Tip No 1 For coastal fishing, get a tide chart and learn how to use it. Tip No 2 Always try and get fresh bait. Catching it yourself can be fun too. Tip No 3 Use the lightest sinker you need for the job. Sometimes this will only be a very small one. Tip No 4 Become good at tying important knots. Get a good knot book, learn to tie the Locked Half Blood Knot and practice it. Tip No 5 Read as much as you can in magazines like Fishing World. There are heaps of really useful things as well as heaps of good pictures. Tip No 6 Never touch or handle a fish or creature that you can't identify. It might bite or sting. Tip No 7 Get a good fish identification book and study it. Have identification games with your friends - it's heaps of fun. Tip No 8 Always wash salt off your fishing gear, including hooks and lures, after you've finished fishing at the coast. Tip No 9 Try and have a freshwater tackle box and a saltwater tackle box. This will protect your freshwater stuff from rust at the coast. Tip No 10 When you are fishing it is ok to talk, in fact talk as loud as you like and the fish won't hear you. However, you shouldn't run close to the water's edge and never throw anything in the water while you or someone else is fishing close by. Tip No 11 When you are not using your reels, keep them in a dark place, like a draw or cloth bag. Sunlight damages fishing line very quickly.