Enjoy our complementary articles, news, cartoons, fishing tips and other great content of interest to anglers. While the focus here is primarily Florida’s shallow saltwater, there’s valuable information for fishing fans of every stripe. Use the options below each post to tell a friend about us, and add our blog to your Favorites menu if you like what you see. Best of luck on the water!

“Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal relationship of man.”

Herbert Hoover

Each month I field a question from a reader and answer it as best I can, focusing on those inquiries and responses that I believe will be of general benefit or interest. I recently received this email from Frederick, who asks: “Any tips for getting a child interested in fishing?”

Good question. I have fantastic memories of my childhood, sitting for hours on my grandparents’ lake, catching one panfish after another on wiggling earthworms uncovered in their garden. Some kids have that natural passion for angling, and if anything, watering down their zeal is the challenge. But I’ve found that while most little ones are at least somewhat interested in fishing (and bright, lively fish, in particular), their attention spans are very limited. This is especially true of very small children. So, if getting a kid to love fishing is the goal, job one is to set aside any notions about hardcore adult fishing trips. Pack cold drinks and snacks, opt for bait over lures, protect them from too much sun, and set up in a cool spot where action trumps quality – that is, where they’re very likely to fish, even if it’s what you’d normally consider “trash” species. Focus on their experience, and limit the trip to an hour or two. As they get older, they’ll hang in for longer periods, fueled by their own interest. If a child sees you enjoying yourself, they’ll identify angling with fun, and you’ll be well on your way to developing a lifelong fishing buddy.

Always keep in mind the fact that fish tend to face into current. Water flow carries along the stuff they eat, be it larvae and flies for trout in freshwater streams, or crabs, shrimp and baitfish for flats’ denizens like redfish, snook and bonefish. Fish will, of course, swim with a current when moving from one feeding station to another, but once they set up shop, they’ll generally face the direction the groceries are coming from. This is why freshwater trout anglers prefer to cast upstream, so that their flies drift naturally back along the current toward waiting fish, logic which works by extension in the salt where water flow is strong, such as in a pass or inlet. And even where water flow is weaker—such as a long, weak run on a river or on a saltwater flat or mud bar—knowing which way it is moving can help you place casts with greater effect.

I headed out solo this evening to try my luck on a nearby flat, knowing full well that the wind was cooking at 17 knots or so. Sure enough, the bay was chopped up and ugly, and I considered going home early before spotting a good school of redfish among the waves. I lost two big fish and then landed two thick, copper-sided reds that went back no worse for wear. The school was packed up tight and very aggressive, sending baitfish fleeing as they moved across the flat. I believe they would have hit anything that moved: lures, personal flotation devices, small barnyard animals, you name it. Their raw power was stunning; when they exploded on top they literally knocked the paint off my lures. Epic stuff on a windy evening…and uncanny timing given the latest fishing tip, below.

For many anglers, wind is the most hated impediment to a good day on the water. A brisk breeze can make for a choppy surface, creates a challenge when casting and can literally ruin any chance at sight fishing in shallow water. What’s often overlooked is the fact that fish go right on feeding despite a ruffled surface. To catch them, simply adjust. Provided the wind in question is not at dangerous levels, simply fish the leeward (downwind) side of whatever structure you can find, switch to slightly larger (spin cast) or smaller (fly) presentations, keep your presentations lively so they stand out and fish with the confidence that game fish can see items below or on the surface a lot better than you can see through it.

Life took a chunk out of my posterior the last couple of months, and kept me away from not just this blog but my cherished skinny water, as well. Earlier this week, though, I headed to a favorite bay and entertained the snook and redfish, and was also pleasantly surprised to battle a few oversized and underrated jack crevalle. I’m back baby. I’ll soon be posting the tips, news, etc. that appeal to all three of my loyal readers. Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience.

When fishing moving water, remember that predatory fish generally face into the flow, as the current acts as a conveyer belt that ushers food their way. This rule of thumb applies fairly universally, whether you’re drifting wet flies to brown trout in coldwater streams, bouncing jigs for stripers in deeper inlets or working twitchbaits in backwater eddies for snook. Send your casts “upstream”, and (depending on your offering) let it either flow back naturally, or retrieve so it moves along at the same rate as the flow. If you drag a dry fly against the current or pull a lure against a strong tide, more often than not your offering will be ignored by savvy game fish.

Love to fish topwater lures? Obsessed with using plugs that have a lively action? Then try this simple trick: remove all treble hooks save those on the back of the lure. By doing so, you immediately make things much safer on your quarry, since multiple treble hooks can wreak havoc on a struggling fish. In most cases, you’ll also make the lure much more effective. Hanging hooks create drag, and drag limits lure action. A topwater plug without lots of extra hooks is slick and very buoyant, resulting in a much more lively presentation. This trick works especially well with cylinder-shaped plugs. Note that you may need to leave the hardware that connects the missing hooks on the plug to 1) close any holes that would lead to a waterlogged lure and 2) add some weight so the lure will right itself once it settles. Will you lose more fish this way? Well, yes. But not as many as you’d think, and the trade-off is a good one, both in terms of fish welfare and more strikes.