There is a reason it is called “fishing” rather than “catching”…because more often than not you are doing the former, not the latter. Of course it could just as accurately be called “luck” as it does not matter how good you are every successful angler relies on a little bit of mystical intervention to ensure success. Every good angler also knows that trick and tips are every bit as much a key to filling the creel as knowledge and experience. With this in mind I would like to offer the following tips to help you gain that little bit of edge needed to get over the hump.
- Tic Tac Travel Box – an empty Tic Tac container makes handy emergency tackle box, perfect for carrying the bare essentials as you wade to the next sandbar or venture to a secluded spot and do not want to carry a full size box with you. Glue a hook sharpener to the side and fill with hooks & split shot and hit that secret spot.
- Salt makes ice last longer – adding salt to your cooler with cause your ice to last longer ensuring your fish aren’t give a second chance to swim on the way back to the dock. If you are worried about salting your fresh water catch add salted water to recycled plastic bottles, freeze and create your own ice packs.
- Vacuumed bait – frozen bait for deep seas trips can be expensive, especially when purchased dockside. Decrease you cost by buying in bulk beforehand and sealing pre-rigged sets in vacuum bags. Take a day’s supply and only open what your need, as long as the others were kept on ice they can be saved for another trip.
- Skip the handle – closing the bail on your spinning reel causes a small amount of slack to build on the spool. Prevent this by closing the bail manually as soon as the lure or bait hits the water. This is also a good way to stop your cast on a dime if it looks like you will overshoot your mark.
- Extra long, ultra-light in a pinch – if you find yourself in need of an extra long ultra-light rod but do not have one with you switch to your flyrod. Most light weight flyrods will readily accept a micro reel and give you the light touch and extra reach you need for those super spooked trout or crappies.
- Nail that action – looking for a little extra action in you plastic baits? Add a nail. A small finishing nail in the head of your worm, body of a shad or tail of a crayfish will create a whole new dimension of action. When you no longer need it just pull it out and return to normal.
The bottom line is fishing is like back ally fighting – there are no real rules just what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes you need a tackle box full of choices, sometimes you need to thing outside the box all together!
Good luck, good fishing!
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