unmamfqlm:

Well, this is a very very broad question. You’re very fortunate to live in tennessee, there are several really great places to fish there. Start off simple, do research on the internet regarding the kind(s) of fish you want to target, consider getting a subscription to a magazine like In-Fisherman, check your local library out for books/magazines, and lastly go fish and ask questions to fellow fisherman. Most fisherman will be more than happy to give you an idea as to what fish are biting on and how to fish a specific lure and what not. Anyways:

Are live worms good?
Of course they are but not necessarily for all fish. They will mainly catch Bluegills but can catch about anything that swims with different presentations. The most simple “rig” for worms would just be a simple hook and floater. Place your floater starting out around 6 or so inches and work your way deeper and deeper until you find where fish tend to be holding. You can also fish them without a floater on the bottom for the Catfish and normally do pretty well. A live worm is the most versatile bait you can use.

Techniques?
It all depends on what you are using. There’s literally thousands of artificial baits out there that require different retrieves and what not. Again, do some research. Think of a particular bait you are interested in and type in something like “how to fish (lure of your choice).” Youtube will often times have good and informative videos as to how to fish different baits with different techniques of doing so.

Locations?
As I said in Tennessee you have loads of great places to fish. As for actual locations on a lake or in a pond, look for any kind of cover. Things like stumps, docks, trees, rocks, weedbeds, etc will all always hold fish. Basically, any kind of structure or cover you see is worth fishing. Fish will post up in cover like this to cool down, eat, spawn, etc. Always fish cover.

Secret Spots?
Secret spots are just that, SECRET! You don’t neded to know! Lol, but seriously I’m not too sure what you mean by this question. Like I said above, look for your cover and you’ll catch fish. A good thing to do to find good spots to fish is really scope a body of water out. Pay a lot of attention to not only cover above the water but structure in the water as well. A couple of good ways of doing this is to either get you a fish finder (if you have a boat) or when the lakes or ponds are down in depth. A lot of times in the Summer you’ll be without rain for a good deal of time which will cause water levels to drop. I love it when this happens in unfamiliar waters. When the water drops down a few feet or several feet you can see structure in the water which you would have never known about it the water was at normal level. Keep these spots in mind for future reference.

Do you need a boat?
No, you don’t “need” a boat but it is nice. You can do very well while fishing from the bank but it can be a bit more difficult, especially if you’re fishing at a good sized lake. I live in Kentucky and a lot of lakes/ponds are heavily wooded which makes spots hard to get to without a boat a lot of times. You can always start off getting a cheap john boat or something similar. Having a small boat will really increase your chances of catching fish.

My best advice to you is read up on things and go fishing as much as possible. The more experience you get the better off you will be. Also, ask plenty of questions to fellow fisherman you may run into. Don’t forget about youtube either, there’s loads of great videos on there concerning fishing.

dumdum:

Here are a couple of great links that will give you information and tips on bass fishing , baits and techniques.
http://www.trails.com/how_111_use-bass-fishing-lures.html
http://fishing.about.com/od/bassfishing/tp/topbasslures.htm
and here is a good link on fishing knots
http://animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com