5 Simple Tricks to Catch More Fish on Your Next Trip

Want to catch more fish? You don’t need to spend a fortune on new gear or learn complicated techniques. I’m going to share five simple things you can do, starting today, to seriously up your catch rate. And the best part? They’re all about smart fishing, not hard fishing. Stick with me, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly these tips can transform your success on the water. Before we jump in, I want to share something cool. See this fish?

That’s my personal best largemouth bass, and I caught it on a lure smaller than my pinky finger! By the end of this, you’ll understand why that matters.

Timing is Everything: Fishing by the Moon

The Power of Moon Phases

Are you stuck in the mindset that the only time to fish is in the morning or evening? I get it, that’s what a lot of people think. But if your fishing time is limited, you need to focus on the full and new moon phases. I know, it sounds like some old fishing tale, but hear me out. The legendary Bass Professor Doug Hannon tracked over 1,000 bass over 5 lbs and found that a massive 90% of them were caught during the full or new moon periods!

Think about that. The days around the full and new moons only make up about 20% of each month, but they account for 90% of trophy bass catches. That’s a pattern you can use to your advantage!

Actionable Tip

Mark those full and new moon phases on your calendar. Seriously, do it. It’s the easiest way to make sure you’re fishing when the odds are stacked in your favor. And while you may not catch a giant, odds are you will catch more fish during those moon phases.

Slow Down to Catch More Fish

The Speed Trap: Why Most Anglers Fail

How do you usually fish? Are you rushing your retrieves, trying to cover as much water as possible? I know I often do, especially when I’m searching for fish. But most of the time, you should be slowing down, especially in cold water, and especially if your goal is to catch more fish. When you fish slower, your lure is in the strike zone longer, giving fish more time to react. Smallmouth, especially, will study a lure before grabbing it. Sometimes trout don’t want to rise much off the bottom to bite, so if you’re fishing too fast, you’re also fishing too shallow.

Beyond Retrieval: Working Your Spots Thoroughly

Here’s what most people don’t realize: slowing down doesn’t just mean retrieving slower. It also means working your spots thoroughly. Most anglers will make one or two casts to a spot and then move on. Taking a tip from some avid trout fishermen, some of these guys will sit in the same spot over and over. There is something to learn here. Make multiple casts to essentially the same location, just changing your angles. First, cast straight and retrieve. Second, let it sink. Third, go through a slightly different zone.

This isn’t just theory. It’s the exact approach that helped me catch my first golden rainbow. I use it all the time. The was also that giant 22-inch, unexpected largemouth that I caught in swift water when I was catching smallies; Same thing. I was just working the same area from multiple angles.

Fanning the Water: A Methodical Approach

Then, there’s the concept of fan casting. It’s part of slowing down. You work a spot methodically. Start close and make a few short casts, working that area. Then, go a little farther and work that area. Finally, swing for the fences and bomb it out there with the longest cast. This way, you have a chance of catching those fish that are shallower or closer to you before you disrupt them, maybe bringing another fish in. It’s as easy way to catch more fish.

The Five-Second Rule: A Simple Pause for Success

Here’s a challenge for you: next time you’re on the water, count to five after your lure hits the water before you start your retrieve. Just 5 seconds. You may be amazed at how many bites you get during that pause or shortly after. This even works with topwater sometimes. You just cast to the exact right spot, and that pause gives the fish a chance to decide if they want to attack the lure that just invaded their space.

Now, there are a couple of exceptions. If you have sinking lures in shallow water that might get snagged, like inline spinners in a trout stream, that might not work. But even letting that sink for a second or two to get closer to the bottom can make a huge difference. If you’re really worried about snags, I get it. But losing lures to snags occasionally is part of the game. What good is not losing a lure every now and then if you’re not catching any fish?

Think Small, Catch Big: The Power of Finesse Fishing

Challenging the “Big Baits Only” Myth

You’ve heard it, and you’ve probably said it: big lures land big fish. But remember that personal best that I showed you at the start? Let me tell you the full story.

Bait Finesse: Presentation Matters

This right here is a hover rig setup. It’s only about the size of my pinky and weighs around 2 grams. It’s got air channels in it. It’s lighter than a pack of gum. It feels like it weighs next to nothing.

Most people probably wouldn’t even consider this to be a bass lure. But this is exactly what I was using – in fact, this might be the exact lure – when I caught my biggest largemouth. This is why I’m such a huge believer in Bait Finesse setups. They’re basically ultra-light bait casters. Check out these BFS reels overview if you’re curious about the gear.

Watch how naturally that smaller bait moves around and flits in the water. It has what the Japanese call an eaten presence. It looks like actual prey, not just some big bait making a lot of noise. This is the Fish Arrow Flash J. I absolutely love it for my hover rigs.

Also, you need the right rod to throw tiny lures like this 2-gram rig. I designed my 4X models of the Hunt BFS rods that are hand-made by Kistler in Magnolia Texas to not only be able to cast those tiny lures, but to also have the backbone to land big fish.

Bass Snacks: Why Big Fish Like Small Meals

In this lies the real secret to Bait Finesse: smaller baits don’t just catch small fish. Big fish often prefer smaller prey because it’s an easy meal. I call them bass snacks or bass candy. Sometimes the big ones aren’t after the big meal. Fishing small can make all the difference, especially if your goal is to catch more fish.

Bonus Tip: The Power of Consistency

Now, I’m not saying throw away all your bigger lures, although most of mine are just gathering dust these days. Even my Megabass Vision 110s, I threw one of them once last winter. Having these finesse options, especially when the bite gets tough, is often the difference between getting skunked and catching fish.

Here’s a quick bonus tip: fish the same lures until you learn how to catch fish on them. I’ve got 500 lures downstairs. Almost every lure will work once you know how to work them. I think most of us would probably just do better with five lures to choose from. Or maybe 9?

Location, Location, Location: Finding the Right Fishing Spots

Beyond the Usual Suspects: Exploring New Waters

Even the perfect-sized lure won’t help if you’re not fishing the right spots. Most of us probably have five, maybe ten, favorite spots that we fish every single time. It’s Saturday, you’ve got time to go fishing, and you know where you’re going. It’s the same place all the time. I know I had my favorite four or five places the first 28 years I lived in Pennsylvania. But when I retired, I found over 100 spots within a 2-hour drive of my house! Honestly, I still haven’t fished all of those.

(By the way – I recently shared 51 great fishing spots in West Virginia – and plan to do a similar series on other states in the future.)

Level Up Your Spot Selection: Three Key Elements

Here’s the thing: this isn’t just about finding good spots, it’s about fishing the right spots within those spots. Most anglers see a spot and start casting randomly, but there are actually three levels to fishing a spot effectively. Find the better spots on the map, and within those, look for these three things: cover, structure, and access to deep water.

That fallen tree next to a deep bend? That’s not just a snag, that’s a perfect spot for smallmouth fishing. Sometimes just a change in structure on the bottom is a great indicator. If the bank goes from rock to dirt or dirt to rock, it probably does the same thing beneath the water, and there’s probably some fish holding in that spot.

Fishing Within the Spot: Targeting Ambush Points

The next level is fishing those right spots within the spot. Let’s say on a lake, you have a laydown. When I find these, I’m targeting the deepest branch, ideally where it intersects with the drop-off first. That’s where the ambush point is for that big fish. That’s where the bigger ones are going to be typically. Sometimes they’re pushed up way shallow, but you start there.

Similar to the previous tip, we’re going to start the closest to us and then fish up towards the bank instead of hitting the bank first and maybe scaring away the biggest of the fish by pulling a dink off the bank. This may allow you to catch 2 or 3 fish from essentially the same spot, ultimately helping you catch more fish overall – including some bigger fish.

The Vertical Dimension: Fishing Different Depths

Here’s another thing that a lot of people don’t think about: fish suspend at different depths throughout the day. If you’re only fishing the bottom, you’re missing a whole zone of active fish. Yo need to hit all the zones if you’re going to catch more fish on each trip. Going back to tip number two, if we vary the amount of time that we let the lure fall and then vary our retrieve speeds, that’s critical if you’re not getting bites the way you’re fishing. It allows you to fish these different depths.

Bonus Tip: Keep a Fishing Log

Keep a log of where and what depth you catch fish. After a while, you’ll start seeing patterns. The best anglers I know don’t just remember where they caught the fish. They remember how deep it was and what time of the year it was. I wish I was better at logging my catches, but at least I have my videos to go back and watch. I am confident I would catch more fish if I did a better job of logging my trips and catches.

If you want to dive deeper into this, here are some excellent tips you can check out.

The Ultimate Secret: Fish More Often

Overcoming the “Captain Obvious” Response

Okay, so that’s four tips to help you catch more fish. But knowing all the right spots and using the right lures won’t help if you’re not actually out there fishing. Tip number five is the simplest, most powerful tip of all: fish more often.

I know what you’re thinking: thanks, Captain Obvious! But stick with me here. The key isn’t just fishing more; it’s also making it easier to go fishing more.

Making Fishing Easier: Preparation is Key

I keep a ready-to-go setup by the door. My batteries are charged, and my cameras and lines are checked. I usually have lures tied on. When you get a free hour or two on the weekend to go fishing, you don’t want to spend half of that getting ready. In the time you’re getting ready, I’m already on the water! I also like to keep portable setups in my car just in case I see a fishy spot and I have the time to check it out.

Scheduling Success: Treat Fishing Like an Important Appointment

I go to the next extreme, too. I schedule my fishing like any other important appointment. Those full and new moon phases that we talked about? They’re on my calendar. In fact, so are the quarter moons. If there’s a really good weather day coming up, it’s blocked off on my calendar. I will move other appointments if necessary.

Embrace Imperfection: Stop Waiting for the Perfect Conditions

Here’s the real secret: just stop waiting for the perfect conditions. Some of my best catches came on bad days. That giant bass that I showed you earlier in this video? I caught that in early April when most people were more focused on chasing trout than bass. I was the only fisherman on the water that day at a lake that is typically packed with fishermen. As you fish more often, you become more confident in what lures work and which spots to fish at a specific time of the year. And you’ll catch more fish, too.

Focus on Action, Not Gear: Just Get Out There!

You don’t need expensive gear, although it’s fun to use (I buy a ton of fishing reels). You don’t need a fancy boat. You don’t need a kayak. You don’t even need perfect weather. What you do need is to get out there and apply these five tips. Fish the moon phases, slow down your retrieve, don’t be afraid to go small, fish the right spots, and most importantly, just go fishing more often. Get out there!

So, that’s it! Five tips to help you catch more fish on your next trip.

If you found this helpful, share it with a buddy who might enjoy it. Drop a comment below with your favorite time to fish, and I’ll see you on the water!