A Guide to Fishing Techniques

It is certainly true that fishing has helped to sustain the human race since the dawn of mankind. Although fishing is not often a matter of life and death these days, it is still an important part of feeding the planet. Because fishing has always been so essential to us, it is no wonder that so many different fishing techniques have been employed to capture fish. Here is a quick guide to the main fishing techniques humans have designed to capture fish.

Hand Methods

It is sure that man was catching fish before the development of tools, and many people still catch fish by hand today. In Scotland there is an annual festival where flounder are caught by stepping on them. In the United States catfish are caught by noodling, which is simply placing the hand in a catfish hole and letting it grab on. Ocean fishing still fish by hand through free diving, which used to be known as pearling.

Tools

The first tools that man used to catch fish were spears. Many different types of spearing techniques were developed around the world. Simple poles, tridents, bow and arrows, pole spears, and harpoons have all been used for thousands of years to gather fish. Some people still use these simple spearfishing techniques today, and many have added modern explosive projection methods to increase the range and the accuracy of spears.

Nets are another tool that has been used by human for thousands of years to catch fish. There are many types of nets, but most operate on the simple principles of casting the net, letting fish swim into it and hauling it back in.

The Ultimate Fishing Tool

Line fishing was the last major development in fishing techniques, and its success is readily apparent today. Line fishing is the most popular fishing technique for recreational fisherman. The simplest way is to simply use a line and a hook, but the array of variations of line fishing is amazing.

Angling is the name for the fishing technique that uses a weight on the line. Drop-lining is the name for the technique of placing a line that is loaded with a series of hooks. Adding a rod and reel to an angling setup is the most common fishing method used by recreational fishermen. Trolling is dragging a line along the water behind a boat.

These are just some of the most popular fishing techniques. There are many, many more used around the world, and it is sure that fishing techniques will continue to develop in the future.

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