Fishing Basics: Avoiding Beginner Fishing Mistakes

Fishing looks simple enough. Tie something to a line, throw it in the water, and wait for a fish to make your day. And, in fairness, that is more or less the basic idea.

But there is a surprising amount that can go wrong between casting out and getting a fish into the chilly bin. Beginners tend to make the same mistakes, often because nobody told them otherwise. The good news is that most are easily avoided.

Here are some of the more common beginner fishing mistakes – and how to sidestep them like Damian McKenzie!

Using gear that’s not fit for purpose

One of the easiest traps for a new angler is buying far more tackle than they need. When you walk into a tackle shop or browse the web, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by racks and racks of rods, reels, hooks, sinkers, swivels, lures, and accessories. 

For most beginners, one simple, all-rounder outfit matched to the type of fishing they intend to do is more than enough. A 7–8ft rod, a medium-sized spin reel spooled with line, and a selection of basic rigs, hooks, and sinkers will cover a huge amount of shore and boat fishing options around New Zealand. It pays to start simple, then add tackle as your experience grows and you discover what kind of fishing works for you. 

Your tackle should be appropriate for the species, location, and conditions. A light-to-medium spinning outfit is ideal for plenty of everyday fishing, while heavier gear has its place when you're targeting bigger fish, such as kingfish, or fishing deep water. It’s worth remembering that heavy gear can make casting harder, reduce sensitivity, scare off pan-sized table fish, and make smaller fish considerably less fun to catch. It can also make lure fishing difficult. 

The goal isn't to overpower every fish. It is to use equipment that offers enough sensitivity and finesse to get the bite while still providing enough control to tackle a decent-sized specimen.

Fishing without a plan

There is nothing wrong with going fishing simply because you enjoy being outside – some would argue that’s the whole point of angling! But beginners can make things unnecessarily difficult by arriving at a spot with no idea what they're trying to catch or how they're going to catch it.

Before you leave, answer a few basic questions. What species am I targeting? Where are they likely to be? What tide will I be fishing? What bait or lure should I use based on what my target species feeds on? What depth or structure should I look for?

If you're chasing snapper from the rocks, for example, a simple strayline rig and fresh bait might be all you need. If you're softbaiting a shallow reef, you'll approach the same location differently. There’s a wealth of online information on fishing.net.nz to answer all your questions about inshore fishing around New Zealand.

Fishing the right spot at the wrong time

A beautiful, sunny day doesn't necessarily mean good fishing conditions, and a miserable-looking day could well mean the fish will be on the chew!

Time of day, tide, swell, rainfall, and water clarity can all influence where fish are and how easy they are to catch. Fishing the change of light is always a good option to enhance fishing action, and many spots will fish best at a certain stage of the tide. For example, a shallow beach might be a waste of time during the day at lower tides. Yet, at sunrise or sunset over a high tide, predatory fish like snapper, kahawai, and gurnard may well come within easy casting distance as they move in to feed on crabs and shellfish. Bite times are also worth checking out, so you can help time your trip for when the fish are more likely to be hungry. 

For most fishing, the weather is also a safety consideration. A landbased spot that looks perfectly manageable in calm conditions can become dangerous with a rising swell or tide. Before leaving home, check the marine forecast and tide times. Think about how conditions are likely to change during your trip rather than simply what they are doing when you arrive. And if the forecast says the conditions aren't suitable for where you planned to fish, change the location or postpone your trip. There will always be another day.

Using baits, lures, and sinkers that are too big

Beginners often assume that bigger is better when fishing, but this often isn’t the case. As the saying goes: ‘Elephants eat peanuts!’

Oversized baits and lures have a tendency to look unnatural in many situations and can be hard to cast and fish with effectively. Small baits, like a cube around the size of your thumbnail, will tempt a wide variety of fish species in a wide variety of sizes. Remember that some tasty species, such as trevally and tarakihi, have very small mouths as they feed on small prey items. Going too big can make it impossible to catch these fish and also good eating-sized fish like 30-40cm snapper. When starting, it’s probably better to catch more fish than the odd bigger fish to hone your skills. Once you’ve got some decent catches under your belt, you can always plan to target a moocher with a big bait! 

The job of the sinker is generally to get your bait or rig to the desired depth and keep it there. And just like baits or lures, using considerably more weight than necessary can make your offering look unnatural and make it harder to detect bites. In fact, in many shallow water situations, straylining with no sinker and letting your bait drift naturally through the water column will be far more attractive to species like snapper, kahawai, and trevally. If you are fishing a calm, shallow bay, you may need very little or no weight. In deep water with a strong current, you may need considerably more to maintain contact with the bottom.

Not paying attention to the line

A bite isn't always a dramatic, rod-bending event. Sometimes it is a slight twitch, a change in line angle, or a small change in pressure as something picks up the bait. Rod holders certainly have their place, but nothing beats feeling those bites transmitted through the rod in your hand. Actively holding your rod will also allow you to react quickly, maximising your chances of hooking up. 

This becomes particularly important when fishing with softbaits and other lures. Learning to recognise what your lure is doing – and what feels different – is a major part of becoming a better angler.

Going too hard

Being overly aggressive when a fish bites or is on the line is a classic beginner mistake. A huge strike is often counterproductive when you feel bites, often pulling the bait or lure out from the fish’s mouth. If using circle or recurve hooks, a steady lift of the rod is the best approach to setting the hook, while a short, sharp twitch is usually all that’s required when using J-style hooks. 

Fishing reels feature adjustable drags to allow a fish to take line under pressure. Locking the drag down as tight as possible can result in broken line or pulled hooks. As a starting point, your drag should generally be set to provide enough resistance to control the fish while still allowing line to be taken when a modest fish makes a strong run. The exact setting depends on your tackle, the breaking strain of your mainline, and target species, but the important thing is to make sure it’s not set too high. And don't start tightening the drag in a panic while you're fighting a fish. Learn where the adjustment is before you need it.

Once a beginner finally hooks a decent fish, instinct often takes over. The rod gets hauled backwards, the reel handle gets cranked furiously, and everyone starts shouting instructions.

Instead, try to relax. Keep a steady bend in the rod and let the rod, line, and drag do their jobs. The rod, as opposed to the reel, should do most of the heavy lifting. Lift the rod up and then wind in line as you steadily move the rod down towards the water again. Keep repeating this to maintain consistent line pressure – any time the line goes slack is a chance for the fish to shake the hook. If the fish runs, let it run when necessary. If it comes towards you, wind quickly enough to maintain contact. Keep the line tight and avoid sudden movements. The aim is controlled pressure, not brute force.

Not checking your knots, hooks, and line

There is a special kind of heartbreak involved in losing a good fish because your knot failed. Why? Because it is usually entirely preventable!

Before fishing, check your knots, leader, hooks, and mainline for damage. If you've been fishing around rocks, reefs, or other structure, inspect the leader regularly for abrasion. Hooks should be sharp and in good condition. If a hook is rusty, damaged, or blunt, replace it.

A few seconds of checking your terminal tackle can save you from the fish that got away – and the inevitable yarn about how big it was! A bird's nest in your reel, a tangled leader, or a twisted rig rarely gets better by ignoring it. If something goes wrong, take a bit of time out to fix it properly.

Beginners can also save themselves a lot of frustration by carrying a few spare, pre-tied rigs. There is no shame in cutting off a hopeless tangle and starting again. Sometimes the fastest way to solve a problem is with scissors!

Expecting instant success

Perhaps the biggest beginner mistake is assuming that catching fish should be easy. Just ask any experienced Kiwi angler – they all still have their dud days!

Some days the fish will be everywhere, and they’ll be on the chew. Other days you’ll struggle to get a nibble at the spot you slayed them only a week earlier. That’s fishing.

When the fish aren't biting, beginners often respond by changing everything – baits, rigs, spots, lures, sinkers, depths. Suddenly you're fishing a completely different setup and have no idea whether any individual change made a difference. Instead, change one thing at a time. This helps you learn what actually makes a difference – and gradually builds the instincts that experienced anglers rely on. 

Patience is often a virtue when fishing – on slow fishing days it’s generally better to have lines in the water than spend time racing around various spots. Remember that fish have tails; often, they will come to you!

Forgetting the basics

It sounds obvious, but beginners routinely forget the things they don't think they'll need until they desperately need them. Pliers, a knife, spare hooks and leader, a measuring device, water, sunblock, a rubbish bag, a landing net, and a torch can all quickly become essential items on any given fishing trip!

And please, always take your rubbish home. Tangled fishing line, bait packets, and discarded tackle have no place in the marine environment.

The most important lesson

Every experienced angler has made most (or all) of these mistakes at some point. Fishing is a continual process of trial and error. You learn to read the water, understand the environmental factors, recognise a bite, choose the right tackle, and make adjustments when things aren't working.

So don't worry if your first few trips involve tangled line, lost sinkers, missed bites, and fish that somehow manage to escape at the boat. Keep it simple, stay safe, learn from each trip, and keep this quote from John Gierach in mind:

"The best fishermen I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead, they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them.”

For all your fishing tackle and boating equipment, visit jarviswalker.co.nz

- NZ Fishing News