The top 10 fishing mistakes—and how to avoid them!

#8 IGNORE NEW IDEAS

If you were among the very first anglers to fish slow-death rigs for walleye, Ned rigs for bass, Bondy Baits for lake trout and double-bladed Cowgirls for muskies, you know how learning fresh new fishing tactics can really give you an edge. I count myself among the blessed to have been at the forefront of each of those trends, but nothing keeps producing forever, unfortunately—despite the unbelievable efforts of a select few anglers to keep those techniques under wraps, they soon became public knowledge.

So, when you read about a technique for the very first time in a reliable source—such as this very magazine—or hear about it from a trusted friend, you need to assess it immediately to see if it lives up to the hype. If it does, quickly perfect the technique and add it to your arsenal. Then milk it for all that it’s worth while you can; every innovation eventually becomes commonplace, and the fish get conditioned to it.