There's nothing better than getting out on the water for a day of fishing. But one of the easiest ways to wreck that pure joy is spending the day in frustration because things just aren’t going your way. With all the components needed, there are plenty of ways a simple fishing adventure can go wrong. Help your trip go smoothly; explore these common mistakes anglers make when casting and retrieving — and don’t forget to check back to part one for even more tips.

Fishing The Wrong Spots

If you just head to the shore of your favorite lake or stream and start casting without thought, you’re basically just relying on dumb luck to catch anything. No matter how much you’re itching to dive into your day, you’ll find a lot more enjoyment if you take the time to actually choose a spot purposefully. Try a fishing line camera, cast-able sonar, or even just switching to polarized sunglasses for shallower and clearer waters to help you track where fish hang out throughout the day and cast more purposefully.

Using The Wrong Lures

This mistake can often come down to not knowing the species you’ll be fishing. Choosing the right lures will depend on what you’re fishing, where you’re fishing, and what your target looks for. A bit of research can go a long way toward helping you choose the lures that will attract the species you’re fishing for, and make your trips a lot smoother. The GoFish Cam is a great way to know how fish are reacting to your lure or bait, as well as scouting which species are in the area to better know what to use.

Pacing Your Retrieval

The retrieval when casting and retrieving is critical to success. The speed of retrieval, angle of your rod tip, motions you make with the rod, can all have effects on how your lure is presenting itself. If you have some lures trying to rise to the surface too fast, aim your rod tip down closer to the water to keep a smaller degree of slant in the line. You'll find your lures will have a better motion to them that mimic the natural movements fish are attracted to. If you're not having success, try slowing down your retrieval speed, or changing it up throughout the retrieval. We've seen tons of videos where fish are trailing lures and the second the lure slows down or pauses in its motion is when the fish goes for the strike.

Understanding what goes on under the water can be key to reducing mistakes and making your fishing trips more enjoyable. Grab a fishing line camera from GoFish Cam so you can get an idea about what goes on and learn from your mistakes!