Summer is in the air and we all know what that means, fishing is in the air. Some people think you just need a pole, line and bait and you are good to go. But that’s not the case all the time. Here are a few tips to help you catch that monster fish or your limit on pan fish.

The first tip in simple fishing is making sure the rig is just right. There are two reasons making sure the rig is just right. First, a strong well tied fishing knot won’t break when setting the hook and second, certain knots swim your fly or lure in a way similar to the way fish swim making it more natural. There are many different ways of tying a knot and that all depends on what you are fishing for. Here are a few knots and what they are used for. The first one is a Turle Knot which is a great fixed knot for fly fishing and a Uni Knot is a loop left open that makes streamers and nymphs look realistic.

Second tip is making sure your lure is swimming properly. You need to make sure that your bait is naturally moving through the water and mimicking fish movements and you do that with your rod tip and reel speed. When you pull on your rod tip and reel down to gather slack but making sure to keep in contact with your lure. Some people think they are going to catch something if they just cast and reel as fast as they can but if you do that your lure will not look like a natural fish in the water. Just make sure to swim your lure as the fishing spot dictates and you will have a better chance of catching that monster fish or just catching something period.

Third tip is changing depths. Some people that fish the top of the water thinks it is fun but if there are no fish at the surface it won’t be as fun as you won’t be catching anything. If you are going to be fishing the top of the water, you want to make sure you are using a jig, spoon or a metal-lipped jerk bait to better your chances of catching something. You might have to go deeper to find where the fish are. There are going to be times where you will need to add or subtract weight when bait fishing or go to a sink tip or sinking line when you are fly fishing. Just remember if you are having any top water action you might need to go deeper to find where the fish are.

Final tip is changing location. If you have been sitting in the same spot for a while and have changed different lures and baits and there is nothing baiting, you need to move around to where the fish are at. But before you decide to leave the location you are at make sure you have covered all the water around you. Make sure to throw a couple of cast to your left, to your right, in front of the boat and in the back of the boat. You never know the fish could be anywhere and it is easy to move the boat to where the fish are.

With these few tips you will be able to catch that monster fish or a pile of pan fish this summer and possible into the winter, that’s if you think you have the summer fishing down to give ice fishing a try. Good luck fishing this summer.