DETAILS MATTER
When it comes to being a successful angler, paying attention to details is typically what separates the great anglers from average anglers. The professionals are always looking at all the little details and making sure they are doing everything right in an effort to put more fish in the cooler. One professional angler who is all about the details is Mark Martin. Martin makes a living fishing tournaments. The difference between winning a tournament and going home without a paycheck sometimes is nothing more than a few ounces. Every fish matters when fishing in tournaments, so anglers pay close attention to every little detail if they want to win. Below are a few tips from Mark Martin.
SHARP HOOKS
Martin believes one thing that causes many anglers to lose fish is dull hooks. “I am amazed at how many fishermen don’t sharpen the hooks. A dull hook will catch less fish,” Martin explained. “When a fish bumps into a rig that has a dull hook, it can easily get away. If it bumps into a razor sharp hook, it is going to stick in the fish which will give the angler time to set the hook.”
Hooks get dull quickly after they have been used a few times and anglers often don’t realize how dull they really are. “As hooks gets taken in and out of the water, they get dull and rusty. I like to file my hooks often to keep the tips of the hook extra sharp. There is no question doing this puts more fish in the boat,” Martin added.
CHECK YOUR FISHING LINE
Another tackle tip comes from one of Mark Martin’s pro staff guys, Chris Reinhold. Reinhold believes anglers who don’t regularly check their leaders and knots end up putting less fish in the boat. “Knots get weak and so do leaders. It is easy for things to snap. As luck would have it, lines usually break when fishermen are trying to land the trophy of a lifetime,” Reinhold explained. “I like to be proactive. I regularly check my lines and if a knot is frayed or the tag end is gone, I tie my rig again. I don’t wait until it breaks.” Fishing line truly is the Achilles heal of a fishing rod in many ways. Catch more fish by taking care of your line.
STAY ORGANIZED
Keeping rods and reels safe and organized likely won’t keep you from catching more fish, but when rods are disorganized and laying all over a boat or garage, they will need to be untangled. Wasting time on untangling a rod can cost an angler valuable time on the water. Mark Martin uses Dubro fishing rod racks in his garage and many anglers use them in their boat as well. “Having a fishing rod rack to store all of my fishing rods is a no brainer. Rods are expensive and rigging them up takes time and energy that I would rather use to catch more fish. The Dubro Fishing Rod Racks attach to a wall, a ceiling or in a boat. They make preparing for a fishing trip easy and they keep all my rods safe,” Martin noted.
Paying attention to details when fishing and staying organized on and off the water help professional anglers catch more fish. Details matter. Do you want to catch more fish? Try a couple of the tips listed above the next time you go fishing.
