Fishing intuition allows us to catch more fish by learning how they act and react in different situations. I believe that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is the gift of knowledge. You can learn anything you want to learn about fishing by reading books, attending seminars and hanging out at the tackle shop. However, it is when you stop and practice what you learn that you get the most out of your lessons. The best way to learn about fishing is to go fishing.
“Intuition” is often considered a mystical force and we have all heard about women’s intuition. I prefer to think of it as a practical skill that can help you make better decisions. We get practical skills by doing, so in our case by fishing.
The picture to the left is of my grandson. We were out bass fishing and this was his first time out, he was only 7 at the time. I guarantee he learned some valuable lessons in fishing when he hooked into this guy. This is what fishing intuition is all about. Next time we go out fishing together he will know right where he wants to throw his lure.
Get Out and Fish
Yes, it is true, the more we fish the better we get at catching fish. What is the old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” I believe that when it comes to fishing it should be “Practice makes better.” The reason why, is that sometimes we just get skunked and catch nothing. I don’t get skunked very often, but still once in a while it can get super hard to boat a fish. Here are some beginning ways to catch more fish using fishing intuition.
Notice Where Others Are Fishing
If you want to catch fish, it’s important to notice where others are fishing. It’s easy to spot others who are fishing, and it’s usually easy to see if they’ve been successful or not. When you are driving around water, take a look around and notice who is fishing and if possible how they are fishing. Are they using live bait and a bobber or artificial lures? Are they fishing in deep water or near the weeds or shore? Use your power of observation to the best of your ability. All of this will add to your fishing intuition.
I remember one time when I was out ice fishing for bluegills. I was not catching a thing, but I noticed a guy about fifty yards from me pulling one in after another. So I moved a little closer and still no bites. I kept moving closer until I was about 10 yards away from him. He was still catching and I was not. I noticed we had the same wax worms for bait and the same color tear drop hook but I could not get a bite. I finally walked over to him and said, “We have the same bait and hook what are you doing different than me to catch those fish?”
He mumbled something I could not understand. So I asked again and he mumbled a little louder. I said, “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand?”
He spit some stuff into his hand and said, “You have to keep your bait warm!”
Learn About Your Lake or River
Don’t worry if you don’t know your local lake or river’s name. Chances are, it’s easy to find. Look online, or ask a local expert for help. You can get some help from the local tackle shop. They should have a good idea of the local water conditions and kinds of fish that are available. Of course, you will learn both the local lakes and rivers if you spend time on them actually fishing. Knowing the waters you afre fishing will increase your fishing intuition.
Get the Correct Fishing Gear
The first tip is to understand the differences between the different types of fishing. Knowing how to correctly use the correct equipment for the type of fishing you’re doing will help you land fish and prevent injuries. The same goes for the equipment you use. Don’t assume that the same type of rod or reel is suitable for every type of fishing you attempt. It isn’t. Use the proper gear for the type of fishing you’re trying to do, and you’ll enjoy better success and fewer problems.
Learn to Think Like a Fisherman
To catch fish, you need to think like a fisherman. That means being curious, observant, and constantly asking questions about the ecosystem in which you’re fishing. The fisherman is constantly thinking about what he or she could be doing better, and that mindset is critical to being successful in any endeavor.
When you’re fishing, you need to be aware of everything happening around you. What are the bait fish in the body of water? Are there a lot of docks or weed beds? How deep is the lake or river? Ask yourself questions and find out the answers. Our next section is to fish with others so make sure you ask them questions. Putting all these things together will increase your fishing intuition.
Fish With Others and Learn From Each Other
Here’s the thing about fish: They don’t have a voice. And yet, you can learn more from a single fish than you can from any classroom full of humans. When you’re looking to improve yourself, the only way you’ll succeed is if you surround yourself with smart, successful fishers. The reason that fish don’t have a voice is because they’re too busy swimming around and eating. Don’t be like them. Be smart. Surround yourself with smart, successful fishers who are willing to help you catch more fish.
Find A Good Fishing Partner
The best fishing partners are those who understand what it’s like to have no idea what to do next, who are willing to help you, and who have a good sense of humor. Someone who knows the waters and can help you figure out which spots are the most productive.
Keep An Open Mind With Your Fishing Partner
For your fishing partner to become a trusted confidante, it’s important that you keep an open mind, be willing to learn, and always be honest with him or her. You should trust your partner to help you and share everything with you if you’re both working toward the same goal of catching fish.
Mastering the Art of Fishing
Many people think of fishing as a sport. However, I think it is more of an art. You have to catch the fish on the fly. You can’t just throw your line in the water and wait for a fish to swim up and bite. You have to know what the fish is looking for, and you have to be able to read the water. And you have to know when and where to throw your bait. here are some things you need to know and learn to master the art of fishing.
Mastering the Art of Casting Your Specific Reel
There are four basic tyes of reels, the bait casting reel, the spin cast reel, the open face spinning reel and the fly fishing reel. Regardless of your reel you need to know how to use it so that you can pinpoint where you want your bait, lure or fly to land. Here are the reels in order of ease of use. Make sure you practice with what you have until you can hit your target area.
The Spin Cast reel — This reel is the easiest to use. Most kids combo kits use this kind of reel because they are a simple push buttom reel. That being said you still want to practice so you can land the bait in a 1-2 foot area.
The Fly Fishing Reel — Is really just a cylinder in which you pull the line out so you can work out the line to flip your rod to get where you need it to get to. However, just because the reel is easy to use does not make fly fishing easy to do. In fact, it is probably the hrdest kind of fishing to master.
The open face spinning reel — This reel is the most used reel by the average fisher. The open face spinning reel is great for most types of fishing. Freshwater or saltwater, small fish and large fish are caught by people using the spinning reel. The reel cast further than the spin cast reel and I believe is more accurate. I personally use this style reel for all my finesse and live bait fishing. My favorite open face spinning reel is the Remi 3000 from a fairly new company, Codaicen Fishing. I use this reel 50% of the time I go out fishing for finesse bass fishing. I have caught hundreds of decent bass with this reel and it is not very expensive.
The bait casting reel — Without a doubt this style reel is the most difficult to master. However, once you get it dialed in, you will never use another reel for the majority of your artifical lure fishing. I carry seven rods on my boat and five of them have bait casters on them. I use them constantly and sometimes I will get a backlash, but they usually come out in a heartbeat or two. A good bait caster will cast further and is the most accurate reel on the market. Of course, a good one is usually more expensive the the other reels listed above. Check out this link of the one I will buy next.
Mastering the Art of Flipping and Pitching
There are different techniques used by bass anglers that make up the art of catching bass in shallow water. Inexperienced bass anglers look at a bank loaded with submerged grass, trees, bushes, and rocks and think “No way I’m throwing in there” while others, using their fishing intuition, see big bass hiding waiting to attack the food you are going to flip in to them.
Handling your equipment correctly while flipping and pitching are a very effective way to catch lunkers. With some practice of your techniques, you can quickly and effectively work shallow cover.
There are many different types of lures that are effective for flipping and pitching, but usually the tackle is some sort of flipping jig tipped with a soft plastic bait of some kind. Using this method will help you to cover more water and great habitat.
Flipping and pitching have been used to pull those big bass out of these hard to get to areas.
Why not give flipping and pitching a try the next time you get out to bass fish. However, make sure you practice at home before you try to flip around the brush. Try to flip into a five gallon bucket from 10 to 20 feet out. I’ve seen guys flip into a coffee cup from 25 feet. I’m not that good but I can hit the five gallon bucket so I’m happy. The best anglers have great instincts, knowledge and fishing intuition to know where to flip and pitch their offering.
Mastering the Art of Finesse Fishing
When it comes to Bass fishing there are a ton of different baits to use. I won’t even attempt to list them all here but I will briefly explain what finesse fishing is all about.
A lot of bass fishers like to cover a lot of water and fish quickly to cover more water and hopefully catch more bass. However, the fish do not always follow instructons and bite when we throw that crank bait or spinner. Sometimes they are a little bit more finicky and have to be a little more enticed to bite. When they are in this hard to catch mindset I slow things down and throw something that might sit in their face a little longer. Finesse fishing uses lighter tackle so you can feel the bite or watch the line move sideways.
My favorite finesse bait is the 5″ stick worm rigged up in the wacky style. Usually, I will also slip in a nail weight in one end, called a neko rig, so that it will drop a little bit quicker and the tail will stand up and when you give it a jerk or two the tail wiggles. This is meant to excite the bass to strike and suck in that worm.
Of course there are many different presentations you can throw finesse fishing. You just need to find the one or two that you like to present to that lunker waiting on the weed edge or hiding in the brush pile waiting to attack.
Conclusion On Using Fishing Intuition
You don’t need to learn everything at once, but knowing the basics will give you the freedom to focus on what you know, and time to learn what you don’t know. So, what are the basics? Here are four key essentials:
1. Know the fish you are targeting.
2. Know the water you are fishing in.
3. Know the correct bait you should be using
4. Know the correct equipment to use
If you know these four essentials, you’ll catch more fish. That’s fishing intuition. This blog will be looking at these four essentials and so much more. This way we will all be able to build our fishing intuition.
www.FishingIntuition.com was founded in August 2022. Yes, we are new and upcoming. However, we have been fishing for over 60 years and have caught both freshwater and saltwater fish. In freshwater we have caught everything from panfish to Muskellunge. In saltwater we have caught ocean perch to sharks.
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