Recently I was introduced to a braid-to-leader knot that’s remarkably easy to tie under any conditions. It was popularized by Lefty Kreh, and while he’s not as well known outside of the fly fishing community that doesn’t mean conventional tackle bass anglers and saltwater anglers can’t employ it.

Despite a lack of formal training, I’ve made a career out of writing about fishing – and to the extent that I’ve been able to avoid major gaffes, it’s been because there has been a lot of mentoring from other writers along the way. Here are four that I’ve received that I carry with me every day.