Fishing
Soc Clay
Become An Angler!
Soc Clay
Nearly every adult in America knows a little something about fishing. History notes that fishing was one of the earliest methods for collecting food. Primitive man learned early on how to build nets and other type fish traps from vines, and some sharp caveman-type was the first to fashion a fishing hook out of a weird-shaped bone or scratch one from a piece of wood.
Essentially, the same principals still apply to fishing all over the world. The only difference between us and our earliest ancestors is mostly glitz and glamour in the hardware category.
Pure and simple, fishing (at least the sporting variety) is defined as tying a hook-like device to the end of a line, impaling a worm, cricket, grasshopper or various other sundry edibles onto the point, dropping it into waters where fish live and pray for a bite. You know…the same thing fishermen have been doing since way back when.
Rob Reaser
Fishing is primeval. Like hunting, it is embedded in our spirit. One can’t help but thrill at the tug on the end of a line, no matter the age or gender.
Knowing the basics of fishing is like knowing the basics of math. When the root skills are understood, all the complicated stuff makes more sense.
Why fish? Well, here’s a thought: What better way to spend a warm, sunny day lounging on the lake, stream or river bank, listening to a baseball game or NASCAR race, munching on salty pretzels and tipping a cold one?
Getting Started
To fish in the traditional fashion, one needs only a pole, line and hook. A bobber, and perhaps a split-shot weight or two, also helps. Cane poles are made for this basic style of fishing, and believe me, this is the favorite fishing rig for tens of thousands of anglers across the country. A cane pole and equal length of line, a hook and bait allows you to catch all sorts of fish, from the high and mighty bass or trout to the low-down sucker. The problem with cane pole fishing is that you can quickly “fish out” the spot your bait is getting to unless you walk the banks, own a boat, like to wade or float around in an inner-tube to each “fresh” locations.
Rob Reaser
Most beginning fishermen opt for a rod and reel. The favored for many is a closed-face spin-casting reel. This reel is simple to operate, inexpensive, and when spooled with good line and matched with an appropriately sized spin-casting rod, allows the angler much more latitude in presenting live baits or lures. Closed-face reels are ideal for those just learning to cast because they manage fishing line better inside the closed spool housing. The reel is favored by those who use live or organic bait and aren’t interesting in doing a lot of precision casting. They work best when spooled with 8- or 10-pound test monofilament line.
Beginners interested in fishing with artificial lures are more apt to prefer an open-faced spinning reel. These come in various sizes depending on the fish the angler wants to target (bass, crappie, walleye, trout, saltwater, et cetera). They are easily mastered and allow the angler to deliver a lure more accurately than a closed-face reel. A little practice with a quarter-ounce casting plug helps the fishermen keep his lure out of the top of trees or other undesirable places.
Rob Reaser
Time was when the only reels available in America, other than fly fishing line holders, were baitcasting reels. In the beginning these were designed to deliver live bait to likely fish holdouts in lakes or streams. Over the years, these reels have been perfected to the point that many anglers now prefer the baitcaster to all other reels. For beginners, however, they are more difficult to cast and more expensive to buy.
Rods
- Special Web Feature:
- How To Tie Fishing Knots
Rods are relatively inexpensive. The sporting goods department of many large variety stores has several selections. There are spinning rods, spincasting rods, baitcasting rods, pitching, flipping, worm and jig rods…you name it and they have a rod specifically designed for all techniques of fishing. Good advice for beginning anglers (and experts alike) is to get acquainted with senior clerks at a local fishing tackle shop. These folks know what they’re doing and will offer neophytes the best advice for tackle issues based on what the new angler wants to use it for.
Personally, I like a six-foot, fast-action graphite rod for spinning, spincasting or baitcasting. This size allows me to easily cast hook and bobber offerings, as well as small artificial lures. When buying a new rod, it’s a good idea to have the clerk mount the reel you want to use on the rod to see how it feels. Some tackle shops have areas where you can cast a practice plug to see how the outfit will cast.
Fishing Line
Rob Reaser
Most fishing lines perform in similar fashion. I prefer clear monofilament, and rarely use anything heavier than 8-pound test with spinning gear. Twelve to 14-pound test works well on a bait-casting reel. In all instances, the line knot and the drag system on the reel is most important. An improved clinch knot is standard for tying monofilament to hooks and lures. Have your tackle clerk show you how this knot is tied. The rule for setting a reel’s drag system is keeping the drag setting just under the breaking point of the line. Again, your tackle clerk can show you how.
Artificial Lures
Rob Reaser
Don’t feel like impaling small insects and other invertebrates on a hook? No problem. There are hordes of artificial lures to choose from, but only a few basic designs. Most are made to imitate minnows, worms, crustaceans and insects. Pro bass anglers use five different artificial lure types. These include jigs, worms or other plastic lures, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and topwater baits. With this selection, anglers can fish from top to bottom. For beginners, a three-inch Mister Twister grub in white, chartreuse or dark colors threaded onto the hook of a quarter-ounce leadhead jig will attract bites from most game fish, even in saltwater. The basic rule in lure selection is to keep them small because smaller baits tend to catch more (yet smaller) fish. Here, again, your local tackle shop clerks will be able to direct you to the most popular lures for the fish you are targeting in your particular area.
Where Are The Fish?
Remember this first and foremost when fishing: All fish are terrified of wading and diving birds. That’s why fish are often found in shallow water early and late in the day, at night, on cloudy days, when the wind is blowing onto the shore, or when it’s raining. Low light or surface movements prevent these predators from above from effectively seeing fish below the surface. Because it’s easier for fish to trap food in the shallows, early and late in the day are prime feeding times, especially for game fish.
- Getting Started
- • America is filled with public fishing waters. All are managed for public fishing, including stocking fish periodically. Decide which type fishing you prefer—lake or river, game fish, catfish, panfish. Will you fish casually with rod and reel, hook, bobber and live bait? Do you want to fish for trout, bass, walleye or crappie with live bait or artificial lures?
- • Gather information concerning the type fishing you want to do. Books, magazines, the Internet and your local tackle shop offer excellent information and advice.
- • Check with your state’s fish and wildlife agency to obtain a wealth of area fishing information, plus a copy of the fishing regulations.
- • Keep it simple, and purchase inexpensive fishing tackle until you decide if the sport will be to your interest. A local tackle shop will be able to answer your questions and outfit you accordingly.
For protection, fish require the security of cover. For instance, largemouth bass and northern pike feel they are invisible in a weed bed. Crappie love a sunken tree, and many species hang out around a drop or other bottom structure (ditch, hump, rock pile…anything that breaks up their profile).
Rob Reaser
Food is a strong attraction. Largemouth bass feed mostly on baitfish, so the new bass angler should search for places where baitfish hang out. In lakes, points are ideal because current rounding the apex carry zooplankton, the principal food for baitfish. Most fish will be caught on the down-current side.
Smallmouth bass feed mostly on crawfish or hellgrammites. Look for rocks and gravel bottoms in lakes, streams and rivers where these creatures live. When fishing streams, the areas just above and below a shoal area is the best place to catch smallmouth.
Fly Fishing
Fly fishing has been around for years, but today it’s more refined. This method of sport fishing is popular with trout fishermen who enjoy fooling fish by presenting tiny artificial flies that match the hatch of various insects, which are the primary food of trout. That said, fly fishing can be productive for nearly all game fish species, and is a real blast on small ponds and calm lake coves which hold high numbers of such panfish as bluegills, sunfish and the like.
Rob Reaser
The difference between fly fishing and regular fishing with rod and reel is that fly line is weighted to carry the tiny flies to the target, rather than the weight of the lure, bait and so forth pulling the line off the reel, as is the case with the aforementioned reels. Tossing a weighted fly line around requires practice and some good advice about casting techniques. Those who want to start fly fishing are advised to join a Trout Unlimited Chapter or a local fly fishing club, where the entire subject is covered by experienced anglers.
Get Going
It’s easy to go fishing. America has more public-owned waters than any place in the world. Fishing waters in the U.S. are managed by both state and federal agencies for a wide variety of species. A tremendous amount of information about where and how to fish is available in magazines, books and on the web. New anglers are wise to bone up on the type of fishing they want to do before making the trip to the tackle shop and then on to the lake.
So…grab your gear and let’s go!