b"RODSOf course, your rod is another Evana's top tips & tricks important part of your fishing set up, and the type of rod you should buy will depend on the type of fish you are 01 LURE FISHING 04 SOFTBAITINGtargeting and where you are fishing I have heard to use colourfulWhen fishing over reef or foul,(from a boat, shore, beach etc). There lures when in shallower water/ opt for rubber softbaits such as Daiwais not a one rod does it all magic stick near the surface and darker luresBait Junkie or Z-Man as they will lastunfortunately. While many people think in deeper water for contrast. Inlonger than protein based softbaits. that tackle stores are just trying to sell my experience, I find my fishingNot only getting snagged but frommultiple combos, its true that you need more successful when I fish withreef dwelling sharp toothed speciesthe right tool for the job, for whatever bright coloured lures on dull dayslike leatherjackets and pigfish. Whenstyle of fishing you are wanting to and darker, silhouette colours onfishing over open areas/sand, itsundertake i.e. bait fishing, softbaiting, brighter days.This probably relatesprotein based softbaits for me as fishlure fishing, jigging, top water, rock to water depths as well. I guessfind Gulp hard to resist. fishing, surfcasting and of course, salt its the luck of the draw so dontTry fishing shallow. Its common foror fly fishing.So dont hesitate to ask be set on certain colours, have aanglers to travel out deep as soonyour local store what options are for few options (light/clear, dark, andas possible to get the big fish butyour requirements.bright), and see what works onyou will often find moochers in theEnsure your rod has decent quality the day. shallows, around the moving water inguides, preferably Fuji SIC guides as My bigger fish have mostly beenand around the rocks.Wash fishingthey have the best heat dispersion caught when on the drop or whenwith softbaits and salt fly fishing isand slickness, because braids biggest feeding the lure back to the fish,successful for shallower depths.enemy is heat.If you damage a guide, so be patient its not necessary to these can be replaced, and most tackle re-set after a few winds. Play around05 FISH HANDLINGstores will have a rod repair contact.by feeding it back and winding in,The less you can handle your dropping back to the bottom andcatch, the better. I struggle gettingFLUOROCARBONrepeat a few times. Orange is mysmall hooks out of the mouths ofUsing a superior quality Japanese go-to colour and even better iffish, so a set of long nosed pliersfluorocarbon, especially for softbaiting covered with attractant scent suchis a must. HPA brand is one of theand slow jigging because fluoro sinks as Pro-Cure or Gulp Gel.premium choices. Ensure your handsas opposed to monofilament which Wrap old lures with new skinsor small cloth is wet and release thefloats. Therefore, you can use a lighter (such as Jig Skinz) and mimic baitfish as soon as possible. If the swimweight to get your lure down. Also, with fish by adding sharpie marks to yourbladder/stomach is protruding out ofa minimum 5x more abrasion resistance softbaits, dark markings, red gillsthe mouth, gently pop it with a hook.and is near invisible in the water. etc. You can find more tips on theThis helps the fish decompress and effectiveness of this on Google. able to return to the bottom to liveanother day.02 KNOTSFISH CARE Learn to tie good knots. Your06 Ensure you have a chilly bin choice of knot is not necessarily more important than how well youFULL of salt ice. Fish are far better tie it. However, my go to knots are;preserved in salt ice and when Uni knot to attach leader to hooks/ fully submerged in the ice slurry. I jig heads/swivels.Albright knotdont care what anyone says, you or an FG knot, depending on howcan absolutely taste the difference. heavy the tackle I am using, are forNewsflash! Most fish shouldnt attaching leader to braid. Albrighttaste fishy!for softbaiting and FG for top water fishing (50-100lb). 07 SUN PROTECTION Dont forget to be sun smart 03 HOOKSwhen out there fishing. I recommend Ensure your hooks are alwaysthe Simms range of sun protection sharp. Sharp hooks are more aptclothing, 30 to 50+ sun protection to penetrate the fishs mouth, sofactor as well as good eyewear with you dont lose it. Replace oftenpolarized lenses (my picks are Costa with sharp hooks or sharpen themglass lens or Oakley), to help cut glare yourself with a file every so often. and better vision on the water. Learn to tie a couple of knots well, like the FG knot for heavy leaders. /FISHINGINGODZONE31"