Sitting in a boat with a rod in your hands is among the more relaxing ways to spend a weekend afternoon. Fishing is a great way to connect with nature and relieve your mind of life’s stress and hassles. Keep reading for a handpicked selection of fishing tips and guidelines to help you create more productive, enjoyable experiences with your rod and reel.

If you are fishing during the winter, you should consider using sinkers. Sinkers give the line more weight which allows it to get deeper into the warm water where most fish reside during the winter. The amount of weight you use depends on how deep the water is and what type of line you are using.

Natural live bait will catch the most fish. Fish dine on the type of insects that inhabit the local environment. Fish will more likely bite bait that you can also catch at the water’s banks. Many expensive artificial lures do more for the fisherman than the fish.

Be sure to get a good understanding of fishing when you are first starting out. Before you start do all the research you can. There are a lot of books you can read that will give you a lot of knowledge before you start fishing. Once you are armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to start catching some monster-sized fish.

Anyone that fishes should be sure and learn how to set the hook properly. Although it is absolutely critical when you go lure fishing, setting your hooks well is important for every kind of fishing. The last thing you want is to go through all that effort in trying to catch the fish, only to lose it because the hook was not well set.

Wet your line prior to tying a knot. This reduces friction and makes the knot stronger. When you pick out a knot, try clinch knots or double fisherman’s knots.

Take into consideration the direction and speed of the wind when fishing. If the wind picks up, the fish will most likely follow the water current and wind up congregating at one end of the lake. You need to set your cast into the wind. Sometimes though, the wind will be too strong and fish will want to lay on the lake floor where they are inaccessible.

If you suffer from sea sickness, and you are going deep sea fishing, bring the proper medication with you. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it, it is better to have the medication and not use it than it is to risk being stuck out at sea for hours with an upset stomach. If you tend to get seasick, take along your medicine so your feeling of nausea will not spoil your fishing trip.

Some fish, such as walleye, prefer some types of live bait over others. Leeches are a great choice. Leeches can be kept alive overnight in ventilated Styrofoam containers that have an inch or two of water in them.

If you’ve got a large fish hanging by your hook, don’t freak out. The fish may fight, but attempting to reel it in can break the rod. Instead, set the drag, and sit back. Let the fish exhaust itself by swimming around trying to get free; then you can reel in the fish with much less effort.

Make sure you take a net with you when you go fishing. This allows you to get the fish to the boat and then net him, keeping him from jumping around on your line or in the boat. This will increase the likelihood that you will land your fish.

As mentioned earlier, the act of fishing is a great way to release stress and have a good time. You may also end up with a yummy supper. This article has probably given you some ideas that you can use next time you head up to the lake for a weekend, or perhaps an entire week.