While we all know that practice makes perfect, getting out there to fish more often is just one way to improve your craftsmanship behind the rod. 

Visiting a fishing gear shop, while not necessary, will allow you to gear up with some additional tech, which will make all of your trips much smoother and enjoyable. In this case, you can follow a few of these additional tips to become a good fisherman.

Here’s our take on what you can do to work on that.

Find someone to learn from

Whether you’re a complete rookie, or an experienced vet, there’s always a thing or two you can learn from simply by going on regular fishing trips with other avid fishermen. A good way to start finding someone could be simply striking up a conversation at your local tackle shop. Simply learning more about their approach can change your whole perspective of angling locally.

Another thing of course could be joining a local fishermen club either directly or with the help of the internet and chatting up some of the more experienced members. Be honest about what you know and let them know you’re ready to learn something new about fishing. After a while, sharing knowledge will happen naturally and you’ll already be improving yourself.

Finally, don’t forget to always keep your eyes and ears open when going tackling with another person. You always learn in the most effective manner when you’re watching someone else using a specific tackling or luring technique. Don’t be shy in asking questions as well, or answer some things yourself. Mutual learning is the most effective thing.

Be prepared to fish during any weather

A great fisherman is prepared to fish at any time of the season, regardless of weather. Think for yourself, will you really improve your skills if you only went out fishing when it’s warm and sunny outside? Probably not.

Being able to adapt to different conditions, even extreme ones are the things that separate your average joe from a real expert. Hone your skills by going out even when there’s some rain or wind being thrown at you.

In terms of windiness, a tall shoreline or a jetty can help you get additional protection and when it’s raining, even heavily, you can always change up your fishing tactics by blind luring or dropping bait around a structure that holds the fish schools.

It could be either a pile of rocks, fallen trees or potholes in the grass. Even if the conditions are overcast, be sure to find an area where the bottom of it is clearly visible for you to be able to fish

Always gear up

Preparing for a fishing trip greatly beforehand is another thing that is a characteristic of a great fisherman. If you waste your time by arriving at the scene and only then rigging your tackle, preparing your reels and rods and getting your lures organized, you’re often robbing yourself of golden fishing opportunities when the weather is ideal. Find the perfect Savage Gear MPP2 Multi-Purpose Predator 2

Create a checklist for yourself to use before every fishing trip for all of the essentials: knifers, pliers, nets, rods and other stuff. Depending on whether you’re using bought or live bait, give yourself some time to catch and prepare your bait for fishing if you need to.

Things can change pretty quickly at your fishing area, so you have to be well-prepared in order to be able to adapt to various changes.

Be a man with a plan

Quite often, things don’t go the way you plan them to when you’re out fishing. Things like sudden change in weather, lack of bait and other things can make things much trickier for you out there.

That’s why it’s best to be prepared with another plan in case you need to scrap your initial tactics. First of all, have a few alternate fishing spots in mind in case you can’t catch anything in your favorite. Also, prepare other types of bait in case the fish just don’t go for your first option.

This and other things can help you end your fishing trip on a high note and reduce the risk of failure.

Try out new spots 

If you have a few sports that you generally go to when it’s time to go fishing, however, a great fisherman has alternatives and is prepared to go fishing in many places. There will be days when others will have beaten you to favorite spots and you’ll find that there aren’t many goods left.

Don’t be afraid of exploring other options on the regular as you will then be prepared for in case your favorite ones won’t do the trick.

All in all

Today we’ve talked about a few tips that make a great fisherman. In order to improve yourself, you shouldn’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, always be prepared and have a plan. This way your favorite hobby will become even more satisfying.