The advent of modern telemetry methods have resulted in a vast increase in the volume of movement data being collected. What do we do with all this data, and how can we use it to answer actual questions of ecological and evolutionary interest? I argue that some studies still just ask the question: ‘did the fish cross the road?’ when in actual fact the key question is ‘why did the fish cross the road?’. The application of not-too-complex analytical techniques to telemetry data can greatly increase our understanding of the drivers and relevance of fish movement. Here, I introduce a series of mixed models, illustrated with examples, to show how greater biological insight can be garnered from the vast data archives at hand. Properly harnessing the potential of data collected in telemetry studies will greatly increase our ecological and evolutionary understanding of the causes and consequences of animal movement.