Catch More Fish!

These 5 tips will help you catch more fish.

1. Varying the speed of the retrieve gets better results than a stead retrieve.

2. Know the characteristics, habitat and food preferences of the fish you are after.

3. Learn the contours of lakes and streams you fish - the dropoffs, holes, weedbeds and the location of underwater bars.

4. Know the temperature ranges most favorable to the species of fish and the depth at which these ranges are located.

5. Have a good selection of lures, because fish are choosy and there is no perfect lure for all conditions.

General tips that may improve your hook-up ratio:

- Wear natural colored clothing when fishing clear waters. Blues, greens and browns blend into scenery and won't spook fish as easily.
- Your line twisted? Remove all hardware and drag behind the boat for a short distance and twists will be removed.

- When fishing pockets in lily pads and weeds, drop an Arbogast Hula Popper in lightly, then just give it a twitch. The combination of action and noise makes it "tops" for the big ones.
- When fishing for schooling fish and you have caught one, don't remove it from the water until your partner has a fish hooked; that way you will keep the school up.
- Be sure to keep all gasoline and oil from hands when handling lures. Use YUM's hand balm. It masks negative odors that repel fish.
- When fishing around stumps and other obstructions, cast beyond on shady or down stream side for most strikes.

- Vary the pace of your lures - stop-go-fast-slow - this technique may produce more strikes.

- When fishing a "hot" spot make your first cast short and accurate. Gradually increase the length and direction of casts. This way you will not frighten fish with line or hooked fish.
- Observe shorelines to determine geography of the lake's bottom. Sharp shorelines, high bluffs - indicate deep, sharp drop offs. Long points indicate underwater weeds. Flat gradual shoreline - underwater will be shallow, slow drop offs.