two men fishing on lake

Secret Fishing Tricks, Tips and Hacks You’ll Wish You’d Known Sooner

No matter how much fishing you have done, this secret guide full of fishing hacks is going to help you improve your yields when you go fishing.

Fishing secrets range from fishing techniques for beginners to fishing superstars’ hacks.

These tricks will help you to improve your fishing and more importantly improve the experience you have while fishing.

man wearing wader and fishing in lake

Fishing Techniques and Tips

As a beginner, there are a few things that you need to know about fishing to get started.

The biggest secrets of fishing for beginners are to be prepared. You want to be sure that you have the right equipment and tools to ensure that your fishing trip is a success.

Start with a rod and reel that is simple to use to ensure that you can build your skill set without the stress of having to deal with hard to use the equipment.

Be sure that you get the proper fishing license. Be sure that you use a hook that is appropriate for the type of fish that you are fishing for.

Start out with simple goals like fishing for panfish off a dock. Practice casting and keep in mind that even the most accomplished fisherman started out as a beginner at one point.

Enjoy the process and have patience. As you improve your skill set and your knowledge base about fishing, your yields will improve.

General Fishing Tips

Your tackle box does not have to be slammed full of tackle. Fishing does not require expensive equipment.

Learn about what you are fishing for. Different fish are attracted to different types of bait. Some fish love a juicy worm, while others are attracted to kernels of corn.

Using the right hook for your prey, the right type of bait or lure and perfecting your technique is the way to have a successful outing.

Carry some bug spray to keep the biting insects at bay. Have a zip lock plastic bag to keep your phone and other items you want to keep dry.

Be sure that you have sunglasses with you.

Soap and water may get rid of the dirt and grime on your hands, it may not get rid of the fishy smell, rubbing your hands over stainless steel will get rid of the smell.

Fishing Bait Hacks

Fish are attracted to a wide range of baits. While some of these hacks are seemingly common sense, others may seem a little strange.

Fish like injured prey. Using a red hook or soaking your bait in red food coloring that can be disbursed when you cast the bait can catch the eye of a fish.

If you are using salmon eggs or other roe, sprinkle the roe with table salt which will help to “rubberize” the eggs and keep them from sliding off the hook. Use a marshmallow on your hook to help keep your worm from getting caught up on the bottom of the river.

Simply slide a marshmallow to the top of your hook, it will keep your worm from sinking and you never know, maybe there are some fish out there that like the taste of marshmallows.

Giving your rubber worm a more natural movement to attract fish is as simple as adding some weight to the top of the lure. Drive a nail into the top of the rubber worm to help it move in a more lifelike manner. Try a commercial attractant.

two men fishing on lake

Fishing Tackle Hacks

Keeping hooks together is not only important for ease of fishing, but for safety which leads us to our first tackle hack.

Use a safety pin to keep like sized hooks together and easily accessible. Just slide the hooks on to the safety pin and close the safety pin. Hooks will stay organized and easy to find and ensure that you do not get hooked while rummaging around looking for a hook.

Keep some nail polish in your tackle box, it can quickly change the color of your lures, protect the cut end of your hook and more. Mesh laundry bags can fold up flat and fit in your tackle box and are a great tool to have handy.

You can store your catch in them and tie them off and drop them in the water to keep them fresh. They are great for chum and other uses as well.

Add zip ties and electrical tape to your tackle box, they are both great options for repairs on the water and near the water. Keeping your tackle organized is critical to being able to focus on the fishing and focusing less on finding the gear that you need to fish.

Fishing Hook Techniques

Fishing life hacks and secrets of fishing would not be complete unless we devoted some talk to fishing hook techniques.

Are you fishing with the right hook?

Choosing the right hook is critical. You want the hook to be light enough but to be durable, you also want to be sure that you are not fishing with a hook that is too large for the fish that is in the area.

You should pick your weight based on the depth that you are fishing. You should pick your size based on the type of fish that you are fishing.

You should also know your knots to ensure that you are hooks are tightly connected to your line.

Fishing Reeling Techniques

The fact is there are plenty of reeling techniques out there and the more you know the better off you will be when it comes to fishing. Sticking with one technique limits your success.

Pitching, flipping and top luring are all techniques that can help to raise the success of your fishing outing. While flipping and pitching are similar they are not the same.

Top luring keeps your lure at the top of the body of water and entices hungry fish to jump up and grab it. Perfecting these three techniques takes some practice but will pay off handsomely.

fisherman holding brown and white fishing rod

Fishing Retrieval Techniques

Cast and retrieve fishing techniques are one of the most popular ways to fish. Just like it sounds you cast out your line than use your reel to retrieve the catch.

Retrieval techniques that are dependent on the reel depend on speed. For example, the faster you turn the reel the quicker you retrieve your catch.

Of course, yanking or spinning the reel to quickly can give your catch time to elude you, while going to slow can also give your prey a chance to get away. The right technique is somewhere in between a steady reeling motion peppered with some stops.

Fishing reeling technique is critical to the successful catch. When retrieving your lure you want to pull on the line a bit as you reel in the line to mimic the activity of live bait.

Practicing casting and retrieving will help you to hone your skills and become a much better fisherman. Fishing techniques with a rod are perfected through practice.

Fishing Techniques for Saltwater Fishing

If you have access to a saltwater area, consider yourself lucky. Some of the best fishing is done in saltwater, whether you are fishing from the shore, a pier or off a boat, saltwater fishing is exciting.

There are so many more species of fish in saltwater. Fishing in saltwater successfully starts with having the right bait. Saltwater fish are attracted to a wide range of bait like minnows, fiddler crabs, chum and a range of lures.

Using topwater lures that make a noise make it easy for the fish to locate the lure. Setting the hook in a saltwater fish takes a little practice because you are dealing with factors that you do not find in freshwater situations like waves and the tide which can move your line around a great deal.

Wait a few extra seconds to ensure that the fish has their mouth firmly around the bait or lure to allow the hook to set. Be sure you are using the right line weight.

Avoid treble hooks for saltwater fishing, any fish that manages to break free is going to die with a treble hook stuck in its throat. Circle hooks are a good option for saltwater fishing.

Downrigger Fishing Secrets

Downrigging is a trolling technique that allows you to control how far down your line is going while you are fishing. It is a time saving, cost savings and improves your yields.

One of the best ways to improve your results is to choose a downrigger that is of good quality. You can choose an electric downrigger that saves you the work but that costs you more or a manual downrigger that requires more work but that costs you less money.

Downrigging speed is an important factor when it comes to getting the success that you are hoping for. Manage your boat speed based on how deep you are trolling, the species that you are fishing for and the type of lure that you are using.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the boat at 1 to 5 knots of speed to get the most use out of your downrigger.

Kayak Fishing Hacks

Fishing from a kayak is a great way to reach offshore areas that you cannot reach with your rod and reel.

Every angler that uses a kayak to fish has some sort of DIY hack that they have added to their fishing kayak to help.

One of the most popular hacks involves using a milk crate outfitted with a swimming “noodle” cut into pieces to keep it afloat and dragged behind the kayak to add some storage space to hold everything from tackle to fish that were caught.

You can spend about a $1 to have a bag to keep your fish fresh. Just take a shopping bag and add a frozen water bottle and you have a lightweight cooler for your kayak.

Another inexpensive storage solution for your kayak fishing is a carrier purchased at your local dollar store. They are compact, lightweight and can sit right on the floor of the kayak.

You can find a wide range of tools and containers at your local dollar store that can translate nicely into the storage that you need while saving space.

There is a wide range of fishing boat hacks that are available that can help you to get more out of your fishing time. Applying fishing tips and tricks can help to make your fishing more productive.

two blue kayaks beside brown wooden port

Some Bonus Tips

There are a few more fishing bait secrets that you can apply:

  • Ivory soap cut into chunks and used as bait, has been known to catch some fish.
  • Roadkill makes great bait for catfish, not a very attractive way to catch fish, but according to old southern lore, it really works.
  • Trout love corn out of the can.
  • When in doubt about which bait to use, grab a few minnows, they seem to get a great response.

Here a few fishing secrets for bass:

  • Keep it simple, bass like worms.
  • Hang on to shredded lure worms, bass is lazy and will go for injured prey or in this case a bad looking lure.
  • Fish in the shallow water in spring.
  • Fish against the wind, bass always swim with the current so face the wind when you cast.
  • Keep on casting, bass are hiders, they hunt from cover so you may have to do a little convincing to get their interest.

Here are a few more secrets. Fishing secrets for Catfish:

  • Catfish like stinky bloody bait, chicken gizzards soaked in attractant get them every time.
  • Use circle hooks they are the best for catching catfish.
  • Consider using shrimp as bait, not shrimp from a bait shop, but shrimp you would put on your plate.
  • Catfish are not only bottom dwellers, but they also hunt everywhere, so fish everywhere for them.
  • Know your species and adjust your tackle to reflect the species you are fishing for.

Now you have all the tips, secrets and hacks you need to thanks to this article, get out there and try them out and improve your results!