able to fish in your neighbor's pond or stream. Some private ponds never get fished. It doesn't hurt to ask if you and your friends can try your luck there. You're more likely to get permission if you're polite when you ask. You'll probably be allowed back if you show the owners that you're not a fish hog and that you don't leave a mess. Lots of park lakes and community lakes also have good fishing, and you'll find good fishing holes at many conservation areas. Some of these places are visited by lots of fishermen. Don't worry about that. Each fish lays thousands of eggs, and it doesn't take long for them to make up for the ones that anglers keep. Besides, the fishermen wouldn't be there if the fishing wasn't good. Hooking up with fishing gear Don't think you have to spend big bucks to get a fishing rod. You can buy a pretty good fishing pole, reel and line for anywhere from $20 to $50. Even in this electronic age, the fishing rod and reel you buy today won't be outdated in a year, two years or even 20 years. You might not have to buy a fishing pole. Ask for one for your birthday or some other occasion. Better yet, spread the word around your family that you would really like to have one. Lots of people have fishing poles lying around unused in their garage or basement. With a little cleaning or grease, almost any reel can be made as good as new. Probably the best fishing pole to start with is about a 6-foot long, medium-weight rod with a spinning reel. The push button spincast reels are easiest to learn to use, but open-spool spinning reels are easier to untangle when you get a mess. Start with 6- pound test monofilament line. That's pretty good for most uses. Although some lakes have boat rentals, most any lake or stream can be fished pretty well without one. In this special fishing issue of Outside In, we're going to show you how to fish a pond and a stream on foot. As a bonus, we'll share some tips for catching bait. A great fishing tip Here's one more fishing tip to try. If you say "Let's go fishing!" to your mom or dad, brother or sister, grandpa or grandma or uncle or aunt, you have a pretty good chance of catching yet another fishing buddy.