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FISHING

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A GUIDE TD

FRESH AND S

HING

MORE THAN

by

650

ILLUSTRATIONS I N FULL COLOR

GEORGE S. FICHTER

a n d PHIL FRANCIS u n d er t h e editors h i p of HERBERT S. ZIM

Illu strated

by

TOM DOLAN,

KEN MARTIN, a n d HARRY McNAUGHT

GOLDEN PRESS

•

NEW 'fORK

Western Publishing Company. Inc. Racine, Wisconsin

FOREWORD Fishing, one of man's oldest recreations, has never been more popular than it is today. With i ncreased leisure ti m e, more a n d more people are discovering the joys of this "gentle art." And sport fishing is a n a rt, thoug h some forms are far from gentle. This basic guide to sport fishing is designed to g ive the beg i n n i n g fisherman a proper sta rt and to be as well a use­ fu l a n d i nteresti ng reference to a n g l ers of long experi­ ence. It describes the pri ncipal fishes ta ken on hook and l i n e in fresh and salt waters th roug hout North America and provides information a lso about the tackle a n d techniques for catching fish. We a p p reciate g reatly the help a n d advice g iven by our many fisherman friends and m ost pa rticularly by Morrie Upperman, of Bi l l U pperman's Buckta i l s; James D. Barhydt, of E. I . du Pont de Nemours & Co.; D . C. Corkran, of the Charles F. Orvis Co.; Richard H . Davi m os, of Harri­ son I n dustries, I n c.; Charles B. Dunn, Jr., of Southern Tackle Distributors, I nc.; E. B. Maguire, of True Temper C orpora­ tion; Rona l d J. Holtz, of James Hedden's Sons; G. G. Smith, of the Enterprise Ma nufacturing Co.; and W. J. laurent, of Shakespeare Co. G.S.F. P. F. P HOTO C R ED I TS: Three lions, p . 4; A P A , p . 5; Michi g a n Tourist C o u n ci l , p . 1 30; F l o r i d a State N e w s B u reau, p p . 1 34, 1 35, 1 39, 1 49; Ed G a l l ob, p. 1 38; Bertram Yacht Div., N a utec Corp., p . 1 42 (lop); Arkansas Pub· l icity and Parks C o m m i ssion, p . 1 42 (bottom); la r ry Koller, p. 1 44 .

2

© Copyright 1965 b y Western Publishing Company, Inc. All rights re· served, including rights of reproduction and use in any form or by any means, including the making of copies by any photo process, or by any electronic or mechanical device, printed or written or oral, or recording for sound or visual repro ductio n or for use in any knowledge retrieval system or device, unless permission in writing is obtained from the copy­ right proprietor. Produced in the U.S.A. by Western Publishing Company, Inc. Published by Golden Press, New York, N.Y. Library of Congress Catalog Card Numbe" 64-8043. ISBN 0-307-24008-8

C ONT E NTS SPORT FISHING

FISHES ................. .......... Its past a n d present.

Exte r n a l a n atomy, se nses, q u a l ities o f sport fi s h . . Sa lt-water fishes . . . . . . Fresh-water fishes . . . . .

and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

6

6 12 48

NATURAL BAITS ....................

58

ARTIFI CIAL BAITS .................. .

66

F resh water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S a l t water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TACK LE AND ITS USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S p o o n s, spi n ne rs, p l ugs, flies.

58 62

74

Ha n d l ines a n d c a n e poles . . . . . . . . . . . S p i n n i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . • F l y fi s h i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B ai t cast i n g , s p i n cast i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . S u rf fi s h i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bay a n d b i g - g a m e fi s h i n g . . . . . . . . . . . Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K nots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . R i g s ...........................

78 80 84 88 92 96 98 1 00 1 06 114

Methods . . . . . . . Strea ms . . . . . . . . P o n d s, sha l l ow a n d Pi ers, b r i d g e s . . . Bays, l a g o o n s . . . S u rf . . . . . . . . . . Pa rty boats . . . . . C h a rter boats . . . Hook i n g , l a n d i n g . Cleaning . . . . . , . Tro p h i es, records . Boats . . . . . . . . ,

1 22 1 24 1 28 1 34 1 36 1 38 1 40 1 42 1 44 1 48 151 1 54

116 WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW TO FISH..... . 120 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d e e p lakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION . .... . 156 INDEX . . ......................... 157

3

SPORT FISH I NG Sport fi s h i n g-catc h i n g fish for fun-beg a n i n a n cient times. Ma n fished fi rst for food, of course, then made a sport of it. Primitive m a n used a gorge, fore r u n n e r of to­ day's fishhook. It consisted of a piece of bone, wood, or shel l sha rpened at both ends. A line was tied to its center, and the gorge was hidden in a bait. When a fish swa l­ lowed t h e morsel, the line was pulled tight, lod g i n g the gorge crosswise i n the fish's gullet. Ba rbed hooks a re mentioned i n the Bible, a nd the Red Hackle, an a rtificial fl y fi rst descri bed by th e Romans, is sti l l used to this day. By 1 496, when Dame Jul i a n a Ber­ n ers, a Benedicti n e nun, published "The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth a n Angle" in The Book of St. Albans, fi s h i n g had definitely become a sport. 4

Then came lzaak Wa lton, patron saint of modern fishing, w h ose classic book, The Compleat Angler, fi rst ap­ pea red i n 1 653. A truly conte m plative a n gler, lzaak Wa l­ ton enjoyed a day by the stream as m uch as the catc h . His descriptions o f t h e a rt o f fish i n g a re sti l l i nspiri n g . Approxi mately 2 5 m i l lion fishing licenses a re sold a n ­ n u a l l y i n the U nited States, a n d a n esti mated 1 5 m i l lion additiona l a n g l ers fish w here licenses a re not required, a s i n m ost salt-water fishing a reas. Every yea r a n g lers take some 500 m illion pounds of fish from fresh waters and a bout 600 m i l lion pounds from salt. Billions of d o l l a rs a re spent on this most popular participation sport. I n the U nited States, there a re some 1 00,000 la kes a nd more than a m i l lion mi les of strea ms a n d rivers for the fresh­ water fish erma n and more tha n 90,000 mi les of coa stli n e on w h i c h t h e sa lt-water fisherman can try h i s l u c k . Most i m portant is the i m m easurable p leasure en joyed by each of these m i l lions of fishermen.

FISHES Fishes a re a va ried g roup of som e 40,000 species, most of which have skeletons of bone. The few hund red species of sha rks, rays, a n d l a m p reys have skeletons of ca rti lage. Most bony fishes are covered with overlapping sca les over which there i s a thin skin that secretes a coati ng of slime. This aids the fish in slipping th roug h the water and protects it from pa rasites. A fish's age can be dete r m i n ed by counti n g t h e rings on its sca les. The typica l fish has two sets of pai red fins (pectora l a n d pelvic) a n d th ree un­ paired fi n s (do rsa l, anal, and cauda l ) . It swi m s m a i n ly by wagging its body from side to side and uses its fi n s for steeri n g . A fish breathes by a lternately openi n g its m outh to let i n water, then shutti ng its mouth and forci ng the water ba c k over its g i l l s a n d out the gill openings. As the water passes over the gill fi la m e nts, dissolved oxygen is excha nged for carbon d ioxide. Deta i l of Sca l e

PARTS OF A FISH latera l l i n e

YELLOW PERCH

6

A fish's shape is a c l ue to where it lives, how it feeds a n d the sort of fight it puts u p when hooked. Fish of the open sea genera l ly have a spi nd le-shaped body. They depend on speed to esca pe enemies and to catch food. They fight h a rd. Many kinds leap from the water as they try to get rid of the hook. Ma rlins, tunas a n d ma ckerels a re among these fast, strea m li ned fish. At the opposite extreme a re flat or c h u n ky bottom-dwel lers. Usua l ly slow swim mers, they do not j u m p w h e n hooked, b u t m a y p u l l h a rd as they bore deeper i nto the water. Some wi l l saw the line i n two on p i l i n g s or rocks. Many fish that live i n q uiet waters between the surfa ce and the bottom have a compressed body-flattened from side to side. Mem bers of the sunfish fa m i ly i n fresh water or pompanos, among others, i n sa lt water a re of this type. Many fishes a re protected from enemies by sharp spines or spiny fi n s, some of which a re poisonous. A puffer can inflate its body u nti l it is too l a rge for a p redator to swa l low. Groupers a n d flounders a re a m o n g the fish that can change their color or pattern so that they blend with their surro u n d i ngs.

OPEN WATER

C u tthroat T rout

F l a thea d C a tfish

7

SENSES

•

Fish detect danger and find their food by

their senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste. Generally fish with a well-developed sense of sight are predators; they eat smaller fish or other live, active animals. Their sense of smell is not so well developed as it is in bottom feeders, many of which are scavengers.

SIGHT

eyes a re at th e it c a n see behi n d a s well a s i n fro n t . Experime nts h a v e d e m o n strated that many fosh can d etect even s l i g h t variations i n form and that t h ey can see colors r a n g i n g over the spectr u m from red to violet. F resh-water bass, for exa m p l e, often show str o n g p refe rence for l u res that are red o r y e l l ow. A fosh c a n focus on n e a r o bjects s i des of

•

A f i sh's

i t s h ea d ; h e n ce

a n d c a n d etect e v e n s l i g h t m ove­ m e nts in d i stant o b j ects. Distance vision is l i m ited by the short range l ig h t trave l s i n water. Fish that live at moderate depths or those that feed i n dim eve n i n g o r m o r n i n g l i g h t m a y h a v e l a rg e eyes. F is h t h a t fo n d t h e i r food m a i n l y by its o d o r, a s d o catfosh and eels, have s m a l l eyes. F is h that f e e d ma in ly b y s i g h t readily take a rtifocial l u res ( p . 66).

Left Eye On l y

R i g h t Eye,Only Light rays bend i n passi n g from water to a i r; hence fish's exact location varie� with observer's view i n g a n g l e .

8

A fish looks from the water throug h a c i rcu l a r w i n d o w, which varies in size with the cla rity of the water a n d the fish's depth.

current of water

HEARING

o l factory n e rve (sense of smel l )

• Vibrations travel more rapid l y and a l so g reater d istances in water t h a n i n air. lures that g u rg l e , pop, o. r rattle ollrocl a fish's attention; they con be "heard" without b e i n g seen a n d o r e effective of n i g ht or in m u rky water where sile n t l u res p a s s u n n oticed. Fish d o not h e a r fishermen t a l k i n g beca use these sound waves a re i n the air, b u t bo n g i n g o n a boot sets up vibrations i n the water that may frighten fi s h away. A fish picks up vibrati o n s through the ear bones i n its s k u l l ; it has n o ex­ t e r n a l ea r o p e n i n g s . Its lateral l i ne, with p o res opening to the o u tside, d e tects low-freq u e n c y vibrations, such a s footstep s o n the b o n k, a n d c h a n g e s i n pres­ s u r e or c u rrent d i recti o n .

SMELL

AND TASTE o re closely related, b u t s m e l l is effec­ tive a t a dista nce, w h i l e on ob­ ject m ust be contacted to be tasted . A fish 's nostrils ore b l i n d s a c s l i n e d w i t h a tissue t h a t i s sen sitive to odors. At spawning time, salm o n fi n d their way from the sea to their parental stream by the o d o r of its water. They con be g u ided to a new s p a w n ­ i n g a re a by o n o d o r path of t h e o l d strea m . Odors g iven off by a l a rmed o r i n j u re d m i n n ows at­ tract predators. Thus, a boss may seek a wou nd e d (hooked) min­ now used for ba it. Toste o r g a n s o n the whiskers o r b a rbels h e l p catfish, d r u ms, a n d o t h e r s fo n d food . Nat u r a l b a its, especially those with a str o n g o d o r (p. 58). work best for these fish.

l o n g itud i n a l Sectio n

line

9

SPORT

Brown Tro u t

l a r g e m o u t h Bass

B l uegi l l

10

FISH

Any fish that is fun to catch on hook a n d line qua lifies as a sport fish. Opinions va ry a bout which fish a re the m ost game, h owever. A 1 4inch Sma l l m outh Bass, a prize catch to a Midwest fisherm a n , might be scorned by a F lorida fisherman ac­ customed to battling Tarpon or a Ca lifornia fisherman w h o catches Albacore. Most fishermen ag ree that sa lt-water fish show m o re speed, strength, and sta m i n a than d o fresh­ water fish. Gameness va ries, too, with ha bi­ tat and climate. La rgemouth Bass ca ught in cool northern la kes often fight harder than Largemouths of the same size from warm southern lakes. Wa l leyes taken from rivers battle much h a rder tha n do Wall­ eyes from la kes. But extra size may m a ke up for the differen ce, as Largemouth Bass g row larger i n the South a nd Wa l leyes livi ng i n la kes g row larger than those i n strea ms. The gameness a fish shows de­ pends a lso on the kind of tackle used. A qua rter-pound B luegil l hau led i n on a 20-pound test l i n e puts up no fight at a l l , w h i l e the sa me fish caught on a l i m be r fly rod and fine leader is a rea l battler.

Most fish, i n fact, fight gamely when ca ught on lig ht enough ta ckle. light tackle puts more zest in a sa lt-water fish's fig ht, too, and rea l ly la rge-size battlers can be bested with light tackle if it is used properly. The fighti ng chance light tackle gives the fish ma kes fishing more fun. Fish norm a l ly swi m a bout as fast as a m a n wa l ks. But when hooked, some fish litera l l y burn the line from a reel . Marlin and sai lfish may reach speeds of 60 mi les an hour in short bursts. Tarpon ca n rip off line at 30 mi les a n hour, and even sma l l g a m e fish, i n c l uding fresh-water trout and bass, have been clocked at 20 mi les an hour. The h a rder a n d faster a fish fig hts the m o r e exciti ng it is to catch, as a ny vetera n fisher­ man wi l l testify. The pri n cipa l sport fish of fresh and sa lt waters i n North America are described a n d i l l ustrated on the fo l lowing pages. I n c l uded with the sport fish a re some of the common roug h a n d pest species that provide sport or fun si m p ly beca use they are ca ught so a bu nda ntly. The com m o n names u s e d are those recom mended by the Outdoor Writers Association of America ; the scientific names a re those adopted by the American Fisheries Society.

Striped Bass

Ta rpon

C roaker

ll

SALT-WATER

WHERE AND WHEN

HOW AND WHY

TARPON r a n g e over the coasta l waters of the Gulf of Mexico a n d i n t h e Atl a ntic north t o Virg i n i a a n d a s f a r s o u t h a s B r a z i l . I n­ shore fish, they often a scend riv­ ers to fresh water. They are per­ m a nent residents i n the Florida Keys and 1 0,000 Isla n d s . In U.S. waters they are m ost a b u n d a n t i n s p r i n g a n d s u m m e r, m i g rati n g n o rthward i n s p r i n g .

Trol ling, d rifti ng, a n d stil l fish­ i n g are best methods for big Ta rpon. Smaller fish a re taken by s p i n n i n g , bait casti n g , o r fly fishing. Noct u r n a l feeders, they are caught m ost readily at n i g ht. Favored n a t u r a l baits a re l ive cra bs, p i nfish, pigfish, a n d m ul­ let. C u t mullet o r bon ito are a l so good, as a re jigs, plugs, spoons, and flies.

BONEFIS H are fou n d on t h e fl a t s bordering w a r m seas t h e world over. I n the continental U.S. they r a rely occ u r north of Biscayne Bay o n the Atla ntic or the 1 0,000 I s l a n d s on the Gulf. They a re plentiful the yea r r o u n d i n the F l o r i d a Keys a n d the Ba­ ha mas. Most active on the rising tide, they feed n ig ht and day.

Ba iting an area with c o n c h c h u m , then sti l l fishing i s classic fi s h i n g m e t h o d . More p o p u l a r is sta l k­ i n g the fish by pol i n g or wad i n g a cross flats. Best n a tu ral baits are s h r i m p, hermit crabs, a n d conch. Effective l u res a re p o rk c h u n ks, bucktai l j i g s, worm j i gs , a n d f l i es. Sp i n n i n g g e a r i s best; fly tac k l e i s more s porti n g .

LADYFISH a re fou n d i n the i n ­ s h o r e waters of tropical s e a s t h e w o r l d over . T h e y a re p l entiful i n t h e Gulf of Mexico a n d range n o rthward i n s u m m e r to the C a r­ o l i n a s in the Atl a n tic. Ladyfish are active a l l yea r i n souther n Florida, feed i n g d a y a nd n i g ht. They are caught a r o u n d i n lets a n d over deep flats.

C a sting small b uckta i l s with s p i n ­ n i n g t a c k l e is the best way t o c a t c h Ladyfish . Best n a t u r a l b a i t is l ive shri m p, but t h e y a l so t a ke cut m u l let a n d l ive m i n n ows. Stream e r fl ies, s m a l l s u rface p l u g s, and spoo n s ore good a t times. Whatever the l u re, it should be fished behind a heavy nylon or l i g h t wire lead