Are These 5 Popular Fishing Sayings ‘True’ or ‘False’?

If you get around any marina, tackle store or boat dock, you’ll hear a few rules of thumb repeated about a million times. So are these truly words of wisdom, or just a fishing story?

mistyfishingWind is the fisherman’s friend. At least for bass, having some chop on the water seems to make them bite better. However, I always thought this saying was missing the word “moderate.” You might be buddies with a 35 mph wind, but I don’t like it one bit.

Wind from the east, fish bite the least. Yep, this is normally the toughest bite. A light east breeze in most of the U.S. is what occurs a day or two after a cold front has passed. It’s not the east wind direction that causes the problem; it’s the huge drop in temperature, bright sunny skies and light wind that wreck the bite. Seeing as how we already decided that the wind is my friend, I try to get on the windiest bank that I can find on these days.

Use light colors on bright days and dark colors on dark days. This is good starting point for picking a lure color for bass fishing. Water clarity probably has even more of an impact though. In general, the clearer the water and the brighter the day, the more natural I’ll go with my baits. Greens and browns blend in well with the background, preventing fish from getting too good of look at a lure. If the water is muddy, I’ll often use bright accent colors to help the fish find it, with fluorescent orange and chartreuse being my favorites.

A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work. For sure. But wait — I fish for a living, so a day of work is a day of fishing. Isn’t catching a lot of fish a good day at work for me, and thereby not as good as a bad day of fishing? Ugh, I’m confused.

You can’t catch them if you don’t go. Definitely. When’s the best time to go fishing? Anytime you can go. Some of my very best catches have come on days that I expected a slow bite.

Are there any sayings you hear a lot when fishing? If so, share them in the comments below and let us know if they are true or not.

You can also follow Tom’s fishing tips and updates at www.facebook.com/tomredingtonfishing and www.twitter.com/Tom_Redington.

About Tom Redington’s Blog

Welcome to my exclusive fishing blog for Boys' Life magazine. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you in the coming months.

From fishing as a pro on the FLW Tour bass circuit to guiding, filming fishing shows and fun fishing with my Cub Scout son, I spend a lot of time on the water around the country.

I’ll pass along some of my fishing tips, keep you updated on what’s happening in the world of fishing, and tell you about some of my experiences in the great outdoors.

9 Comments

  1. If you don’t stop talking and making noise you will scare the fish away.
    This is actually true. Fish are sensitive to sound which really is just a vibration which can be transferred into the water and scare the fish away.

  2. TIGHT DRAG=POPPED LINE
    STRONG WIND=GREAT DAY OF FISHING (ONLY IF YOUR BOAT IS A NICE SIZE! NO SMALL WATERCRAFT)

  3. TIGHT DRAG ON MY BOAT =ALL POPPED LINES
    CHEAP POLE=CHEAP FISH (NOTHING WORTH KEEPING)
    SHIMANO=RHINO (BIG FISH)
    POWER PRO=WAY TO GO

  4. My uncle always wore his hat backwards when fishing. I never understood why til I finally asked at age 10. He told me if his hat is backwards, the fish will think he’s fishing upstream from them! Bahahhaaha!

    I now know this was just him being silly, but from that day until I was about 16, I always wore my hat…. and I wore it backwards! 🤦🏻‍♂️

  5. My dad always told us kids that to catch a fish, you had to hold your mouth right. This was probably more for his on fun, because I was constantly changing my mouth position. Of course now I tell my grandkids the same thing and for the same reason.

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