This has been said ad nauseum, but this is ALL you need to maximize your chances of winning:
-water walk pots for passing over rivers swiftly AND positioning yourself so that you can clearly see the node without too much glare effect on it
-epic ground mount
-fish tracking
-set your hearthstone to Booty Bay
Most people try to circumvent the coast looking for nodes. Don't be afraid to go "backwards" if you hit a dry area, they respawn faster than you might think. That's why fish tracking is so useful. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the node you just fished up will respawn. If you don't have fish tracking you likely won't notice.
There are various items that increase your mount speed *ever so slightly* but IMO they aren't worth the trouble, or sacrificing another slot to your fishing set - especially if you're on a PVP server.
I chose the trinket, of course. :)
