Fishing for beginners

Who as a small boy has not dreamt of becoming a fisherman? But angling is a sport with much to learn about. It's a pity that nowadays there are few fishing waters left which is open to the general public. Yet angling remains a worthwhile sport.

Who has not secretly laughed at an angler who is sitting for hours on end patiently "teaching his worm to swim" as the jokers say.

Anglers must have an enormous amount of patience. Usually they are very pleasant people. They aim at being too clever for the fishes in a sporting fashion, the possession of the fish being, for most anglers, only of secondary importance. Even if you do not wish to go out fishing yourself, it is a good idea to have some knowledge of the sport, if only to be able to have an interesting conversation with an angler!

An angler can only be successful if he knows something about nature. He needs to know the behavior and the habits of fishes. He must be aware that fish react quickly, that they can see the angler quicker than he sees them. While a fish cannot see as we do he can quickly spot a fly above the water and often — having become mistrustful of men — he can differentiate between bait on a line and his normal prey.

Fish habitats
All rivers can be divided into sections where specific species of fish prefer to dwell, because its conditions meet their needs. The main river zones are named after the pre-dominant resident species. The trout is a predatory fish. It feeds on insects, larvae, beetles, worms and young fish of its own and other species. The grayling resembles the trout and is often found in clear, warm streams. The barbell is a slender powerful fish, which can grow to lm (3ft 3in) long. The identifying feature of this fish is the fact that it has four thick feelers on its upper lip. The bream has a deep flattened body. It can reach a length of 65cm (2ft 1½in) and grows to a weight of 6kg (131b), and can be found in slow flowing rivers and most still waters where it lives on small animals such as freshwater mussels, small freshwater crayfish and worms.

Fishing gear
Since earliest times man has hunted for fish. We know this from illustrations of all cultures. In the Stone Age fish traps, harpoons and also nets were already in use.

Bronze fish-hooks have been employed since the 6th century. As far back as the 12th century the Chinese had rods with a reel for angling, which were made from twisted horse-hair. In the middle of the 19th century a "split-cane" rod became popular. Thin lengths of wood were glued together lengthwise, making a very flexible rod.

The rod
A modern rod consists of two or three sections so that it is easy to carry. Rods for freshwater fishing can be .9-2.1m (6-14ft) long depending on the style of angling undertaken. Most rods have light cork handles and are thinner towards the top, giving flexibility and good fishing action. In recent years fiberglass rods have been increasingly used. They rarely break and are very light, immune to moisture, and are not very expensive. The flexibility is necessary in order to cast the bait as far as possible across the water. The line rolls from a reel near the handle.

The reel
Over many years of angling, different reels have been developed. The centre-pin, a simple drum reel where the line peels off along the axis of the rod, came first but is now going out of favor. The fixed-spool reel, where the line is picked up and wrapped around a stationary spool by a bail arm, is most popular among coarse anglers and shore-casters alike.

Scientific advances have given the angler monofilament nylon lines. Extremely fine in diameter for the breaking strain, they cannot rot and have a degree of elasticity that helps the newcomer when handling the wild lunges of his first big fish! Nylon lines are virtually invisible in water and can be made to float or sink. Many new knots have been devised to tie the line to hooks and other fisherman's tackle.

Sea anglers, particularly those that seek big-game species, often use braided Dacron or Terylene lines. These are multi-thread synthetic lines with little stretch. The fly fishermen have a variety of lines that taper in one or more directions to enable the distance casting of artificial flies and lures. These fly lines are also made with floating, sinking or fast sinking characteristics.

The hook
The hook must be in correct ratio to the size of the fish and the bait in use. There are hooks of many sizes and patterns including double and triple hooks. The barbed hook is constructed in such a way that the fish is not too badly hurt and can be returned to the water, for example if it is too small. The float indicates when a fish bites and supports the bait at a given depth. The angler can change the distance between float and bait at will. The size of the float must be in ratio to the power of water flow and the size of bait and lead shot to be cast.

The float can be adjusted to the correct position by split shot which are fixed to the line above the hook. With a strong wind an antenna float is used. This float has only a slender tip protruding from the water so that the bait does not float away due to the wind. The sliding float is also a clever device. Here the line slides slowly through a tube-shaped float, offering the bait at various depths.

The bait
Fish eat what is available in nature. We can get them accustomed to a specific bait by ground baiting them with it for some days prior to fishing at a specific spot.

We make a ground bait for fish from ground cereals and bread crumbs for many shoal fish species. The bait should sink to the bottom laying a carpet of attractive morsels inevitably some will be taken downstream by the current where its arrival will encourage shoal fish to move upstream seeking the source of the feed.]

Many larvae and maggots, such as commercials, the gozzers, squatts and pinkies can be bought but can also be cultured privately and are suitable for most shoal fish. Trout love insects, pike and chub have a soft spot for dead frogs, or small fish baits. Even pieces of cheese, luncheon meat and sweet corn, straight from a tin, are appreciated by hungry fish.

Live bait, usually the food of fishes which are popular in a specific area, are also used. They are impaled live on the hook as bait.

There are a number of fresh water and sea fish that will take a "lure" or "spoon", which is a metal plate that sometimes, looks like a fish. If the line is cast and reeled in or the water moves, then the "lure" begins to work with an attractive action! The blade spinner is popular spinning bait. It has been equipped with a shiny blade which starts to turn with the movement of the water or by the retrieval of the line. There are synthetic baits made of rubber or similar material that look like a fish, a mouse or a frog. These lures should wobble in the water and so catch the eye of a pike.

Angling with an artificial fly calls for clever and sophisticated skills of angling. This is called fly fishing or game-fishing. The angler flicks his fly made of hair and feathers but with an invisible hook. The illusion for the fish is that a live insect has settled on the water. The angler uses the flexibility of the rod to cast the artificial fly a distance of many yards, precisely above the target spot, to make it settle lightly on the water's surface. If a fish takes the fly then, as with other artificial bait, the fish must be hooked, which means that the rod must be immediately lifted, tightening the line. This striking action pulls the hook into the mouth of the fish. With natural bait, one should give the fish a little more time on the strike, allowing the fish to turn with the bait to effect perfect hooking.

The equipment of the angler
Rubber boots and a rain jacket are essential for the angler. His rucksack should contain a pair of strong waterproof trousers. A pocket knife can be used for many things and a small First Aid kit with iodine is also advisable. A few spare hooks of various sizes must be taken together with a landing net and large keep net, both made with knot-less, knitted mesh that will not harm the caught fish.

Fishing license
When you come to the lakes and rivers of southern Europe, whose lakes and rivers are full of fish, you will see large groups of anglers, young and old — you could become jealous. Here angling is still free or, at least, tolerated.

In many European countries angling is only possible with an official license. In Britain an official rod license and permit is required for coarse angling in most Water Authority areas. Game-fishing requires a license in most areas for both salmon and trout, although the law varies in Scotland and Ireland. The license can be obtained from the local Water Authority and it covers fishing in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs.

Once you have chosen your locality, a fishing permit for a day, week or month can be obtained from the local owner of the water, the Angling Club or the person who has the fishing rights of the water.

The freshwater fishing season starts on 16th June and ends on 15th March. Youngsters up to 16 years of age can often buy the license at half-price.

Owing to lack of space we can only provide a short survey of this interesting sport. If you want to have more information about angling, contact other anglers, or the local angling association. There is also a large number of books on this subject as well as monthly and weekly publications which you can read.