Fish basically care about four things: Cover to hide and ambush, a clear access to deep water to flee, food and mating.

Once you frame your fishing tactics on those, catching fish every time is almost a given; here are some other tips.

Set Multiple Fishing Lines

One way to fish in an emergency is to tie a line with a baited hook, and attach it to a low lying branch over a stream, lake, or pond.

If you set 20 lines and hang each line from a different tree branch, you have a lot more chances of actually catching a fish.

That would be like having 20 fishing poles going at once. Odds are one of these baited hooks is going to catch a fish.

Identify the Best Location to Fish

So you're standing next to a pond or lake. Look for grass, weeds, even lily pads growing alongside the water's edge and in the water. Fish such as bass and walleye and even salmon (depending on where you're at) like to stay in cover (grass and weeds are considered cover). Hiding in cover gives several species of fish an instinctive feeling of security.

In recreational fishing, this causes problems for a lot of anglers. The grasses and weeds are likely where you're going to get snagged, where you now have to cut your line loose and then have to re-tie and bait another hook.

Fishing from Tree Branches

To avoid the hassle and time of pole fishing in cover, realize that an overhead tree branch can provide a great way to fish in cover, with a lot less chances of getting snagged. You don't need a fishing pole for this.

Tie your line to a branch over the water, water that's a few feet deep, near cover (grass and weeds, fallen trees, etc), and let your baited hook settle in. Depending on the water's depth, set your line 5-6 feet from a swivel (a swivel allows a fishing line natural movement in the water), with a bullet weight or other weight tied above the swivel.

Tie as many as 20 or more of these along the shoreline, and now simply watch from the bank for any tree branches to start moving, signaling that you've caught a fish. Be ready to wait for a few hours, if that's what it takes to get a bite.

Not sure what a swivel is? Not sure what a leader or bullet-weight are? Don't know how to properly tie a hook? I encourage you to visit your nearest fishing supply store and get yourself a quick demo from one of the staff on hand and then simply practice your ties at home. It's not difficult to get this down.

Finding Natural Bait

Like live worms, the land around you provides an assortment of possible bait. Even in an urban environment. From Night crawlers, grubs, and maggots, to grasshoppers, ants, mayflies, midges, centipedes, millipedes, caterpillars, craw dads/crayfish, aquatic snails, and even bees and beetles. Again, just depends on where you're at and what it's possible to catch in the stream or lake you're fishing in.

If one kind of natural bait isn't working, try another kind. Better yet, since this is an emergency and part of your strategy will be multiple fishing lines (illegal in many states, but again this is an emergency and your life is on the line), use multiple types of bait: Worms, maggots, bugs, craw dads, etc. Run 10 worms on 10 hooks and then run 10 crawling bugs on 10 other hooks and finally 10 flying bugs on 10 hooks also. Vary the height in the water (run short leaders, weighted to the bottom, to fish for bottom feeding fish; let others float atop the water for fish that feed on insects and other natural bait near the top.)

If you're counting hooks, that's 30 lines you'll have in the water with the chances to catch more than one species of fish.

Do you understand now why this kind of fishing is illegal, outside of a true emergency?

Use Fish to Catch Fish

When you do catch a fish, set aside portions of that fish that you can use as bait. Several types of fish eat smaller fish, and will often bite your hook, if it has a portion of fish on the end.

Where to Fish

Spring: Spring is a great season to catch fish as many are hungry after a long winter and are now more active due to warmer water as well as laying eggs near shore. Fish along the shoreline, especially in areas of cover. Cloudy and rainy days make good days to fish.

Summer: Fish will often move to deeper, cooler waters (calling for a boat or raft to fish from, or just a long way to cast your line). Try fishing early mornings or later evening as well as river fishing, where you'll find cooler water also, and often a good place to fish. In the summer, hot temperatures over several days can have a negative effect on fishing: Water in shallow lakes, ponds and even rivers becomes to warm for too long, lowering the oxygen level in the water, causing fish to become sluggish.

Fall: Like spring, water temperatures in fall are cooler than the summer, making fish more active near the shoreline (important for people fishing from the bank). In the fall, fish will feed more aggressively than in previous weeks, as they prepare for winter, making fall a great time to fish.

Fish that Live in Cover

Fish such as bass feed near the bottom and are commonly found in cover. Bass feed throughout the day. Some can be fished with top water lures, but there's a technique to top water fishing, as well as certain conditions that should exist.

Fish Found in Open Areas

Other fish like trout can be found in open areas of water, away from cover. Sometimes predator fish like bass will come out of cover, to follow schools of trout around a lake, which they feed on. Knowing that bass feed on trout, makes trout minnows a great bait to fish for bass with.

Fish Facing into the Wind

It's been said that 99% of fish face into a wind or current; so be sure to drop your bait in front of fish, not behind them. Do this by casting into the wind (you may need to use more weight on your line, depending on the wind strength).
Windy conditions can push natural bait fish find in the water to the far shore — thus fish are drawn in the direction of the wind. That is a shoreline to fish from.

Weather Conditions Affect Fishing

A front can affect fishing as fish are driven by changes in barometric pressure. Several types of fish feed more right before a cold front, but that feeding slows or stops as that cold front hits. So, if you know a storm with cold temperatures is about to hit, that's a great time to get out and fish. After a cold front has passed, fishing can be poor, even for a couple days after.

A warm front causes surface temperatures to rise and becomes a good time to fish, as fish increase in their feeding. This is especially true in winter, when sluggish fish due to cold temperatures suddenly become a lot more active.

Cloudy days can also be good days to fish, since there's a lot less light coming down from above. Fish feel safer coming out from cover; this can mean fishing in open areas with lower risk of snagging is possible.

A light rain is also a good time to fish. Rain drops falling on the water can help conceal your presence from fish, reducing the risk of spooking fish. Rain also washes bugs and other natural bait into the water where it falls from things like brush and branches growing above the shoreline, drawing fish to these areas in search of food.

Hard rain though can be a poor time to fish; the water can become too muddy, and fish simply can't see your bait floating in the water. Also, fish can be affected by clogged gills. Heavy rain can cause river currents to pick up pace, making it difficult for fish to remain in place.

In stormy weather, beware of lightning strikes. Get away from the water.

Understanding how to maximize your ability to catch fish greatly increases your chances of being successful.

Fishing is more than just throwing bait into a body of water, waiting and hoping for the best.

For more information and tip son fishing, please visit Secrets of Survival.