Alternative Fishing Styles

There we were, me and my new fishingand the diameter varies. The way to use it is
apprentice at the lake. I was teaching him thesinking it at the same time you make a forward
rudiments of handling the rod and putting the baitmotion from surface-down to bottom and then
and we were trying to catch a lake trout whileup. There is a chance that you catch something
discussing everything from sports to the mostelse, but hey, some coracles are as good as fish,
effective technique to escape from boringbesides this is also the way they are caught.
clothes-shopping with our wives. I got some goodTrawling is a fishing method that involves pulling a
ideas, I must confess.fishing net throughthe water behind one or more
At some point he asked me if there were someboats. In Mexico there is a place where thenets
other fishing techniques or alternative styles. "Is itsimulate butterflies wings and fish like this. A gill
always just a fishing rod, reel, bait, and waiting innet catchesfish which try to pass through it by
sport fishing?" he asked.snagging on the gill covers. Thustrapped, the fish
Of course it is the most common way to fish butcan neither advance trough the net nor retreat.
it is not the only way to fish. In sport fishing,I find Kite Fishing very exotic. It was invented in
there are different techniques and tools for fishingChina and then learned by people in New Guinea
depending on the type of fish you want to catch.and other Pacific Islands. It is a verynon-traditional
There are even games you can play with friendsway of fishing for a newbie getting into the
or family.fishingworld. It was used by people who did not
One of Murphy's laws says that if something canhave a boat to fish, but also was very handy
be used for something else besides its original use,when fishing conditions were difficult or the fishing
someone will do it. Some techniques or methodsplaces were inaccessible or dangerous.
are more dangerous or fun than others.Ice Fishing, do I have to say more? Just get a
Before I could explain him about some fun waysline, a hook and open ahole in the ice, just don't
to fish as well as others too dangerous toput your hand in it!
practice for a starter, I don't know why it cameFish Trapping is another way for fishing. There are
to my mind a piece from the New Testamenttwo types of traps:the semi-permanent and the
that says that Jesus is reported to have said topermanent. Depending on the type of fish
his disciples: "Follow me, and I will make youyouwant to get, the traps can be several feet
fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19). Then I said thatlong to relatively short. Anexample is dam fishing
in those times, fishing with a net in a group wasby building a temporary dam in such a way
considered an honest effort to make a living. Ithatmakes it easier to catch the fish. Other types
don't know if he is a religious man, but he agreedare the tripods used in the Congo and the weir
with that idea.structures or baskets used in medieval times.
Some of you might not like the techniquesThebaskets or weir structures are built according
discussed here. Others will love them; it is a materto the fish to catch
of diversity and sportsmanship.Another "natural" way to fish, involves trained
One of the first fishing techniques we discussedanimals like cormorant,remoras and dogs.
and one I like, is HandFishing using toxins is not a healthy way for
Fishing, also known as Trout Tickling or Noodling ifcatching fish. There aresome natural toxins found
you are fishingcatfish. Noodling doesn't require anyin some plants, and the main idea is to paralyze
kind of fishing tool but your handand it is fun, justthe fish so you can easily catch it by hand. The
try it sometime. It is also possible to fishfish either dies right after suffocating or later in
lobsterswhen you are diving or "Pearl" Fishing.transport. This is not only dangerous because you
A variant of it is the Hand-Line Fishing. You justcan get poisoned too, but it is illegal.
need a line and a small piece of wood orIn my opinion, using explosives are not only
something to roll the line. I've seen this done atdangerous for you if youdon't know how to
some beaches in Mexico but, as far as I know,handle explosives, but also for the environment.
this is illegal in Kansas.Itkills by direct hit or shockwave. The worst thing
Another "ancestral" way to fish is Spear Fishing.about it is that it is not selective.
Traditional SpearAnother dangerous practice is electro-fishing. It
Fishing is restricted to shallow waters, but thesounds like a new dance,but actually is a fishing
development of the speargun has made thistechnique that involves electricity. Dependingon the
method much more efficient. Fishing can be donetype of fish, you can select the voltage (a bit of
with anordinary spear or a specialized variant suchelectricalknowledge would be good) to stun the
as an eel spear or with along or short trident. Youfish. The problem is that you canalso injure a diver
can be at a river shore or in the water withbasicand he can get really mad at you. The device is
or complete scuba equipment. A variant of this issupposed to be secure for water usage since it
"Bow Fishing"which might not be fun if you keephas a dead-man-switch in case you fall in the
losing arrows!!water.
Net Fishing is another method of sport fishing. AllSo my Padawan learner might want to get into
fishing nets aremeshes that are usually knottedother fishing techniques. And I hope he does as
by a relatively thin thread. Modern netsare usuallylong as he doesn't blow up a lake or electrocute
made of nylon, although nets made of wool or silksomeone else, after all, fishing is a gentlemen's
thread werecommon until recently and are stillsport based on honest effort.
used in certain areas. The casting net is circularHappy fishing!!!!