The sport of fishing is perhaps one of the most primal, yet least discussed sports in the whole of popular culture. Nothing quite compares to the thrill of catching a giant bass or pike and comparing it to all-time records.

Many laymen think that fishing is all about luck, but experienced professionals will tell you that it’s anything but. To become a better fisherman, you need to make sure that you’re following best practice.

Use A Data-Driven Approach

Today’s sports are coming to rely increasingly on the use of data. Football and tennis coaches regularly use data to help their athletes and sports stars perform better on the pitch or court and attack their opponents’ weaknesses. Can anglers do the same?

The answer is “yes.” One of the best ways to up your game is to keep a journal. In the journal, you should record when you caught your biggest fish and the conditions that prevailed when you did. Was it a windy day? Was it a cold day? What time of year was it? What were the geographical features of the local area? All these details are essential for helping you to consistently repeat your biggest catches.

Also, remember to record the conditions on occasions when you didn’t catch any fish at all. Create a database of all your catches and try to correlate the chances of catching a fish with the types of conditions on the water.

Work Your Bait Properly

In order to catch fish, you need to work your fishing rod properly. That means having a good cast and properly attaching the bait. If you don’t cast your line far enough or into the right spots (or if you don’t properly attach your bait to your line), then fish won’t see your line as an enticing proposition, and they won’t bite. Bait needs to be prepared properly and needs to be appropriate to the waters you’re fishing in.

Learn All You Can

There’s a lot to learn about fishing, just as there is in any sport. But the more you learn, the more successful you can be. Try reading the books of some of the great anglers of the past. Find out what it was that they did to achieve success in the sport and try to emulate them. Look for parallels between the fishing scenarios they describe and the ones that you’ve experienced and try to build on their strategies.

Cover More Water

Sometimes fish aren’t biting because they’re not there. If that’s the case, then you need to cover more water to find higher concentrations. Many of the top fishermen in the world cover dozens of miles in a single day if they sense that fish simply aren’t in the water. It almost goes without saying, but relocating your boat to areas with more fish increases the chances that at least one of them will bite.

Prepare For Poor Weather

Finally, don’t forget to take all the equipment you need for a long day on the lake, including wet weather gear.