The change may come in the form of a simple egg cure -- for example, offering fish a red borax-based cure rather than a hot-orange sodium sulfite-based cure. Then again, bait changes can be more complex. Two of the most effective I’ve seen while fishing for salmon involved starting with eggs, and moving to shrimp and sardines.

In both cases, the eggs were kept on, just downsized to make room for a full sand shrimp to be threaded on the hook. The same was true for the sardine, which was cut in a small chunk and slid over the tip of the hook and left to hang in the bend of the hook.

For me, both of these change-ups have proven very effective over the years, in a variety of rivers. In fact, they’ve been so successful that in my mind, there’s no question that if I hadn’t changed the bait, I wouldn’t have caught the fish.

There are other times when you may want to switch out of baits altogether. Maybe eggs or shrimp by themselves aren’t getting the job done. Go to a prawn. Perhaps a plug-cut herring isn’t working as you’d planned. Troll a strip or a fillet.

Changing bait is one of the few elements we have control over. Make a change when the bite’s slow. Do all you can to turn things on.

But sometimes changing the bait isn’t good enough. Often a change may need to take place in pieces. If a bait change didn’t work, try something else -- maybe a longer or shorter leader, more weight. But keep in mind that one of the most basic changes that really can make a difference is a drift-bobber.

First, you have to know what drift-bobbers do.

Drift-bobbers come in many designs, sizes and colors. They add color, movement and shape to baits. Some also add buoyancy. Some have wings. Some are round. Some are painted, others metallic. Their variations are many, and they work when fished with bait as well as fished alone.

Once you know what you want to accomplish by changing drift-bobbers, then you can experiment away. Perhaps the water is off-color? In this case, maybe go to a winged drift-bobber. A Flashing and Spinning Cheater or Spin-N-Glo will get the job done. Maybe upsizing a corky or going to a different-colored presentation is what it takes. Could it be you want more lift on your bait to target semi-suspended salmon? Then try a larger drift-bobber to elevate that bait in the water column.

Change can be a good thing, and you never know what will work unless you try. Invest in a wide range of drift-bobbers in colors, sizes and shapes. Using them, you will likely find that some colors and styles work better on one particular river than others. It’s an interesting facet of the sport, and one worth delving into.

NO 3: NEVER TOUCH THE BAIT
One of the most repulsive smells to fish, in theory, comes from humans. The oils on your hands appears to have a repelling effect on fish, and the more effort that you can take to prevent the spread of these odors, the more fish you’ll catch.