Taking the jump from freshwater to saltwater fishing is an exciting opportunity to expand your angling skills. With an ocean breeze to keep you cool and a sandy beach or pier beneath your feet, fishing on the sea is not only an interesting angling variation but also often a relaxing, scenic experience. Personally, I love going tuna fishing and knowing that I might be able to hook a 200-pound fish.
Dipping your toes into any new activity can be intimidating at first, so to help you through your first attempt at saltwater fishing, we’ve put together some helpful tips and tricks to keep in mind before heading to the beach. You also need to make sure you have sufficiently strong and powerful saltwater fishing tackle to handle these offshore monsters.
Have a read through our saltwater fishing tips below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Table of Contents
What is Saltwater Fishing and Why is it So Popular?
Recreational saltwater fishing has been a popular activity for centuries. The term “saltwater fishing” encompasses a wide range of angling activities that take place on or near an ocean. It can be done from a boat, pier, or beach.
While there is no real winner between freshwater and saltwater fishing, anglers who prefer ocean fishing have a good reason. There are huge variations of fish that live in saltwater, and they’re often bigger and put up a spirited fight, which can make the experience even more exciting.
There is also more variety in the angling styles available to saltwater fishermen – of course, you could stick to the pier, boat, and surf fishing, but saltwater fishing also opens up the opportunity for deepwater angling, scuba, or snorkel spearfishing. Because 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered in water, saltwater fishing is super accessible, and there are endless hunting grounds to explore.
Some of the most popular saltwater fishing species to target include:
- Marlin
- Sailfish
- Tuna
- Coral Trout
- Mackerel
- Ocean Perch
- Cobia
- Snapper
- Dolphin Fish
- Seabass
- Cod
10 Saltwater Fishing Tips and Tricks
While you could easily spend hours researching the best methods and practices for saltwater fishing, your search can get very overwhelming very quickly. To give you a boost in your process, we’ve put together ten of the most important tips and tricks to keep in mind on your first day at sea.
1. Do Not Get Caught Using the Wrong Knot
An ineffective fishing knot can be a serious obstacle between you and your next catch. There are many different knot styles that are used regularly in saltwater angling, but the first step to success is to identify your fishing rig. Your rig should correspond with the fish species you’re targeting and knot style will follow. The following are a few of the most popular knots for saltwater fishing:
Bristol Knot:
A fairly simple knot made for streamlining, the Bristol (sometimes referred to as “no-name knot”), is used to connect a monofilament leader and a braided double line. This knot is great because it passes through rod guides easily and is a simple way to attach leader material to a class tippet loop.
Albright Knot:
An Albright is a go-to knot for novice saltwater anglers, as it is easy to construct and super versatile. It can be used to attach a leader to wire, or to weight a light monofilament with a heavier line.
Clinch Knot:
The clinch is arguably the most popular fishing knot. While it doesn’t work well with braided line, it’s a great pick for monofilament. It ties quickly and is a reliable knot for various angling activities.
I cannot count the number of fish that I have lost due to poorly tied knots – and that is an experience you don’t want to repeat.
2. Learn from the Locals
If you’re new to an area or are travelling to a far-off ocean destination for an angling excursion, it can be tough to know where to start. Research the area you’ll be fishing in before jetting off to give you the best chance at a big catch. There are many online mapping resources that can assist you in terms of finding fish hot spots, but you should also know what fish species frequent the area, their bait preferences, etc.
The simplest (and often most effective) solution to finding a great fishing spot in an unfamiliar place is to ask the locals. Have a chat with a local tackle shop employee and they can direct you to popular spots as well as hideaways that might not be found online. Odds are, a local to the area would probably have a better idea about the best fishing for the current season and bait tips, too.
3. Keep Live Bait Fresh & Healthy
While lure fishing is a popular choice among anglers, live bait cannot be beaten, especially in salt water. The pain of using live bait, however, is the task of keeping it fresh. And yes, this is important if you want a couple of big fish in your boat at the end of the day.
The natural look, motion, scent, and other qualities of live bait make it virtually irresistible to predators. To keep your bait in good condition before use, take special care in balancing water temperature and oxygen.
On warm days, when oxygen levels in the water are low, a good solution is to add ice or a frozen object into your bait container, which will help keep the bait at a temperature range similar to the ocean you’re fishing from.
Water flow can also assist in keeping your bait in good shape. While too much current in your bait container can jostle the bait enough to remove scales and exhaust them, a small amount can help flush unwanted impurities from the tank.
4. Look for Ocean Floor Structure
Just like us humans, fish need a little structure in their lives as well. More often than not, underwater structures are places where fish love to hang out. Rather than chilling along the ocean floor, fish congregate near drop-offs, ridges, sunken logs, and natural structures or along sandbars.
Fishing along reefs is a good bet, and many places will have man-made structures near the shore where fish have made a home. A helpful tip is to find out which fish species you’d like to target, follow up by finding their structure preferences, and research where you can find those particular structures.
Many online resources, including anglers forums or underwater maps can assist you in finding the underwater structures you’re searching for. Area locals can also be helpful in this search.
5. Keep the Fish Population Healthy
The Earth is in dire need of some TLC (Tender Love and Care), and there’s no doubt that commercial fishing has taken a toll on our planet. For this reason, it’s important that recreational saltwater angling is done with conscious respect for the environment.
Catch and release is one way to keep the oceans full of life. If you are practising this, bring along a separate set of gear that will do less harm to the fish in the angling process. This includes de-barbed hooks, in-line hooks, or lures without treble hooks.
To avoid damaging a fish’s protective skin coating, make sure that any surface that the fish will potentially touch is coated with a generous amount of water. Do not use a harsh cloth rag to handle a fish; ensure your hands are wet before touching. Hold the catch firmly, but do not touch the gills or jaw (without other support) — this can cause life-harming damage.
Another way to keep the oceans safe is to be aware of the waste you are creating. Never throw garbage or waste into the water, always clean up after yourself, and secure any plastic material that may be blown into the ocean accidentally.
You should also be aware that when deep-sea fishing bringing a fish up to the surface quickly can kill it due to the pressure change. Make sure you are fishing at depths that allow you to release your catch if you don’t intend to eat it.
6. Clean Your Tools Properly
If you’ve had metal objects around ocean water, you’ve probably noticed that salt water and metal materials do not mix. The combination of salt, moisture, and oxygen corrodes into rust. Angling equipment that isn’t properly taken care of after use in the ocean can weaken quickly, resulting in damage.
While the majority of saltwater rods and reels are made with highly corrosive-resistant material, that doesn’t mean you should skimp on maintenance. Keep a bottle of fresh water handy and use this to rinse your reels throughout the day on the water to prevent excessive salt build-up. You can also do this with lures to keep them fresh.
After a day on the water, wash all the gear that was near the ocean with a gentle soap and warm water. Rinse the items thoroughly and ensure they are fully dry before storing them. Inspecting all gear for salt build-up in nooks and crannies and removing such build-up can help avoid unnecessary damage.
7. Avoid Sticky Drag
All spinning reels have a “drag” system to help an angler have more control over their catch and keep a line from breaking. Sticky drag is an undesirable circumstance with a drag system that occurs when the drag function begins to stick, resulting in a jerky tension – a major pain when pulling in fish.
When you have a big fish on the line, a sticky drag can cause you to lose it in a heartbeat. It often results in a broken line, as the pressure from a pulling fish creates too much tension to handle. To avoid this problem, drag maintenance is essential.
Every 30 uses, or so, you should be taking apart your reel to service and wash it. Use a bucket of warm water and gentle soap and a sponge, and take the time to clean it thoroughly. The most important part after this is drying completely. Test out the drag to make sure it is silky smooth before risking your luck with a big fish.
8. Use the Correct Line
There are a couple of different lines that are commonly used for saltwater angling, including monofilament lines, braided lines, and fluorocarbon lines. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Monofilament lines are an attractive pick among some anglers because they are inexpensive, cast really well out of the spool, and their thin nature makes them great for tying knots. The disadvantage of monofilament is the stretch. Because it’s flexible, it stretches easily and can hold more memory than desirable.
Braided lines are one of the most popular picks among anglers due to their strength and reliability. They tend to be a little more expensive than monofilament line, but their design offers little to no stretch, a major plus. Knotting can be a little more difficult with braided lines as they tend to be slippery, but if you can tie correctly, you’ll be left with a super strong knot.
Fluorocarbon line’s main draw is the refractive nature of the material, which makes it look nearly invisible underwater. The material is also super-durable and abrasion-resistant, so there’s little need to worry about breakage here.
9. Break In a New Reel
Despite what you might think, a new reel can tend to be a little sticky on first use. For this reason, it’s important to “break-it-in” before taking it straight to the water. Don’t risk a major catch by using a reel you’re unfamiliar with.
Start by arranging your drag setting to work best for the species of fish you’d like to target. If it’s still not performing as you’d like it to, disassemble the reel. From there, you can clean out the lube used by the manufacturer (which may or may not be affecting the performance) and lightly grease the structures with your own quality-made lubricant.
While there’s no way to know if a reel will work to its best ability straight out of the box without testing it, if you’re particularly worried about it, give it a good grease, and it should work just fine.
10. Use Data and Charts to Your Advantage
Do yourself a favor before hitting the water and break out your inner oceanographer. Though you may be drawn to jumping in the boat right away, a little research into the data about the water you’ll be fishing in can go a long way.
Online resources will be your best buddy in this process; more often than not, they’re free and fairly easy to use. Websites like Fishtrack or Ripcharts have a ton of data available for use. You can also purchase offshore fishing charts in a physical map form from outdoor shops if you need something more tangible.
If you can afford it, a fish finder is an incredible investment. These high-tech devices, which utilize geographic mapping and sonar technology, have become increasingly popular over the last few decades. While they were once only used by the pros, they’re starting to show up more and more in the common angler’s tackle box. The older generations may think using fish finders is cheating, but innovation is inevitable, right? You might as well jump on it.
Grab your rod and flip flops – the ocean is calling. If you’ve been hesitating to turn to saltwater angling, there’s no better time than now. The vastness of the world’s oceans adds extra excitement to the sport – there’s no shortage of areas to explore. Along with the feisty nature of saltwater fish and the thrill of the wind and waves, you’re in for an adventure of a lifetime – every time.
Hopefully, this article on saltwater fishing tips gave you a little extra courage in your journey – remember to keep the ocean clean and respect the ecosystem from which you benefit.
Happy fishing!
