Going Commando with Steve Pennaz: Top 10 Fishing Tips

Steve Pennaz of Lake Commandos is all about educating his viewers on the more technical aspects of fishing. He discusses things like how to break down a body of water, how and when to fish a certain type of lure, and he’ll even give you a little insight on the best brew to pack in your cooler on any given day. OK, maybe not that last part, but whether you’re chasing anything from smallmouth to muskies, the guy knows his stuff!

Steve shared his 10 best fishing tips with us so we could share them right back to our loyal readers. Here we go!

1. When you lack confidence in a certain type of bait, fish it exclusively until you master it.
2. When in doubt on what line to fish, choose fluorocarbon. Not only is fluorocarbon nearly invisible, it stretches slower than mono and sinks, adding realism to slack line presentations.
3. Fish fast. Fish slow. There are days when fish show a definite speed preference. Pay attention to what they are saying.
4. Focus on secondary areas. With today’s mapping, the best areas of the lake are easy for anglers to find, so hit spots that fish go when pressured.
5. When fishing with others, try different colors or baits until a pattern emerges.
6. Challenge yourself to formulate a plan based on season, conditions and other factors rather than just fishing a favorite spot. Just because you have caught fish in a certain spot in the past, doesn’t mean you’ll do it again.
7. When in doubt, start shallow. Shallow fish are usually the most active in a given body of water.
8. Reaction strikes are easier to trigger than a feeding response.
9. When trolling cranks, hold the rod in your hand and make the bait pause, stop, speed up or twitch … anything to make it act like a wounded baitfish.
10. Take a kid fishing and rediscover the excitement that got you fishing in the first place.

We’ll add #11 – Follow Garmin Fish & Hunt on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you don’t miss out on more informative fishing tips from our pros!