10 Saltwater Fishing Tips

These ten saltwater fishing tips are sure to help you have a good day out on the water.  These will help you to, hopefully, increase your catch and stay safe.  And if the fish just aren't biting, let's hope you brought a fully stocked cooler.

1. Know what you're fishing for.  It's good to know what kind of fish you're fishing for and what can be caught in the water near you. That will determine the bait, gear and area you're going to be saltwater fishing. 
2. Know the laws.  Fishing laws are constantly changing, especially saltwater fishing laws. You'll need to know the size and amount of a particular fish that you can keep.  Some have length limits, quantity limits, or both. Some fish are also banned certain times of the year. Also consider other laws, such as fishing licensing, marine vehicle and maritime laws.
3. Have the appropriate bait.  Different saltwater fish eat different things. Make sure you have the appropriate bait for the type of fish you want to catch.  There's store-bought live bait, dead bait, chum, lures or you could catch your own live bait.
4. Have the right fishing gear.  You don't want to pull a big grouper up off a reef on a spinning rod. So make sure you have the right gear when you go out saltwater fishing. Make sure you have the right rods, hooks, lures, a gaff and other gear such as down riggers or outriggers if you want them. There are also other miscellaneous necessities, such as knives, rags, etc.
5. Know the waters.  It's important to know where the fish are. You'll want to know good spots to catch the kind of fish that you want to catch. It's also a good idea to have GPS on your boat, especially if you'll be heading far out. This will help with navigation.
6. Have a good fishing boat.  Not every boat is made for saltwater fishing. Although, most every boat could be fished from. If you want to head out to a spot far out, then you'll want a big enough, fast enough boat to get you there and back. It's also beneficial to have a boat with a live well for bait and room for coolers for the food and for the fish.
7. Have enough food and drink aboard.  It would be really awful to be 40 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico and run out of food, water, or worse yet... beer. So make sure you have sufficient quantities of all.
8. Rig the poles before you leave.  It can save you a lot of time to rig the poles the night, or several nights, before your saltwater fishing trip. It's also much more difficult to tie knots on a rocking boat than on the solid earth.
9. Keep the deck clean.  Fish flop around and throw blood all over the deck, and drink cans and towels can get thrown on the deck, but it will help to keep things clean. If someone is fighting a big fish and needs to navigate around the deck it would be really bad for them to be tripping or slipping over stuff on the boat.
10. Keep safety in mind.  Fishing can be a dangerous sport. There are a lot of sharp objects involved in fishing from hooks, to the gaff, to knives, to barracuda teeth.  It's always good to keep safety in mind. Keep a good first-aid kit on board and make sure all electronics, such as the radio, are working properly.