Top 3 Sight Fishing Mistakes (That Most Fishermen Make)

Sight fishing is one of the most fun ways to catch fish.

There’s nothing like stalking the flats, seeing your target, making a perfectly placed cast, and watching them take your lure.

But it takes a lot of skill to catch fish this way.

In fact, most people are unsuccessful with sight fishing and I’ve noticed three common mistakes that they usually make.

Want to see what those mistakes are?

(And see if you’re making them, too?)

Watch the video below.

Top 3 Sight Fishing Mistakes [VIDEO]

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Here’s a breakdown of the top three mistakes anglers make when sight casting, and how to correct them:

Mistake #1: Inaccurate Casting

When casting while sight fishing, there are three factors you need to consider:

1. The wind and current
2. The direction and speed the fish are moving
3. Water clarity

If you don’t factor in the wind, your lure could land too far from the fish where they won’t see it, or on top of the fish and it’ll spook them.

And when considering the current, you want to make sure that when your lure lands in the water, the current takes it to them, not away from them.

You also need to take note of what direction and how fast the fish are moving so that you can put your lure in front of them.

And finally, you need to consider water clarity.

If the water is crystal clear, they’ll be more likely to get spooked, so you want to cast your lure about 10-15 feet from them, depending on how fast they’re moving.

If the water is murky, you can cast two or three feet from them, because they’ll be less spooky, and that’ll increase the chance they see your lure.

Mistake #2: Not fishing with your eyes open

This is a mistake that I often make.

A few weeks ago I was scanning a flat looking for redfish.

I was looking up ahead and did not even notice the school of redfish right in front of me until it was too late.

So when you’re sight fishing, make sure to always keep your eyes open and look out ahead of you, down at your feet, and from side to side.

Mistake #3: Using lures that are too heavy

When you’re sight fishing, stealth is the name of the game.

You don’t want heavy or bulky lures making a big splash in the water when they land.

This can scare the fish off.

You also don’t want your lures to sink right down to the bottom.

You want lures that will stay in the strike zone longer and slowly float to the bottom.

When sight fishing, I like to use lures from 1/16 oz up to 1/4 oz.

Conclusion

When you’re sight fishing for game fish on the flats, keep these tips in mind:

1. Cast ahead of where the fish are going, keeping water clarity, wind speed, current direction, and where and how fast the fish are moving in mind
2. Make sure to keep your eyes open in all directions (including right in front of you)
3. Use light lures that don’t make a big splash and sink right down to the bottom

Have any questions about sight fishing?

Are you guilty of these mistakes, or any others?

Let me know in the comments below!

And if you know someone who makes these mistakes, please TAG or SHARE this with them!

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