There are several simple, easy to implement fishing tips that every angler should know. If you’re a beginner, it is best to learn these right off the bat, but even if you are an experienced old salt, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on them. These tips will help you catch more fish and bigger fish than ever before. Some are general tips that can be applied in every setting and some a specific to trout, fly, or sea fishing. Whatever kind of fishing you are doing, following these tips along with the right tackle and locations will increase your catch exponentially.
General Tips for Fishing
The first, and most useful tip you can know to catch more fish is to study up on your prey. Know everything about the fish that you want to catch. Know what they eat, when they sleep, where they are likely to live, when they eat and anything else you can find out. This will help you better stalk them and outwit the bigger, more experienced fish that have been in the stream for a while and are more wary of your bait. You should also know all of your surroundings. Know what the fish in the stream or river you are fishing are likely to eat and use bait and lures that replicates this. For example, in a wooded area you might do well with flies that resemble ants, but out in a wide open river you might not even get a hit because the bait looks unfamiliar. Ask other anglers and your local tackle shop what they are using and what usually works for them. Knowing your surroundings will also enable you to choose the best fishing method, whether it be bait fishing with sinkers, spinning, or fly fishing.
Knowing how to use your tackle effectively is another thing any angler has to know. This includes being able to tie all the required knots fairly quickly and how to repair any jams in your reel. There’s nothing worse than hitting the stream as the fish are in a feeding frenzy only to lose your hook on a snag or have your line get jammed in your reel. If you spend too much time fixing your tackle or tying knots and rehooking your bait, you may miss you chance to catch fish for that day.
You should also take every precaution to avoid spooking the fish. This means do not do things such as walk through the stream or wade out when you don’t have to and even try to refrain from moving around too much on shore. Fish hear you coming through the water and also sometimes can hear vibrations from you moving around on shore, and this will make them more suspicious and less likely to take your bait. Also try to get any unnatural scents off of your hands. This puts these scents on the baits and it also makes the fish much less likely to take your bait. This is an easy fix, simply rub your hands in a handful of dirt before you put any bait on your line.
The final two general fishing tips deal with keeping fish on the line. First, you should always use a landing net. If you are practicing catch and release, this is a much gentler way to take the fish out of the water. If you are planning on keeping the fish, landing nets also help you lose less fish. You can lose as much as twenty percent of the fish from your line if you try to yank them out of the water, and the percentage keeps going up as fish get bigger. Finally, make sure that you use sharp hooks. Using sharp, new hooks will make sure you hook more fish and miss less hits on your line.
Trout Fishing Tips
One of the major mistakes many trout anglers make is using a line that is way too heavy. Most more experienced anglers will use four pound test line for trout and sometimes six pound. Any line over six pounds is too heavy for trout. The lighter the line, the more bites you will get because it is better disguised in the water. To go with this line, you should also use ultralight tackle. This will help you feel more bites, and for trout anything else is going to be overkill.
Something most trout anglers also overlook is the use of gang hooks. Gang hooks are two small hooks tied together at the end of your line. They can be purchased or you can make your own. They have a great advantage over the use of normal hooks because they present live bait, especially worms, more realistically to the fish. They are also very effective with powerbait. If you fish with a lot of live bait, gang hooks are something that you simply can’t afford to be without.
Fly Fishing Tips
A very common mistake for many fly fishers is to pull out you lure right after to retrieve it. Instead, pause a second before you pull your fly out. Sometimes a fish can fly in and take your bait. Also vary your retrieval speed. This makes the bait much more lifelike for the fish. Finally, think about applying a sinking material to your line if you are fishing with dry flies. This makes sure that you line doesn’t stay on the top of the water, which makes it much easier for fish to see and be spooked by.
Tips for Sea Fishing
Shore Fishing at Sunset
The biggest tip for fishing the sea is to actually have an eye open and listen to what the sea is telling you. If there are gulls circling and swooping in an area, it usually means that baitfish are in the area. This in turn means that the larger fish you are after are also most likely in the area looking for a meal. Just try not to hook a sea gull. Also try to fish near reefs. Many fish hide in the reefs and the amount of sea life in them provides a great area for larger fish to grow. Just make sure not to fish in any protected areas.
The last major tip for sea fishing is to try to use crabs as bait during a full moon. During full moons, crabs usually shed their skins and fish may be feasting on soft crabs while they get a new shell.
If you utilize these basic fishing tips you will no doubt have more fish in your cooler at the end of the day. Good luck and happy fishing.
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