Discount Tackle's Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Anglers

By Owen Gartner

With a New Year comes a new opportunity to improve yourself as an angler. It's easy to get stuck in a cycle and just do the same old thing you've always done; go down to your favorite fishing spot, throw your favorite confidence baits, and satiate your need for a tug at the end of your line with a proven presentation.

Unfortunately, all too many anglers get stuck in this cycle - hesitant to broaden their fishing horizons out of fear they might get skunked. To help those who wish to expand their fishing knowledge and experience we put together a list of our Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Anglers for those seeking to challenge themselves in 2021.

1. Organize Your Tackle

Keeping your tackle organized in an efficient and logical manner can make all the difference in fishing success. Most anglers' time on the water is limited - so making the most of every moment is key to finding your new Personal Best (PB) or having enough time to perfect that new technique. When you store your tackle in a consistent, organized manner it means you are spending less time looking for baits, lures, hooks, and line and more time fishing! 

2. Find a New Fishing TV Program or YouTube Channel to Learn From

Unlike past generations of anglers who were limited to learning from others or reading books on fishing, the modern angler has a wide-range of multimedia learning tools at their disposal. In particular, YouTube and public access cable channels have emerged as excellent fishing educational resources in recent years. There are a plethora of programs that focus on all types of fishing for all skill levels. Whether its bass, walleye, panfish, trout, inshore saltwater, offshore saltwater, or whatever other kind of fishing you interested in, there's sure to be a YouTube channel that can help you learn more and become a better angler.

We strongly recommend checking out Discount Tackle Brand AmBASSador Ethan Dhuyvetter's (aka Online Outdoorsman) channel if you're interested in bass, panfish, ultralight freshwater, or kayak fishing. The Discount Tackle YouTube channel is also full of helpful tips and tricks on becoming a better angler.   

3. Target a New Species

While bass are the most commonly targeted fishing species in the US, our magnificent fisheries are home to a plethora of other gamefish: Trout, walleye, salmon, steelhead, muskie, sturgeon, catfish, crappie, carp, and countless other species all call the lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and bays of America home. While many of the species listed above can be caught with bass fishing tackle, some require specialized rods, reels, baits, lures, and hooks.

We encourage anglers who target any species to step out of their comfort zone in 2021 and try to target a species in their local waters that they have never caught before. In addition to the increased knowledge base of learning how to catch a new species, targeting a new species can also give you new perspective on the strategies and techniques you use on your typical target species.  

4. Enter a Fishing Tournament or Derby

Competitive fishing takes many different forms, from casual single-day weekend charity tournaments, to multi-day professional competitions with six-figure cash prizes for first place. Tournament fishing requires focus and endurance and can be a great tool to motivate you to be a better angler as you compete for both monetary prizes and bragging rights down at the bait shop.

We challenge you to enter in a competitive fishing event at some point in 2021 to give you greater opportunity and motivation to become a better angler.

5. Take a First-Timer Fishing

Sharing your passions with others can be a reward in and of its self, but it can also bring new perspective. When teaching others you are able to see how far you yourself have come as an angler. First timers can also bring a fresh perspective to your fishing program, asking questions and making mistakes that may inspire new approaches and techniques that lead you to new found fishing success.

6. Try a New Bait Presentation or Fishing Technique

Step out of your comfort zone in the New Year and try a bait or lure you've never thrown before. With the massive variety of baits and lures on the market today, there's sure to be some type of lure you've never thrown before. Pick one up that catches your eye and try it out in 2021.

If you're struggle to find something new, our New Arrivals section is always a good place to look for the latest and greatest in fishing tackle.

7. Explore a New Body of Water

There are literally millions of different lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and other bodies of water in the US that hold fish and are open to anglers for sportfishing. Different bodies of water also have different conditions, species, and forage bases that force you to try new techniques and lures to suit the conditions of this new fishery. Explore a new fishery and 2021 and see for yourself what a change and scenery can do to broaden your fishing knowledge and skills.

8. Learn a New Knot

Knots are a crucial aspect of fishing, providing strong reliable connections between different tackle components. Different knots have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of line and/or leader you are using and the technique you are employing. Therefore, when you expand your knowledge base of different knots, you give yourself more options when you're out the water. We challenge you to learn at least one new knot in 2021.

If you need educational resources for learning new knots, be sure to check out the Discount Tackle Knot Guide that we developed with the help of the folks from Sunline.

9. Start a Fishing Logbook

Ask any seasoned angler whose been fishing long before the advent of laptops, smartphones, GPS, underwater imaging, and tablets what their secret to fishing success is and a common answer will invariably emerge: fishing logbooks. That's because experienced anglers know that teasing out cause and effect in fishing can be incredibly difficult; there are so many factors to consider!

For example, water temperature, weather, air pressure, water clarity, lure color, lure action, and attractant scent are just a few of the myriad of variables that can affect fishing success. When you take note of these and other relevant variables along with your success with them, you are able to better determine fishing patterns and know the best conditions for getting hooked-up with your species of choice. 

10. Practice the Technique You're Least Confident In

Unfortunately, self-fulling prophecies affect anglers just the same as anyone else. When you lack confidence in a technique it often creates a negative feedback loop wherein you don't practice the technique, therefore you never get better at it, which only further reinforces your initial lack of confidence. Break the cycle in 2021! We challenge you to practice whatever technique you have the least confidence in until you can reliably catch fish with it. 

Happy New Year! May your lines always be tight in 2021!