General Fishing Tips
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These are some general tips for all kinds of fishing that we hope everyone will find useful.
Sharpen your hooks. If your hooks are old, replace them. If your hooks are not too old simply buy a hook sharpener and spend a few seconds and sharpen them. Also make sure that the barbs on your hooks are still intact and sharp. The barb is the little sharp part right above the hooks point that points the opposite direction. It prevents the fish from sliding off once it is hooked.
After you have those hooks sharpened to a razor sharp point simply take a black permanent marker and color the tip from the point to just below the barb. By doing this it will help in preventing rust. Thus prolonging the life and edge of your hooks.
Check your line on your reel often. If you can't remember the last time you replaced your line on your reel it's probably time to do it. Pull off the first 5-10 feet or so of line before each trip, especially if you are fishing off the rockpiles.You may lose a big fish if you don't keep your line fresh.
Always have a camera ready. This way if you don't plan on keeping your fish you can still get a couple pictures of it and then release it. Many fish are probably unnecessarily killed due to the fact that someone wants a picture and keeps the fish out of the water too long while finding the camera. A cheap disposable camera is recommended for this.
Learn to tie strong knots. This is the most often overlooked simple thing a person can learn that prevents a lot of lost fish.
When fishing unfamiliar waters get a map of the area, and study it before the trip. In this way you can eliminate many unproductive areas and concentrate on the areas that look like fish producers.
Done flossing! Use the cutter from a floss container, to cut through those new braided lines.
Varying the retrieve speed or combining a quick retrieve with a pause to let the lure sink a few feet down in the water before continuing the retrieve can stimulate more strikes.
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