What a Real Guide Looks For When Picking a Fishing Spot

One of the most important decisions that anglers have to make before going fishing is where to go fishing. There are many bodies of water in the United States alone, and choosing one to fish on is a daunting task. So how does a fishing guide know whether or not the place they’re recommending is a good spot or not? 

To answer this question, we're giving you a lowdown of when to consider a fishing spot a good one. We're factoring in the range of game fish that are popular and the kind of climate the area has. In this article, we hope to show you how we pick the places we recommend to anglers for a successful fishing trip. 

The Seasonal Availability Of Prized Fish In The Area

One of the primary things we look at is whether or not the area has any prized fish available. An area must have a steady supply of prize fish for it to be considered a good fishing spot so that anglers coming in from all over the country, and at different times, can enjoy the same experience. 

What we’re saying is that the fish must have a season of availability that’s predictable and reliable. For example, blue marlin in Port Mansfield is only available in great numbers during summer in that area and less common during the winter as they move onto warmer waters, but that’s the thing: we know when it’s available or not. 

The Variety of Prize Fish in the Area

Another thing we take into consideration when looking at a fishing area is the number of prize fish available in the area. You may be getting a lot of bites when you go angling in a particular fishing spot, but if the fish there aren’t considered a prize fish by many anglers, then it’s not a good fishing spot. 

A good fishing spot must have a variety of fish that are available throughout the year that anglers would like to catch. It’s not enough that a place has one prize fish available, as anglers could get bored catching it all the time. There must also be other prize fish that they could catch as well. No matter how delicious a flounder may be, there will come a time when an angler will grow tired of catching nothing but flounder.  

The Location of the Fishing Area

Another important factor when deciding on a good fishing spot is its location. Good fishing spots are usually located at the meeting point between two great bodies of water and the fish that reside there. An example of this is Lake Ontario, being the smallest of the great lakes and the main route of the other lakes to the Atlantic. It offers many fish to be caught by the anglers fishing there. The area owes its rich bounty of fish to the fact that all the other great lakes flow through it to pass through to the Atlantic ocean, so the fish in these areas go through it as well. 

Another example is once again Port Mansfield, Texas. The town is situated between the Laguna Madre and the Atlantic Ocean, making it abundant in freshwater and saltwater fish. If you get tired of catching the saltwater prize fish, you can go to the Laguna Madre to catch freshwater ones or vice versa. This makes the town a haven for anglers, as they have a lot of fish species to choose from and ensures they’ll come back again to completely catch all of the prize fish. 

The Area’s Climate and Weather

As any experienced angler would tell you, a successful fishing trip depends greatly on the fishing spot’s weather and the season when you come to the area. Fish are cold-blooded animals, so they prefer warmer waters as they can move around more freely there. This doesn’t mean that there’s no fish on colder waters, quite the contrary, as ice fishing exists for a reason, you know. It’s just more difficult to catch fish on colder waters as they’re not as active during winter, as well as sticking on the deeper parts of the water to remain warm. A good fishing spot must not have unpredictable weather as it can ruin your trip easily, nor does it have long periods of extreme warmth or cold, as the number of fish, as well as the times you can catch them, will vary greatly. 

Half an Angler’s Life is Looking for a Fishing Spot

Now that you know what guides consider when picking fishing spots, you too can see for yourself whether or not your favorite fishing spot is good or not. By knowing what to look for, we hope you can make better decisions on where you want to set your next fishing trip will be. And as always, be on the lookout for other fishing spots that could be hidden gems waiting to be discovered.