Have you ever asked an angler if they caught any fish and then found out they fibbed when the answer was 'no'. If you want to find out if people are catching fish on public water you don't have to rely on fishermen or dock operators who might tell less than the truth for totally different reasons. Go look in the barrels at the fish cleaning stations. Leftovers don't lie.

Don't fall in love with a particular pattern (shad, bluegill, trout) unless you always fish the same lake. Otherwise you might find yourself fishless someday because you insisted cranking a bluegill pattern through a fishery with a shad forage base. It helps to match the forage's size, too.

Did you hear about a hot lure, but don't know how to fish it? The first order of business after buying it is to read the packaging or enlosed
directions. Not all baits come with instructions, but it should always be the first place you look before asking questions.

Looking for productive places you can fish from the bank? If you fish anything from small watershed lakes to major impoundments they can all have something in common. It's a spillway, tailrace or overflow. They have highly-oxygenated water with whatever fish are in the lake above. And they're usually hungry.

Circle hooks have long been the rage for bait fishermen in saltwater. Now they're catching on inland, too. There's one major difference, though. Standard hooks require a forceful set, but circle hooks do not. Just start reeling and the hook's unique design will hang it in the corner of your fish's mouth. The results are fewer gut-hooked fish and better releases.