Saltwater Tips for Beginners

saltwaterFor millions of anglers, freshwater fishing provides plenty of enjoyment and challenges to last a lifetime. However, if you’re looking for a new adventure, dropping a line in some saltwater might be just what you need. Freshwater and saltwater fishing share many of the same basic tactics and techniques, but they’re not exactly the same. Today, we’ll take a look at some tips to ease your transition and get you started on the right foot.

Much like buying a house, one of the most important factors when trying out saltwater is location. You’ll want to seek out states along the coast to take full advantage of saltwater fishing, so consider one of the more popular locations, such as Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, California, and New York. Furthermore, most saltwater fishing takes place close to shore, so you might want to consider starting out by fishing the surf between the shore and breakwaters.

Most experts and saltwater guides swear by live bait for its natural color, odor, and texture. For this reason, it’s smart to use popular baits like croakers, bloodworms, saltwater minnows, sand fleas, or shrimp. You can still have good luck with artificial lures like trolling lures, crankbaits, jigging spoons, or jerkbaits. As a rule of thumb, though use light tackle for shallow waters and flats fishing, and heavier tackle for offshore and deep water fishing.

Another major difference between saltwater and freshwater fishing is the type of equipment you’ll use. If you start out fishing the surf, try using heavy surf rods and light saltwater fishing combos. Also, use reels made with corrosion-resistant materials to combat the harsh saltwater.

Switching from fresh to saltwater isn’t as easy as just using your freshwater tackle on the flats. You’ll want to know the best places to fish, use the best bait, and equip yourself with tackle made for the environment to do well inshore.