Ten New Year's Resolutions to Improve Fishing Results

1. Improve techniques: Most anglers can improve their casting with the help of video instruction, but a visit to a local casting club or enrollment in a casting program seems basic. If you can't cast, well you're limited.

2. Practice casting: AFTER you learn decent techniques, set some targets on the lawn or lake and cast to spots. We anchor hula hoops on the water, or cast lures into boxes. Note: use old line if you cast on the lawn, as grass will otherwise nick good lines.

3. Learn to triangulate or otherwise sharpen hooks and make sure all of yours are sharp.

4. Start to keep records of trips to see what works when.

5. Invest in a angler's thermometer and carry a list of temperature preferences for the species you seek.

6. Learn four or five decent knots and practice tying them.

7. Spend a day with a skilled guide to pick up his or her techniques and you can get a season's worth of knowledge for $125 to $150.

8. Check Lines: Make sure lines come to within 1/8-inch of spinning rod spools. Replace monofiliment lines when nicked or worn, or at least reverse lines.

9. Teach a child or adult to fish. It's fun and the child you teach now may be taking to you fishing in decades to come.

10. Replace catch and release of game fish with, if you like to eat fish, catch and keep of panfish and other species that aren't much effected by angling pressures. There is, after all, a mortality rate in catch and release.

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