You'd be surprised at how easy it is to start, you don't need anything fancy, just a pole, bait, and a good spot. You can probably pick out a good pole easily with the advice of any Wal-Mart associate. My best advice would be to go to a sporting goods store, like cabelas, or gander mtn. sports, and see if they have any clinics where you can learn the basics. It's easy to figure out on your own, but cheaking up on things like this will greatly improve your luck when you get out there. For spots reasearch the department of environmental conservation (DEC) where they should list public land for fishing. Also almost everytime you're on a road that follows a stream, and there's a parking area, you can fish, or get permission to fish from a landowner. Good luck with it!