Are you a newbie to saltwater fishing? Perhaps you are accustomed to freshwater fishing; however, you want to change your fishing habit now. You want to catch fish now in the ocean. If this is the case, welcome to saltwater fishing. Here, you can catch a wide variety of fish species with a range of fishing techniques from relaxed pier fishing to exciting deep-sea fishing. In this article, we will provide you all necessary saltwater fishing tips.
1. Saltwater Fishing License
Before starting your saltwater fishing trip, first, research and know the rules and regulations of the place you want to fish. Does the place require any fishing license? A few places require multiple licenses. Make sure that you have a fishing license to fish legally. If you don’t have a fishing license, purchase one on the internet or via phone.
2. Saltwater Fishing Gear
If you have some freshwater fishing experiences, you may already be familiar with fishing rods, inshore spinning reels, and lines. However, when it comes to saltwater fishing, would they be the same? Let's discuss the charateristics of saltwater fishing gear more below.
Rods
When saltwater fishing, your fishing rod length is an important factor. Longer rods let anglers cast long distances while shorter rods are powerful and strong making them ideal for reeling a big game. In the context of fishing rods, power refers to a rod's weight holding capacity. If you catch a giant fish witha rod that lacks power, it may snap leaving you in despair.
So, in saltwater fishing, the quality of rods is quite important to make your fishing trip a memorable one or a trip that you want to forget as soon as possible. Here in this site, you will find several high-quality saltwater fly rods.
Reels
If you are a novice saltwater angler, use a medium weight high-quality spinning fishing reel. This reel will let you cast more and with much ease in contrast to a bait casting fishing reel. Since seawater is highly corrosive, fishing reels that come with protective coatings are much better than other reels.
Lines
In saltwater fishing, fishing lines suffer frequent wear and tear due to constant exposure to sun and saltwater. So, you must use high-quality fishing lines in saltwater fishing. Otherwise be ready to change the fishing line quite often.
There are also different types of lines available out there. Each type is suitable for a particular environment. It is quite important that you pick the correct fishing line for saltwater fishing. Monofilament fishing lines were used in saltwater fishing. However, recently braided fishing lines are becoming much more popular.
Saltwater Tools
You will find an array of saltwater tools and gadgets in the fishing industry. However, as a beginner, you need to carry a few essential tools on your fishing trip. These are nets, pliers, scissors, clippers, and fishing knives. The net will come into action to lift the fish from the water after catching it. Pliers, scissors or clippers will be required to clip or remove a hook from a catch. Fishing knives will help you to cut bait and clean fish.
Hook, Lures and Bait
The main thing to choose a hook for saltwater fishing is to get a hook that matches with your bait. If the hook is a bit larger than the bait, chances are high that fish may not recognize the bait. And the fish may ignore the bait as well.
Like other things, there are various types of hooks available for saltwater fishing. Anglers use three common types of hooks in saltwater fishing. These are circular hook, J hook, and live bait hook. The J hook features multiple barbs to hold bait. There are also regular shape J hook that has a smooth shank. Live bait hooks are much shorter and they don’t feature any barb. Circular hooks are shaped in such a way so that they hook a fish at the corner of its mouth. These hooks are much easier to remove from a fish mouth.
Your fishing success in saltwater fishing will increase dramatically if you are able to use baits that match with the fish’s natural diet. To find which bait you will use requires some research and years of fishing experience in saltwater. In this case, fellow saltwater anglers may give you a few useful tips regarding fishing baits.
There are also many artificial lures which include plastic baits, plugs, poppers, and spoons that you can use as bait. Another effective lure is a biodegradable lure. This type of lure release chemicals in the water to attract fish.
3. Strategies and Tips To Make A Successful Saltwater Fishing Trip
So far we have discussed what essential things you need to pack for a saltwater fishing trip. Now lets switch our discussion to some other things. These things may appear to be insignificant. However, don’t overlook them since they have a good impact on a fishing trip.
Choose The Right Knot
Keep in mind that unlike freshwater, saltwater fish species are bigger and heavier. So you need to pick your knot carefully to ensure that you don’t lose your prized catch. While choosing a knot, make sure that it keeps its strength 100% in all conditions.
Pick The Right Bait
If you are planning to use live bait, make sure that it stays alive and moving. This means you may need to use a live bait aerator to keep your bait alive. Also, keep your bait away from direct sunlight. A few useful live baits are sea worms, mussels, shrimps, baitfish, and clams.
Proper Storage
Storing crab, shrimp, and squid for a long time is not a problem since you can use an icebox to keep them usable. Make sure that these baits don’t sit directly on the ice. Place a newspaper on the ice to prevent a direct contact between baits and ice. One useful tips regarding artificial tips is if you need to use them, make sure that they are bright and clean like new baits.
Talk To Locals
This is another useful tips to catch more fish in a saltwater fishing tip. It is because no one knows better than locals about fish and water. Particularly, they provide you accurate information regarding what types fish species are available in this area and what baits will attract them. And, they will also happily share their ideas.
Sustainable Fishing
While catching fish in saltwater, try to keep your impact minimal on the fish species you are catching. It will let you fish further. In this context, the use of circle hooks will inflict less damage to fish.