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On Donner, Blitzen, Dancer and Prancer. On bunkers, pogies, croakers, shrimp and squid. Saint Nick has his storied team of locals to guide him; but who's got our backs when we're lost?

On those occasions –– when my fishing is mired in a slump –– I've found a road trip to the local bait shop typically steers me out of my nose dive. It's here I get the inside scoop, skinny, lowdown, the 4-1-1 on what's hot and what's naught.

One of my local shops is operated by two charter captains (expert fishermen with paperwork stamped by the U.S. Coast Guard to prove it). Captains Chris and Tim are out every day, pounding the water or at the shop navigating the dry end of a dip net in the shrimp and croaker tanks. Here, they divvy up cagey advice to eager fishermen who cherish their journeymen council.

It's salty dogs like these who can slide you insider info on the what, when and where. So next time your mojo is in need of mending—seek the wisdom of the locals to dial you back in.