I was fishing with a friend the other day and we were doing the normal debate about who knows more about fishing. He told me something that I never even gave a thought about. Of course I acted like I already knew about it, but he won’t know until he reads this that I didn’t!

What I am talking about is super glue in soft baits. No, not to get the fish to stick to them when they bite! If you’re using soft baits, they have a tendency to slide down the hook after catching a couple of fish or after about 100 casts. Here is what you do -Slide the soft bait down the hook (eye end). Put a drop of super glue on the hook and slide the soft bait back to the eye of the hook. Now you have no more slipping bait! In addition, this will increase the life of the soft bait, and, of course, more fish strikes, since the bait will always be on the hook properly. This is a must for lures like D.O.A. shrimp.

Tube rattles are something else you may or may not have tried or ever heard about. You put these rattles into your soft bait to add noise. This can dramatically increase your catch or size of fish. A lot of people don’t think about noises that fish and baits make, they just think about their sight and smell, but sound is a big part of catching fish. Sound travels approximately 4 times faster through water than it does through air. This is also why it is said again and again to be quiet when you’re fishing in a boat; just the bang of a hatch door could spook the fish that you were after. Anyway, you can also use super glue to hold these tube rattles in place.

One more thing to use with soft baits are bait weights. These are like the tube rattles, as they are put into the soft bait, but placement is important. For instance, on a worm you may want to put the weight at the end of the worm to help in casting under docks and structure. Or you may want to place it by the shaft of the hook in order to get faster drop on your bait. Experiment with this and I am sure you will find many uses for these. You can also adjust the weight by cutting off sections of the weight with line pliers. These work great with StrikeKing ZTOO soft baits because these are a floating bait and sometimes you just may want a little weight to get it just under the surface.

On to hard baits like suspended and top water plugs. Really, these baits are great just as they are, but the big complaint that I always hear is that the hooks and the rings are not strong enough. You can switch these out. Buy a better grade of hook and ring than what is on the lure. Try to stay with the same size hook and ring, because these lures have been designed to use a certain size hook and changing size can dramatically change how these lures work. However, using a stronger hook and ring can make the difference in landing a record fish or just having an exaggerated fish story.

Now let’s do something about your fishing pole. It’s important to have good quality fishing gear to catch quality fish over and over again. So, you went out and spent good money on a good rod and reel and think that you’re all set. Well, maybe yes, but maybe no. Did you know that pole and reel balance is very important in catching fish? With the reel on the pole, the pole should balance in your hand - the tip should not drop. There are balance weights that you can put onto the butt end of your pole to help to balance it. This will increase the feeling of a hit significantly so you can set the hook on a strike. Also, it will give you more comfort when you are making a lot of casts. So, the next time you pick up your fishing pole, see how it fits in your hand and check the balance.

If you know other little tips and tricks like these that can help other anglers out, please tell them, but better yet, tell me! I like learning new things, and that’s what I do this for is to help other anglers learn. Every time I go fishing, I learn something new. It may be something as simple as a new knot, or not to try to catch a fish with a gator sitting on the bank next to you, but I am always learning and isn’t that part of fishing?!