As for the shorts it’s a lot easier for someone to commit to 30 seconds even if what they are watching isn’t wildly interesting to them. It’s a time commitment to watching a 10-20 minute video so you want it to either have very good information, very good quality, or very good entertainment value. The more of those you stack the more I would want to watch.
I think if you really want to be successful on YouTube you need to treat it like a job or business. You need to invest in equipment, and work hard to put out consistent content.
I agree with others about not acting like a professional at something then performing like an amateur. If you want to show actual trapping, then you need to be good and put out a line long enough to have content even on the slower days. Seems like a lot of the more successful channels do giveaways too. That goes back into the business mindset. You may have to “write off” whatever you’re giving away to grow your channel. The better the item the more people will want to subscribe to win.
Lastly, watch YouTube channels you like and take physical notes of what they do regularly that attracts you and other people. I listened to a podcast once where a very popular YouTube talked about getting a group of other up and coming YouTubers together on a weekly basis to discuss what was and wasn’t working for their channel. That’s dedication, time, and effort. But it is what needs to do if you want your channel to really grow in the flooded YouTube market. If you aren’t willing to put forth the time, effort, and resources then just post up the content you feel like putting up and enjoy it for what it is