Tips for fishing on any water at any time

The fishing season in several states across the Midwest opened recently. Anglers are out there chasing walleyes, northern pike, bass, and panfish.

The next few months will provide people who fish lots of opportunities to get bit. Following are some ideas to reduce the time between bites.

Follow the food. Fish do two things during the year: They spawn and they eat. The spawn is over, so all they’ll be doing for the next few months is looking for their next meal. The predator fish will be near baitfish or crawdads or bugs or whatever they eat in the body of water being fished. If you fish where the food is, you’ll be fishing near the predator fish.

Be flexible. First of all, be flexible in your lure presentation. Don’t get locked into one particular technique. There are lots of ways to catch fish. You can use live bait or artificial bait. You can cast, troll, or drift. You can move your lure fast or slow. The key is, try different things until the fish show you what they want.

Also be flexible when it comes to the fish you’re after. Most lakes and rivers are home to several species of fish. There are times when some species of fish are more willing to bite than others. If the walleyes aren’t willing to eat your bait, try for bass or panfish or pike or whatever.

Remember that river fish are often more aggressive when weather conditions are not the best for fishing. On days after a cold front has gone through, when the skies are blue or breezes are light, when lake fish are often hesitant to bite, river fish will be easier to catch. River fish are constantly fighting the current, so they expend more energy. That means they have to eat more often, and that means they will be more willing to take your bait.

Go fishing whenever you get the chance. Not every fishing trip needs to be an all-day deal. Some of the most fun and productive fishing outings are those spur-of-the-moment things where you get a couple free hours.

You throw a rod and a couple baits in the truck and head for the nearest river or pond and just walk along the shoreline casting. Sometimes you catch a couple and sometimes you don’t. The only guarantee when you go fishing is that if you don’t go, you won’t get bit. When you get the chance to go fishing, go!

If you keep these ideas in mind, 2012 can be the best fishing season you’ve had so far.

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Tags: outdoors, fishing