5 fishing mistakes I still catch myself making

By Jay Valentin · Thursday, September 24, 2026

Dropped a new video last week breaking down 10 fishing mistakes I still catch myself making. Got some great feedback on it, so I figured I'd pull the top 5 in here for anyone who didn't catch it. These are the ones I see costing guys the most fish. Including me, more times than I want to admit.

1. Poor positioning

This one's sneaky because you don't know you got it wrong until the bite never comes. I've paddled up on a spot, dropped anchor, made twenty casts to nothing, and realized I was fighting the wind and current the whole time. Take a second before your first cast. Look at where the wind's pushing you, where the sun is, where the current's going. Anchor upwind so your drift takes you into the fish, not away from them.

2. Ignoring the wind

I used to hate windy days. Now they're my favorite. Wind pushes baitfish up against the windward shoreline and the bass follow them in. So when it's blowing, don't run to the calm side. That's the empty side. Fish the choppy bank. It's harder to cast but that's where they're eating.

3. Bad drag settings

This one hurt to learn. Lost a giant lake trout on Cayuga this summer because I had my drag cranked down like I was fighting a shark. (Watch me lose it here.) Rule of thumb is about a third of your line strength. Easiest way to check is pull line off the reel with your hand. Should take real effort but never lock up. If you can't pull it, a fish can't either.

4. Fishing too quickly

I'm guilty of this one constantly. You make five casts, nothing hits, brain says nothing here, keep moving. But most of the time the fish are there. They just haven't seen the right presentation yet. Try working the same stretch from three different angles before you decide it's dead water. You'll be surprised how often the bite shows up on cast 15, not cast 5.

5. Changing lures too often

When the bite dies most of us go straight to the tackle box. Try changing your presentation first. Slow the retrieve down. Add a longer pause. Fish it deeper. Most days the fish don't want a different bait. They want the same bait moved differently. Save the lure swap for when you've really tried three ways with what's already tied on.

That's 5 of the 10. If you want the rest (including the drag lesson I really wish someone had told me sooner), full video's at the bottom of this email.

Jason McGinnis

Jason dropped this bull red in the group this week with the caption "Let see those Reds!" Good fish, and a solid reminder of why number three on that list matters. Something that size decides to run and a locked-down drag is how you end up telling a story instead of holding a fish.

Caught something worth showing off? Post it in the Kayak Fishing Dads group and you might end up here next week.

10 Fishing Mistakes That Cost You Fish

The full breakdown, including the 5 I did not get to above.

Watch on YouTube →