How to start a fishing channel in 2021. You need to be original, find your fishing niche, and be yourself. Remember, Youtube is a marathon, so it is important you upload quality content in order to be successful for the future. Quality over quantity is always the best way to thrive on youtube.

Is it Worth it?

100% yes. So many people will tell you, “There is too much competition”, “It is impossible to rank”, “youtube is already taken over”. No! Just no. There are so many tools especially going into 2021 that can help vastly grow your youtube channel. Do not be discouraged by all the big fishing channels out there. It is easy to over think and give up early. Just remember, youtube can be an overnight sensation, but the chances of that are very unlikely. I thought the same thing when I first started youtube but, now I have over 2300 subscribers! YES IT IS WORTH IT!

Be Yourself

This is a simple one that can be overlooked. This is an important step of how to start a fishing channel in 2021. We all change (initially) how we act in front of the camera. Sometimes it can be weird, especially if you are not comfortable on camera. You need to be able to show people who you really are, how you actually act, and how you actually talk. If you try to put on an act every time you film, people are either going to see right through that and stop watching, or you yourself will get tired of being someone you’re not.  

Your viewers need to accept you for who you are. You just need to be able to give them the real  you. If you are naturally a quiet and reserved person then be that. If you are naturally loud and get excited easy then be that. Own who you are because this will make a HUGE impact on your channel growing.

Find Your Fishing Niche

This one can be tricky. When first starting out youtube, it is difficult to find out what kind of fishing works for your channel. You need to experiment. For example when I first started, I am naturally a multi species angler. I love targeting everything depending on the seasons. The truth is, it’s hard to get a solid fan base from all that fishing. You are exposing yourself to cat fisherman, trout fisherman, bass fisherman, and whatever else. It is tough switching up content because you don’t really get the room to grow in one type of fishing.

See what videos do better for you. If you post a bass video and it gets 1000 views, and you post a trout video that gets 100 views, you may need to pay attention to that. It is very important to “niche down” on youtube. It is not nearly as easy to grow on youtube as it once was, so you need to be strategic.

Stick to an Upload Schedule

This is pretty self explanatory. The more you post, and the more consistent you are, the more youtube recommends your content to others.

Whether it’s 2 times a week, once every 2 weeks, or once a month, it will help you grow. I personally recommend at least once a week, as this will help get more content out faster, and in turn speed up channel growth. Youtube loves consistency and quality content. Just stick to your schedule and adjust as needed.  

Make Quality Content

Take time learning your editing system. May I recommend adobe premeire pro. Premeire pro is fairly simple to use and, it has some advanced options if you wish to use them. Play around with whatever you choose to use and learn it inside and out. Whether you love great B-roll shots or simply getting In front of a camera and fishing, you need to know how to edit. Simple cut and paste is fine, just make sure your audience is getting engaged. You can check to see your engagement rate in the youtube studio under “analytics” for your video.

Engagement rate is something HUGE you need to know for growing your fishing youtube channel. Always check your analytics after you post your videos to see where people are dropping off. You can then work on these parts of your content to help keep people watching.

Youtube is trying to keep people on the platform as long as possible, so if you can do that, than your content will be shown to more people. Making quality fishing content on youtube can be a challenge. In fact just fishing with a go pro or in front of a camera can be daunting. Practice being in front of the camera, experiment with different angles, and see what types of videos are your style. This will help you be original, and stand out from other fishing youtubers. There are thousands of channels out there that are the same rinse/repeat style, so change it up. This will add to your quality content.

Emulate Good Content

See what works, then emulate. Like I said before if you start getting views on your bass videos then post primarily bass content. This is just an example of course because bass fishing can be very competitive on youtube. Personally I started seeing a lot of growth in my cat fishing videos. This is now my primary form of content on my channel. As much as I would love to say go out and fish for everything and anything, you need to be specific on your audience.

Youtube is so competitive now that you need to listen to the signals your channel is giving you. Find that sweet spot and keep going with it. Jon B is known for bass, Steve Douglas is known for catfish, what are you known for? If your “fishing with corn” video takes off, then take it a step further. “fishing with corn for bass”, “cat fishing with corn”, “Using corn to catch carp”. These are just examples of what you could do with an idea that is performing well on your channel. STICK TO WHAT IS WORKING!

Don’t be Afraid to Fail

I struggled with this tip heavily in the first year of youtube. Do not be afraid to fail. I was so worried about failing on youtube, that I would post the same bland content every video. I did not take any risks, I didn’t switch it up, and because of this I missed out on so much growth. If you have an off the wall idea for your content, THEN DO IT! It is ok to mess up and fail especially when you are starting out. Do not be afraid to experiment and see what people want.

You never know, you could be sitting on the golden ticket idea to blow up your channel right now, you just haven’t tried. If your ideas fail, you don’t get a lot of views and since you’re just starting out, this will probably not have a negative effect on your audience. Just recoup and try again. If this idea of yours does take off, you will be gaining traction on youtube, and this will drastically help you grow your channel. The risk is worth the reward.

Youtube Shorts

Man I should be charging for these tips! Youtube shorts are a new youtube feature that gives small channels the potential to go viral. These videos are similar to tik toks, and can get thousands and sometimes millions of views in traffic. Shorts are great for growing new channels. They can expand your content to all kinds of people over youtube in your fishing niche. It is much easier to go viral on a youtube short than a youtube video. Experiment with small, content heavy shorts. Try to capture the attention of your audience in the first 2-3 seconds. Try and show an engaging summarized story of your fishing clip in the 59 second time frame.

Also note it does not have to be 59 seconds, it can be shorter. It is also very helpful to encourage people to subscribe after this short, otherwise people just think it’s another cool clip on the internet and keep scrolling. Direct people back to your channel for more of the same content. A call to action doesn’t hurt. Use youtube shorts as a sneak peek to the kind of content you post. People may be interested and check out more.

Have Fun With it!

FINALLY! Have fun. Youtube can easily feel like a job if you let it. Do not feel like you need to film every fishing trip. Make sure your happiness comes before anything else your doing. If you need to take a break from uploading then do it! It is better to take a knee and relax, than to try and push through with spotty content. You want to be in a good mood while filming, so you can be yourself and make good content. Don’t rush things, especially when you’re not feeling in the mood for filming. Starting a fishing channel in 2021, 22, 23 and beyond is worth it.

Good luck! Remember, don’t give up. Youtube can take time to grow on, so be patient!