101 Fishing Tips for Beginners

As you set out for the lake or river, you may find your newfound hobby a bit intimidating. You want to know what you can do to improve in the sport, and that’s why I’ve put together this exhaustive list of 101 fishing tips for beginners. The next time you go fishing with your buddy, leave him skunked. This is your day!

Tip #1: Use Cheap Lures

Especially when you’re first starting, the last thing that you want to do is lose an expensive fishing lure off a fallen log in the lake. Cheap lures give you some space to experiment without the fear that you will lose your best and most expensive fishing equipment.

Tip #2: Switch Lures as Needed

What worked yesterday might not work today depending on the mood of the fish and the weather. For example, the sun might be out today, and this causes you issues with what works yesterday when the sun was behind the clouds. You will have to use different colors today to get them to bite.

Tip #3: Fish from a Kayak

At least once, you should try fishing from a kayak because of how you will experience the joys of it. You can fit into tiny inlets and channels that a big boat won’t let you get into. In addition, you can go into the more shallow areas with less worry that you will get stuck.

Tip #4: Know How to Fillet Fish

Unless you plan to catch and release, you will either have to give the fish away, or you will have to fillet them for eating. I’d highly recommend filleting them because if you have never filleted fish that you caught yourself, you don’t realize how rewarding it can be. Here’s a previous article that I wrote on how to fillet a carp.

Tip #5: Try Different Lakes and Rivers

As a fisherman, even if you don’t experience any luck at one lake, you might have more luck at another lake. Not to mention, part of the fun from fishing comes from the aesthetic beauty that you can get while out on the lake and the changing surroundings and challenges of each individual lake.

Tip #6: Bring Sunscreen

Being a fisherman, going out on the lake can be a lot of fun, but you need to protect your skin. Some of the worst sunburns that I have ever gotten came from being out on the lake because of the water’s reflective properties. One time it was so bad that I couldn’t even be near fry pans or heat sources because of how bad the sunburn hurt.

Having sunblock protects your skin from this and developing carcinoma later. Not to mention, being out in the sun like this will age you fast.

Tip #7: Hunt for Different Fish Species

You never know exactly what kind of fish you like to fish for until you have been fishing for a while. Some people like to catch sunfish because the action doesn’t stop. Meanwhile, you have others willing to forego the constant action to hunt for the bigger prey like northern pike, walleye and muskellunge because of how they put up a much bigger fight.

Tip #8: Come Prepared

Remember: You can always dress down for the weather, but you can never dress up. Have a good jacket to keep yourself warm, and if the sun is shining, you can always take it off later. You never know what the fish or weather will do, and because of that, you should be prepared to respond to it.

Tip #9: Take a Buddy with You

My best memories out on the water came from fishing with a buddy or a family member while having a fishing competition to see who could walk away with the most catches. It felt great to have bragging rights when I skunked my friend.

Tip #10: Understand Yourself in Relation to the Fish

When in the boat, you want to be careful how you cast your shadow in the water because of how this can scare off the nearby fish. In addition, keep your noise to a minimum because of how this can also interfere with how you will catch the fish. Also, don’t let your fishing pole rest against the boat when the motor is on because of how it will cause a vibration in the water that scares the fish.

Tip #11: Try Nightfishing

Fishing during the day can be a lot of fun, but where I really fell in love with fishing came in with night fishing. However, be sure that your boat follows the proper regulations to do this. Night fishing might be where I got my love of bowfishing from because bowfishermen will often fish at night.

Tip #12: Keep It Simple

You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy a fishing boat and all the other things that go with it. In the beginning, all you need is a fishing pole, a tacklebox and some bait. You can fish from shore. In this way, you can learn if you like it and if it will be worth the investment.

Tip #13: Take Your Kid Fishing

Some of the best memories that I ever had was as a child in the boat fishing with my mom and dad. I really loved fishing, and it gave me memories that will last a lifetime. Taking your kid fishing gives you the chance to bond with them and set the memories of a lifetime.

Tip #14: Learn How to Cast

Learning how to spin your rod and cast it accurately can make a big difference on whether you catch the fish or not. Getting your cast into the perfect place can set yourself up for catching the fish. Poor casts can result in a missed opportunity.

Tip #15: Map It Out

You might use a topographical map to help yourself when it comes to fishing out on the water. The topographical map gives you different depths so that you understand where to fish and where to avoid.

Tip #16: Get a Fish Finder

A fish finder gives you the option to view the depth, the hiding locations, depth temperature and aqua structure. You might especially find this useful when trolling because of how it can keep you from suddenly hitting a shallow depth unexpectedly. That becomes especially useful when trolling for northern or walleye, and you want to keep a consistent depth.

Tip #17: Get Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses will help you to see the fish underwater and where they might be hiding. It doesn’t work in every case, but it can make things easier for you.

Tip #18: Some Days Better Than Others

Some days you will catch one fish right after the next, and you will have other days where you don’t catch anything. That goes with being a fisherman. If you caught fish every day, it wouldn’t be quite as much fun because you’d always know what to expect.

Tip #19: Take Someone Who Knows the Sport

You can learn a lot through taking someone along who understands the sport, and they know how to fish. They will give you lots of useful tips that can improve your fishing while there. Having someone passionate about the sport can also go a long way to showing you what to do and what not to do. Not to mention, it becomes a time of bonding with friends.

Tip #20: Understand Where to Cast the Line

Some of this comes down to trial and error, but knowing where you can cast your line can help you to bring in more fish. For example, if you fish on a river, look for places where two rivers converge because the fish love to congregate in places like this.

Tip #21: Focus on the Small Fish to Start

The small fish don’t put up as much of a fight, but they also give you ample opportunity to crank in the sunfish. In contrast, if you were to start with something like northern pike, it can be fun if you have a buddy along, but trolling around for northern pike can offer up some challenges.

Tip #22: Know Your State Limits

Unless you’re fishing for some of the rough fish or the invasive species, you will most likely have a limit set on the amount of fish that you can catch. How much you can catch will depend on the local and state laws. In addition, if you fish on Indian reservations, you should be aware of how they will often have their own laws and regulations on how many fish you can catch.

Tip #23: Pick the Right Time

One of the keys comes down to choosing the right time. While you can catch fish all day long, you have periods of time where the fish will feed more than others. In particular, before dawn and two hours before sunset have become popular fish feeding times.

Tip #24: Know the Species You Hunt

Each fish species will differ from the last and while one might be an aggressive fish species like the northern pike, you have other fish that require some skill to angle like the carp. In the beginning, you may want to start with something easier like sunfish. Understand their habitats and behaviors to hunt them more effectively.

Tip #25: Go for the Lily pads

In general, the lily pads tend to hide a lot of fish beneath them. You can find all kinds of fish hiding underneath them. Important to note, you don’t usually want to cast right into the lily pads because of how your line can get tangled in them. Instead, you want to cast your line next to them.

Tip #26: Look for Drop-off Points

The fish love to inhabit some of the drop-off points, and if you can find these areas, you will often encounter an abundance of fish in these areas. Using your fish-finder, you can tell the depths through looking at it in this way..

Tip #27: Get Your License

Before you can go fishing, you first need to get your license because you don’t want to deal with the DNR for not having a license. The fine for not having a license can be quite high. What you need will depend on where you live, but most states just require that you have a fishing license.

Tip #28: Understand How to Use Bait

You have a right way to use bait, and you have a wrong way to use it. For example, let’s say that you’re fishing with night crawlers as bait. Night crawlers are a bigger type of worm. The fish, however, don’t seem to be baiting on it. Instead of continuing, you might try to use a lure or plastic bait to pull them in.

Tip #29: Don’t Pay for Bait if You Don’t Have To

Let’s say that you want to go fishing, but you don’t have any money to go buy some night crawlers for the sunfish you plan to catch. Instead, you could go to your garden and start digging for worms. You’d be surprised how many you can pull up from the ground in this way, and it can be a fun part of going fishing. Usually, you will only see regular worms, but you might find night crawlers as well. In general, night crawlers will be a larger type of worm.

Tip #30: Where Can I Go Fishing

Perhaps you feel paralyzed at the prospect of too many choices. Instead of letting this become a handicap, why not try out one fishing spot today and do another one on another day. You can go fishing in multiple places to find out where you like to fish and what place gives you the most bites.

Tip #31: Share the Love

When you catch some fish, you might give some to your neighbors, friends or family. It’s a fun way to go fishing because you can bring other people some food that you caught, and at the same time, you can tell some fishing stories.

Tip #32: Get off the Water in a Thunder Storm

Lightning can kill on a lake, and if you see a thunderstorm brewing, you’d be wise to get off the lake before it has the opportunity to materialize. The biggest problem with being on the water during a thunderstorm comes from how you will be the tallest object on the lake. As a result, the lightning will have a high likelihood of striking in this area.

Tip #33: Relax

Take the time to kick back and relax on the waters. Enjoy the scenery and don’t worry too much about catching fish. Half the fun of fishing comes from how you’re out in nature and enjoying yourself. When they diagnosed my dad with cancer, he took up fishing as a recommendation from his doctor to help him relax.

Tip #34: Bring Some Food Along

Especially if you have an all-day trip planned, you should bring along some foods. Beginners may not realize this, but you don’t have a lot of stuff with you. For that reason, a lot of fishermen will bring along some pop and pack a bag of sandwiches with lunch meat as well. It depends on you.

Tip #35: Check the Weather

Good fishing conditions hinge on good weather. Too much wind, and you may not catch much. At least, I’ve never had much luck in windy weather. Too much wind or cold can ruin the trip. In addition, you have to watch out for thunderstorms as well as we previously stated. I’ve fished in rain before, but you have to make sure that it doesn’t start to lightning. If it begins to lightning, you want to get off the water as quickly and safely as possible. In fact though, fishing in the plain rain can give you ample opportunity for the fish love to bite during this time.

Tip #36: Experiment with the Different Types of Fishing

You have several different types of fishing worth trying, but living in one region, you will most likely only encounter one type of it. Some of the possible fishing types available include:

• Freshwater fishing
• Saltwater fishing
• Shore fishing
• Catch and release
• Ice fishing
• Fly fishing
• Canoe fishing
• Stand up paddle board fishing
• River fishing

Tip #37: Consider the Type of Fishing Line

For the smaller fish like sunfish, you won’t need more than 8-pound test line, but for northern, you might want a heavier fishing line to keep it from snapping. To begin with, I’d recommend monofilament line.

Tip #38: How to Do Catch and Release

Catch and release works especially best for those who don’t like to eat the fish. You might do this. However, it’d be more cruel to catch the fish and not eat them, only to release them back into the water so that they’d die. Instead, you might consider circle hooks, which will be more friendly to your fish.

Tip #39: Bring a Pliers

One of the most essential pieces of fishing gear that you can have in your tacklebox, having a pliers makes it so that you can get the hook out of the fish’s mouth more easily. Especially if it gets stuck deep in their mouth, this can be useful.

Tip #40: Bring a Bucket

You especially want to bring a bucket because of how this will help to keep your fish fresh that you have caught. They can swim in the bucket while you catch other fish. In some cases, you may not need a bucket if your boat has a live well.

Tip #41: Practice Good Environmental Awareness

We have to become advocates of the environment as fishermen. We want the environment to be as clean and healthy as possible. In some cases, you will see fishermen taking pop cans and throwing them in the lake. That needs to stop. When you pollute the environment like this, you ruin it for yourself and future generations.

Tip #42: Strong Winds?

When you have a stronger wind, the bait fish will usually head closer to the shores. For that reason, you will want to bring your boat a little closer to the shore than usual. The bigger fish like the pike and muskellunge follow the smaller fish to feed off them.

Tip #43: Pay Close Attention to the Drift Lines

You want to pay close attention to the drift lines because of how they will lead you straight to the bait fish.

Tip #44: Fish Right over the Side of the Boat

When you have a bobber on your line, you can cast out 10 or 20 feet, and this will give you access to the fish from further away. However, sometimes you just need to plop a line right over the side of the boat and watch the fish go wild for it. You’d be surprised how many fish you can catch right from the side of the boat if you simply drop a line.

Tip #45: Fish from Shore

Believe it or not, you can even catch a lot of fish from shore. You don’t necessarily have to fish from a boat because that can be expensive when you’re first getting started. Instead, you might fish from shore or go out on a dock. It depends on how you prefer to fish. Some people even like to wade a ways into the water when it comes to catching the fish.

Tip #46: Natural Bait vs Artificial

Whether you should use artificial bait or a natural bait will largely depend on the type of fish that you want to catch. Artificial bait works well for walleye, northern pike and bass while natural bait like nightcrawlers will especially work well for panfish like sunnies and crappies.

Tip #47: Be Cautious of Scents

Certain scents can either attract or repel fish. In general, you should avoid putting any unnatural scent on the bait because of how this can lead to the fish not wanting it. Meanwhile, you can get certain types of baits that come with a scent on them that is known to attract the fish.

Tip #48: The Colors Red and Pink

The colors red and pink with baits have become an especially effective choice because of how it causes the fish to think that they have an injured prey. As a result, they attack the prey only to find themselves hooked at the end. You want the bait to be an imitation of what the fish you hunt eats.

Tip #49: Beware of the Changing Seasons

Changing seasons can affect what the fish will eat. They may have previously liked to eat a certain type of bait, but you notice how they have no interest in it in the coming season. That’s because the tastes of the fish will change from time to time. You have to remain aware of this and adapt.

Tip #50: Learn the Fishing Knots

When it comes to fishing, you should learn how to tie some different knots because this will make your experience better. Every good fisherman knows a couple good fishing knots. For example, you may want to learn the Clinch Knot and the Improved Clinch Knot because you will use them a lot when fishing.

Tip #51: Master the Basics

You have a few basics that you don’t want to forget when it comes to fishing, and the basics when fishing include:

• Casting
• Basic fishing techniques
• Having the right gear
• Understanding the fish you hunt
• Positioning the bait
• Basic fishing knots

Tip #52: Get the Right Reel

With reels, you have several types, but I’d recommend that you start with the basic spinning reel because of how this is the safest reel for beginners. When casting, you don’t want to have too much for troubles with the cast.

Tip #53: Be Cautious of Casting

When you go to cast, look to make sure that you don’t have anyone in your general vicinity. You don’t want to cast in such a way that you will harm anyone. Remember: You have a hook at the end of your fishing line, and this can be extremely dangerous when casting if you don’t watch what you’re doing.

Tip #54: Watch with the Weeds

Going to cast your line, you have to watch for the weeds. Nothing can be more annoying than cranking in your reel only to find that you have a bunch of weeds at the end of it. Usually, when you have an actual bite, your fishing pole will pulse.

Tip #55: Hold the Rod Upwards

In general, you don’t want to tip the rod downwards because of how this can give the fish more slack on the end of the line once hooked. You want to do everything you can not to let the fish get away.

Tip #56: Don’t Jerk Your Line Back Too Hard

When you get a bite at the end of your line, you don’t want to jerk it backwards too hard because you can pull the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. You want to catch as many fish as possible–not let them get away.

Tip #57: Don’t Let the Line Go Slack

One of the biggest reasons that beginners will lose a fish comes down to letting the line go slack. You have to keep the line with tension after you have hooked the fish. To do this, you can keep the rod held upwards and keep reeling the fish in.

Tip #58: Take the Wind into Account When Casting

When you go to cast you line, you should always consider there the wind is at. Never cast the line without first giving this some consideration because you don’t want to accidentally hit someone.

Tip #59: Fish Away from Swimmers and Other Boats

As you go fishing, you need to give everyone their space on the water. Fishing poles in the water near swimmers can be dangerous because of how you can control where the hook goes while reeling it in. For that reason, a lot of beaches don’t even let you fish where you have a lot of swimmers. With swimmers nearby, you always have to be mindful. The same can be said for other fishing boats. You don’t want to be so close that you could accidentally cast your line into another boat and potentially hurt someone.

Tip #60: Water Temperature Affects Fish Behavior

You can have a varied water temperature by as much as 10 degrees on the same lake. That goes to show how rich and varied a lake can be in terms of temperature. Based on temperature, this can affect where the fish are at, and it can also have an impact on how aggressive they will act. Warmer water tends to make them move faster and act more aggressively.

Tip #61 How Fish Feed

One of the things that can have an impact on how fish feed comes down to water temperature. It has an impact on their metabolism. Pay close attention to the water temperature because this will have an impact on how the fish will act during the day.

Tip #62: Best Time to Fish for Bass

Over the summer season, the bass will typically only feed twice per day. This happens in the early morning and closer to night time. You can catch them feeding at other times, but it will be less likely. In the winter season, the bass will feed more sparingly because they want to conserve as much of their energy as possible.

Tip #63: Understand Bass Migration Patterns

When it comes to the bass migration patterns, it depends on the season, and it will normally be extraordinarily predictable. Over the winter season, they will typically head for the deeper parts of the water. In the summer season, they like to be closer to the shallower parts of the water to sun themselves.

Tip #64: Understand Your Targeted Fish, then Choose a Bait

Bass and northern pike, for example, aren’t too finicky with what they will eat, and you can get them to bite on almost anything. With sunfish, however, you don’t want a hook too big, and you want to choose the right live bait like nightcrawlers and worms.

Tip #65: Fish Like Areas with Cover

When you go to choose an area to catch fish, you should remember how fish like to be near areas with cover because of how it can cool them down from the sun, and it offers them some protection. Some of the areas of cover include:

• Docks
• Stumps
• Fallen trees
• Vegetation
• Lily pads

Tip #66: Choose the Right Gear for Saltwater Fishing

Saltwater fishing will differ from freshwater fishing in that it can be more hard on your lures and fishing hooks. The saltwater accelerates the process of corrosion, which is why you want to wash off your hooks, rod and reel after each session.

Tip #67: Extend the Life of Your Saltwater Gear

You can extend the lifetime of your saltwater gear through spraying it with a silicon-based lubricant. For example, WD-40 has been known to work exceptionally well for these purposes.

Tip #68: Buy Quality Fishing Line

Buying used fishing line is just about one of the worst ideas that you can have because you want to get fishing line that will offer the most strength. Buy good fishing line and change it once or twice per year to ensure that your line doesn’t snap when you need it to hold the most.

Tip #69: What Line to Use in Saltwater

For years, people were using monofilament line in saltwater, but specialized braided lines have become more popular recently. Braid has a thinner diameter, and at the same time, it gives you the same pound-test as monofilament. Thinner braided lines also tend to cast more easily than monofilament so that you can cast farther.

Tip #70: J Hook for Saltwater

With saltwater fishing, the J Hook has become the most popular choice. You might also go with the circle hook if you plan to catch and release. The J Hook works well with strip bait or chunk bait because of how you can hook it through multiple times.

Tip #71: How to Spot a Live Hook Bait Hook

Typically, these hooks will have a much shorter shank, and they will have been designed for pinning through the nose.

Tip #72: Choosing a Hook

You want to choose the size of your hook based on the size of the bait. Not to mention, you also need to look at the type of fish species that you want to catch. A larger fish will generally go after much larger bait.

Tip #73: Match the Diet of Your Chosen Species

In general, when you go to choose a bait, you want it to as closely match the diet of your species as much as possible. You want them to go after it. The types of bait will range anywhere from clams to sea worms to shrimp to bait fish to squid.

Tip #74: Artificial Baits Can Save You Money

One of the biggest advantages of using an artificial bait is that you will buy it one time, and you will have it forever after. With live bait, the bait starts to die after a while, and with dead bait, it can start to rot and not be good anymore. Some people also choose artificial bait for the purpose of it being the less cruel of the choices.

Tip #75: Understand the Tides

When it comes to the ocean, you have one thing to contend with that you don’t with freshwater fishing. That comes down to the tides. You have to learn how to use the changing tides to your advantage and come out on top.

Tip #76: Where to Get Started with Ocean Fishing

With ocean fishing, you might head down to the local pier to start fishing. Many places will have a public fishing pier where you can cast off and see what you can catch.

Tip #77: Where to Get the Best Fish on the Pier

This tip depends on the time of the year and the location of the pier, but you will usually have a lot of luck fishing at the furthest part of the pier. You tend to catch bigger and fatter fish this way.

Tip #78: Try Different Types of Fishing

One of the only ways that you will learn what you like as a fisherman is to try all the different types of fishing. This ranges from river fishing to freshwater fishing to saltwater fishing. You should also try fishing from a kayaking and a canoe to experience this at least once in your lifetime.

Tip #79: Don’t Buy Mystery Tackleboxes

One of the dumbest trends that I have seen to come up is known as mystery tackleboxes. Sure, you might get this great piece of tackle, but I don’t believe these things went into business to give away their best tackle. In fact, I believe quite the opposite. You will often get the junk lures because you can’t see what you’re buying. People buy this in the hopes that they will get something good, but you have a lot of cases where that simply won’t happen.

Tip #80: Rainbow Trout in the Winter Months

Rainbow trout have become one of my favorite targets over the winter season because of how these fish tend to prosper in the winter season. Rainbow trout don’t seem to get as negatively affected by the cold weather as some of the other fish species. Usually, rainbow trout suffer a more negative impact from the water currents than the winter weather.

Tip #81: Wear Your Life Jacket

When out in the boat, you need a life jacket for safety purposes. You want to stay as safe out on the water as possible. In many fishing accidents where the victim drowned, 83 percent of them weren’t wearing their life jacket. No matter how much you enjoy boating on the water, you should always put on a life jacket. Even if you can swim, circumstances could come up to where you can’t swim well enough. That becomes especially true on a big river like the Mississippi.

Tip #82: Wash Your Hands Before You Go Fishing

Sounds crazy, but the fish have an incredibly keen sense of smell. Especially if they can sense any strange scents on your bait, it could send them skittering away in the other direction. In general, we would recommend that you wash your hands using unscented soap because you don’t necessarily want the smell of soap on your bait either.

Tip #83: Be Aware of the Changing Moods

Throughout the day, your target fish will most likely change moods from a drop off point over to a shallower body of water. This happens because at certain points they will be looking for food, while you have other points where they will only be seeking to sun themselves in the water. You want to catch them while hungry.

Tip #84: What are the Available Baits

You have a variety of baits that you could make use out of when fishing that include:

• Worms
• Nightcrawlers
• Grasshoppers
• Minnows
• Soft Shell Cray Fish
• Wax Worms
• Leeches
• Frogs

What you choose for bait will largely depend on the type of fish that you’re trying to catch.

Tip #85: Cast near Mossy Areas and Lily Pads

You can catch some great fish through fasting near mossy areas and lily pads. In fact, many fish tend to congregate near these areas. The panfish in particular, and where you have panfish, you will have other bigger predators seeking to feed off them.

Tip #86: Use Shiny Lures

One of the things that can grab the attention of a bass or northern pike comes from a shiny fishing lure. In particular, this becomes an effective choice when fishing on a sunny day because of how the sun will reflect off the lure. For some freshwater fish, however, the shiny lures can throw them off and confuse them. You have to know your prey before using a bait.

Tip #87: Rip Nightcrawlers and Worms Apart to Save on Bait

Especially for the bigger worms and nightcrawlers, you can rip them in half to use part of them for fishing now, and you can use a part of them for fishing later. In this way, you will go through worms far less slowly. Not to mention, it keeps it from half of your worm falling off the hook. You want to fit the worm to your hook in just the right way.

Tip #88: Understand Laws Before Fishing Spawning Beds

I’ve seen a lot of poor tips online about fishing the spawning beds of the bass. However, you have to be careful about doing this because of how in my state of Minnesota, bass are a protected species up until a certain time of the year. This means that you can’t fish in their spawning beds like I have seen some other bloggers suggest. Don’t do this unless you want a fine. Make sure that it is first legal in your state. Open season on bass in Minnesota begins on May 9, 2020.

Fishing out of season comes with some serious consequences ranging from fines to jail time. The fines will be anywhere from $100 up to $3,000. Jail can be anywhere from 90 days up to no more than one year.

Tip #89: Change Your Bait According to the Season

In the early spring of the year, bass tend to like crawfish. During the fall and summer seasons, they like silver and chrome baits and shad. When you change according to their tastes, you tend to get much better success out on the water.

Tip #90: Fishing Before a Storm

The worst time to catch fish will be right after a storm, and the best tends to come right before a storm. The air pressure tends to make the fish more active and aggressive for food during this time, and the lack of pressure leaves them feeling disinterested.

Tip #91: Annoy the Bass

If you can’t seem to get the bass to bite, play on their short temper. Bass have a tendency of getting annoyed. They love when you present the bait to them at different angles, until you can get them to bite on your hook. In some cases, you might have to toss a lure a hundred times in the same place to get their attention.

Tip #92: Face into the Wind

While you might sacrifice some distance when it comes to your casting efforts, facing into the wind will be to your advantage because of how bass and other fish like to swim with the current. You want them to find your bait before they discover your boat. In addition, when you cast into the wind, it has some noise canceling properties to make your entrance quieter.

Tip #93: Check the Livewell

In particular, bass have a notorious reputation for spitting up what they may have fed on earlier in the day. Why does that matter? Well, you can tell what they were previously feeding on, and you can choose a lure according to the color of what they were feeding on before. It’s a genius way of learning more about your prey.

Tip #94: Fish at New Places

Not only is a change of scenery refreshing, it teaches you how to fish on different lakes, and you will learn different fishing techniques for each lake to do it better. Not to mention, you could discover a lake that you find absolutely fantastic.

Tip #95: Stay Versatile

As a fisherman, you have to remain willing to constantly change and grow. You need to stay versatile with your fishing. The worst kind of fisherman is the one that stays one-dimensional. If you have gotten used to fishing on dirty water with spinnerbaits and jigs, it might be time to head to clear water. You will learn a new toolkit of fishing habits that will make you an even better fisherman.

Tip #96: Take Advantage of Technology

With today’s incredible advances in technology, you have new things available to you that previously were unavailable. You might use specific technology like Fishidy and Google Earth to get a better understanding for how to fish on certain lakes and rivers with the best results.

Tip #97: Don’t Set the Hook Right Away

You might feel tempted to immediately set the hook as soon as you notice your bobber going up and down. However, you want to give the fish time to play with your bobber to truly take the bait so that when you set the hook, you have a direct catch.

Tip #98: Sneak up on the Fish

In general, you want to be quiet when fishing. You can talk a little with your buddy, but you don’t want to be so loud that you will scare them off. Keep the conversation quieter, and you may find that you can catch more fish on the water. The quieter you are and the more your presence goes unnoticed, the better.

Tip #99: Look for Weeds Reaching 5 Feet in Height

This becomes prime real estate when it comes to bass who love to prowl in these types of waters. You might run artificial bait along the edges of this water.

Tip #100: Plan a Fishing Trip

Planning a fishing trip to places like Alaska or a fly fishing adventure in the wilds of Canada can be incredible fun. You want to do something that will get you excited about the sport and keep you wanting to keep back to it again and again.

Tip #101: How to Use Plastic Baits

With plastic baits, the retrieve will be the most important aspect of fishing. You will first want to let the plastic bait sink to the bottom of the lake. Next, you will reel in the slack and keep your rod tip low. Then you will reel in the slack again and raise the plastic bait off the ground. This causes the worm to leap off the ground and give it a more realistic appearance that will be more attractive to the surrounding fish.