Spend More Time Catching And Less Time Fishing

What do fishing and real estate have in common? This is only partially a joke, I swear. The answer is not much, but they do have one significant link. The significance of the location. Anybody who’s been a fisher for even a small amount of time will tell you that there are some places where you can fish all day and catch nothing. They’ll also tell you that there are some places that you can fish for an hour and hook fish left and right. But there’s much more than just location to take into consideration.
Before you do head out to whatever body of water you plan on fishing in, I would highly recommend that you do your homework. Chances are, you aren’t the first person to hit the water there. If it’s really worth fishing in, there will be info on it. Tournaments that were held there, videos are taken out there (thank you technology!), and maybe even stories from other fishers! Check-in with your local sportsman’s club and ask around, (while you’re there, don’t be afraid to ask for tips about gear; read this post about how to pick the right fishing products for more tips on that) or hit the internet.
Bassgold.com is a wonderful website to start with if you’re in America. This place has results and catches from fishing tournaments wrapped up in a database that you can use to judge where to go on your favorite pond or lake or river.
Don’t forget to know your enemy. Well, your prey, unless the fish that took everything from you is in that pond somewhere, though I suggest you seek therapy instead of fishing advice if that’s the case. Specifically, I mean that you should research the species you’re aiming to hook. Know their seasonal behavior, what they like for their habitat, and what they don’t. With this information, you can know what to look for once you’re out on the water and what to steer clear of. It’ll definitely save you some frustration in the long run.
Now that you have your strategy down, it’s time to employ tactics. You’re at the fish now, but this won’t guarantee that they’ll bite. Take a tiny file with you and sharpen your hooks before you start fishing and after every catch. That'll let you get through the boney jaw of some kinds of fish and just get deeper into other kinds to ensure a more secure grip on them.
So now they’ll stay on once they bite, but you have to get them biting first. Most fish like to go for wounded prey, so use red-colored lures or shredded rubber worms. This will fool them into going after your line because they see it as easier prey.
Sometimes, though, it can seem like you have everything right but still not get anything. This is one of the worst feelings in fishing, but it can be easily avoided. Chances are if it’s sunny out, then the fish are less likely to bite. You’ll want to go out there before a storm hits, as that’s when the fish are going to be the most active. The pressure in the air can really get fish out and about before a storm, but after the storm, they’re going to go back into hiding.
Fishing is far more involved than most people really give it credit for, and doing some research ahead of time (like you did with this article, good on you!) and picking the right tool and site for the job can be the difference between coming home empty-handed or reeling in that keeper.