Growing up next to the Norfolk broads and by the sea I did a lot of fresh water and sea fishing when I was younger. Alas, no trout or salmon, for fresh water fishing mostly roach, rudd, bream, eel and pike. For sea fishing, whiting, flounder and dabs. Note, in normal situations you should NOT use some of these techniques in the UK as they are illegal and others require the correct permits or licenses.
When fishing one of the first areas to understand are the characteristics and behaviours of the fish you are trying to catch i.e. no point fishing in the wrong location, at the wrong time, with the wrong tackle. Fresh water fish species can be divided into three groups; predators (mostly eat other fish), pray (mostly eat plant and insects) and mixed (mostly eat fish and insects). A good indication of category is tooth size, larger teeth indicate a higher percentage of fish in its diet (although it should be noted that most species will eat small fry at some time during the year). In general there will be a lot more pray fish than predators, therefore, play the odds and target this group. Examples of predators, pray and mixed are shown in figures 7.0 – 7.2.
Figure 7.0 : Prey fish, roach (left), bream (right)
Figure 7.1 : Predator fish, perch (left), pike (right)
Figure 7.2 : Mixed fish, trout (left), eel (right)
Locating fish is half the battle when fishing, in general fish look for two things; food and shelter. Don’t select a swim with your comfort in mind give a thought to what a fish is looking for. Most fish are naturally nervous beasties preferring to have an area of cover close by e.g. overhanging tree, reed beds, water lilies, submerged obstacles etc. However, saying this on large lakes they are equally likely to be found in open water looking for food. This is particularly true during the summer when the water is warm (fish tend to be more active), shoals of young pray fish can be found in open water near the surface (float tackle 30cm deep), whereas larger fish will tend to prefer the deeper cooler water. The best way to locate fish is to look for the fish themselves e.g. visual inspection, breaking surface, taking insects, gas bubbles disturbed during feeding, fry jumping to escape predators etc. When a likely area is chosen, select an appropriate bait e.g. caterpillars or fruit (elder berries) falling into the water from an overhanging tree, slugs, worms, crickets on the river bank etc, cut to matched to the size of the fish being targeted.
One of the most common methods of fishing is hook and line, dating back to primitive times, some examples are shown in figure 7.3 (note, the highly curved wooden hook is made by steaming the wood to make it flexible, then placing it in a mould whilst it dries and cools, retaining its shape when removed). The hooks of this time tended to be made of wood or bone, with two main types; hook and gorge (toggle hook). The gorge (left, figure 7.4) is the simplest hook, cord is tied onto the middle of a sharpened stick and threaded into a bait inline with fishing cordage. When the bait is taken the line pulls tight rotating the gorge out of the bait such that it jams in the fishes mouth. The main difficulties with the gorge hook is that it is hard to bait / conceal and liable to come lose as it does not pierce the lip or mouth as the more traditional hook shape does. One of the common mistakes made when using hook and line is to not match the hook to category of fish you are fishing for. In general pray fish have small mouths designed to nibble away at slow moving food i.e. plants and insects, whereas predator fish have large mouths design to capture fast moving food i.e. other fish. As a general rule the hook should be half the size of the smallest axis of a fishes mouth (not true for gorge type hooks, these need to be at least equal to the smallest axis). Therefore, I wouldn’t go bigger than a size 16 hook for pray fish (smaller if bait is regularly lost) and a size 8 for predator fish (can go bigger for pike as this fish is mostly mouth). Remember small fish can nibble a bait off a hook without getting hooked, therefore, bait should be cut down or added to match the hook. Tips, its easier to catch four half pound roach that one two pound fish, or to put it another way small hooks can catch big fish, big hooks only catch big fish. Some examples of hand made fish hooks are shown in figures 7.4 – 7.5
Figure 7.3 : Primitive fish hooks
The simplest way to make small hooks is to use thorns, as shown in figure 7.4 (rose and blackthorn tied to nettle cordage). One of the most elegant hooks is the Thames blackthorn hook (middle of figure 7.4). No knots are required to attach this hook to the line. The looped end of the hand twisted cordage is feed over the thorn securing it surprisingly securely. An alternative design is shown in figure 7.5, using a quill to form the shank and eye. Cut the quill through the hollow section and trim down a section to form the eye. Grip the trimmed section under your nail and pull through to form a curve, then bend over a small twig and tuck into the hollow section and glue. The glue is made from two parts birch oil (or pine resin), two parts beeswax and one part charcoal, heated and mixed until the correct consistence is reached. Cut a thorn from a rose or similar bush, glue to the quill and bind. Tip, don’t try and heat the quill with a flame to help the glue flow into the joint as it burns like hair, however, you can heat the thorn to help soften the glue, to remove the inner pith of the thorn, pinch the base of the thorn and peel off the outer fibres and thorn together.
Larger hooks need to be made from a number of parts, an example is shown in figure 7.6 (Canadian trolling design I believe). Carved in two parts, one part forming the shank and bent, the other the point. In this example both parts are made from wood (Yew), although the point could also be made from bone. To simplify construction I use a little bit of glue to hold the two halves together during binding. The two halves are bound together with cordage, I have used split roots before (flat edges sit nicely on the hook), however, I find that thin string works better (could be replaced by sinew). Lay the cord alongside the point, rotate the hook until the cord crosses, then back up alongside the other size of the point and around the hook such that you get a nice fish bone pattern on the back of the hook. The easiest method is to keep the cord pulled tight and rotate the hook. Repeat until you reach the top of the bend. I now place a little glue on the shank and wind the cord around a few time before securing with a clove hitch. I also place a little glue on the base of the hook and on the clove hitch. One practical use for this size of hook would be for dead baits for pike. Using a bait needle (thin sharpened stick) the line can pass through the mouth of the bait and out of the tail such that the majority of the hook is hidden in the bait. One point to note when fishing for pike, to prevent the line from being bitten through either an extra thick leader made out of natural cordage or a couple of strands of brass wire must be used (approx 20-30cm).
Figure 7.4 : Small thorn and gorge fish hooks
Figure 7.5 : Small quill fish hooks
Figure 7.6 : Large fish hook
The normal complement to a hook and line is the rod or pole. The rod has two purposes, to increases your casting distance and as a shock absorber. The latter being the most important. If a hand-line or tethered line (staked) is used a thicker main line will be needed i.e. to prevent breakage during a fishes run and landing. The three main fishing techniques are; free-line, float and ledger, as shown in figure 7.7. The simplest is free lining (no float of weight), this minimises the resistance felt by the fish as it takes the bait. If possible use a floating bait so that you can see when the bait is taken, on still water you can use the change in angle of the line from rod tip to water as an indicator, or if a flexible rod is used, rod tip movement, alternatively hold the line between thumb and finger to feel the bite. Float rigs have two advantages they suspend the bait at the desired depth in the water (where you believe the fish are feeding) and act as an indicator (float must only have a small positive buoyancy). Normal fishing floats tend to be made from balsa or plastic tubes. As a result they can be a little fragile. The floats in figure 7.7. have been carved from wood and therefore more robust, capable of surviving in the bottom of a rucksack. The smaller floats have been weighted (galvanised wired) so that they are self righting i.e. they do not requiring additional weights to sit correctly in the water. The larger floats have been designed to match one of the large weights when long distance casts are required. To reach deeper waters a float ledger can be used (float will need adjusting on main line to match depth, use a sliding knot e.g. prusik). To place the bait on the bottom a ledger rig is used. The weight (small stone) aids casting and secures the bait to the bottom, use free-line bite indicator techniques. A variant of the traditional ledger is the paternoster rig, where the weight is not tied directly onto the main line (bottom middle figure 7.7). Here the weight is tied to the main line using a lower breaking strain line such that if the weight becomes entangled the main line and hook can be pulled free. Additional hooks can be added to this rig to allow different water depths to be fished at the same time. Tip, do not make the hook trace too long and space them such that they cant become tangled with each other. Nightlines take this technique to the limit, having multiple hooks tied at regular intervals from bottom to top. Tie this line to a stake and check morning and evening, if available replace bait to maintain scent trail in the water. Tip, be very careful when casting these lines. Figure 7.7.1 shows a number of different improvised fishing techniques taken from a Swedish Army manual. One of these is to construct a fishing pole, 3 – 4m long with the same length of line secured to its tip. When using a pole the line must be kept tight i.e. if the line is allowed to drift into the pole a lot of slack line must be taken up when striking, which can result in the hook not being set correctly. Also shown in this figure are fixed line techniques, the simplest of these is a line secured at each end to a pole hammered into the river banks, with hooks attached along its length, spaced such that the hook traces are short enough to prevent tangling. Another technique shown is to tie on, then wrap a length of line around a forked stick, trapping a loop of the free end in a notch cut into the wood with a knife. When the bait is taken the line will be pulled out, allowing the fish to take line. The advantage of this technique is that the fish will not feel the lines resistance and will be less likely to drop the bait, also this longer length of line will have an increased shock adsorbing capability. However, it will also allow the fish to entangle the line in reed beds or around underwater obstructions.
Figure 7.7 : Possible fishing techniques
Figure 7.7.1 : Improvised fishing techniques
Figure 7.8 : Fishing knots
An alternative to hook and line are fish traps, as shown in figure 7.9. This trap is made from willow, 32 dry uprights (matching, medium width, not to thin as these can snap) placed into a wooden board with a pre-drilled holes of the required diameter (could also be pushed into the ground in the required shape). Then soaked willow (one day per foot of rod) is woven in between the uprights using a Fitching weave. To start a weave select to matching rods bend over a spike such that the doubled length is the same thickness as thick end of the rod. Then twist one of the rod over (mirrored |_ _|), looping both through and around one of the uprights. Then using a twisting action move the bottom rod up and in and the top rod down and out, as shown in figure 7.9.1. When the soaked willow is not long enough to go round all 32 uprights fitch two of 16, then join the two halves with one fitching weave and secure with a short length of simple in-out weave. The initial weave uses a thumb spacing between the uprights, then an index finger and finally a little finger weaving two uprights together. At this point the uprights are too close together to weave, therefore, alternate uprights are cut out and the process is repeated. The inner funnel is made in the same manner, but at an increased taper, then joiner to the main cone with another band of fitching. If this trap is to be positioned in a fast flowing stream the funnel may not be required as the water pressure may be sufficient to hold the fish in the narrowest section. Traditionally baited with either worms, offal or fish, to catch eels, fish or crayfish.
Fish traps can also be made out of netting as shown in figure 7.9.2. This is an example of a dip net, made using the square netting technique. A triangle of netting is made to the required length, then folded in half and tied together as shown in figure 7.9.2. A final row of netting is then knitted around a hazel hoop to join them together. Tip, for the last row a mess stick is not required just hand space, remember to space the netting around the hoop as it is formed, doubled cord can be used to re-enforce the final row. Attached to a pole this net can be used to scope out or land fish. It can also be baited by tying a bait e.g. fish heads, to the inside of the bottom of the net. Weight the bottom of the net with a stone and lower into the water. Leave for a while and pull up quickly. As the bottom of the net is weighted it will stay in position whilst the sides move upwards, trapping fish or crabs eating the bait. Another alternatively is based on the thorn funnel traps described in the link. These funnel traps are either lined with backwards facing thorns or enclose the fish in a compressing tube preventing it from turning around or backing out. These traps can be baited as for the eel traps or, can be staked out in a stream and the fish driven into it. The example shown in figure 7.9.2 is made from flat netting, an initial tube of 7 meshes is expanded to 14, then 28 to form the funnel, the intent being that the fish is entangled in the narrow net tube at the base of the funnel. Below are some useful documents on fish traps I’ve found on the web (due to possible copyright conflicts these are only accessible from the local machine) :
Figure 7.9 : Fish trap
Figure 7.9.1 : Fitching weave (left), start end (right)
Figure 7.9.2 : Dip net (left), Funnel trap (right)
The final fishing method is spear fishing, simple single-point (sharpened stick), multi-point (trident), barbed-point (Leister). In general the more points the better giving you some leeway. Aim slightly below the fish to allow for refraction. The Leister spear head shown in figure 7.10, is made using an oak body (hardness), yew barbs (hardness, could also be made of bone) and ash sides (flexibility), can be easily attached to a hazel rod by making two crossed splits in one end, then bind. The head can be detachable i.e. a harpoon, secured to a length of cordage.
Below are some useful documents on fish spears I’ve found on the web (due to possible copyright conflicts these are only accessible from the local machine) :
Figure 7.10 : Leister fishing spear
Figure 7.11 : Artificial lures : plugs
An alternative to baited hook and line is the artificial lure; plug, spinner, spoon or fly. Tip, in general a baited hook and line is best e.g. worm, bread etc, as these attract the fish by vision and scent. The exception to this is in the summer when the water temperature is up, the predatory instincts of a fish to strike out are more likely to be triggered by a artificial lure. Plugs are wooden or plastic imitation fish, designed to mimic the swimming actions of a prey fish or animal. There are three basic types, floaters, floating divers and sinkers. Floaters typically don’t have a diving vane designed to simulate surface prey i.e. injured fish, vole, frog etc. Floating divers have a diving vane at the front, causing the lure to dive when retrieved i.e. the faster the line is retrieved the deeper the lure will dive. If retrieval is stopped the lure will float to the surface, mimicking the swimming action of an injured fish with swim bladder problems. The larger the angle of the diving vane relative to the main line the shallower the dive. Tip, by repeatedly speeding up and slowing down the retrieval speed you can make the lure work more water, increasing the probability of finding a fish. Sinkers have additional weight imbedded into its body (may or may not have a diving vane) to allow the lure to be fished at depth. Plugs can be easily carved from wood, some examples are shown in figure 7.11.
Figure 7.11.1 : Making a wooden plugs
To make a plug, first rough out a basic cigar shape approximately 2 - 3cm in diameter and either 5, 10 or 15cm long. The plug in figure 7.11.1 is made from a piece of pine (split out of a larger log), approximately 9cm long and 2.5cm wide. The shape is based on the Creek Chub Pikie and River Runt Spook designs, classic floating diver plugs. When the basic shape has been carved out, a slit is cut along the base of the plug using a saw and another across its mouth. These are to house the connecting wire and diving vane. The areas where the connecting loops will be positioned (front, middle and back) are enlarged to accommodate the twisted wire. The connecting wire is made of galvanised steel (easy to form) but could equally be made of brass, or stainless steel (difficult to form). The diving vane (made from flattened copper pipe) and wire are now glued into position using two part epoxy glue. Use sufficient glue to fill the saw cuts such that when sanded it will be flush with the surface. Sand initially with a course sand paper to remove knife cuts, finishing with a fine grade (be careful not to remove the protective zinc covering the wire). Then undercoat and paint. One theory when choosing colours is to contrast the plug with the water it will be used in e.g. in clear bright water use darker colours, in turbid coloured water use reflective foil, brighter colours. Finally hooks are attached using split rings. Tip, to achieve the desired swimming action (wobble) extra weight can be imbedded in the plug by drilling holes at key points (normally in the base at the front, be careful not to drill into the wire) and fill with melted lead or solder, then cap with epoxy. Alternatively, the size, angle and shape of the diving vane can be adjusted. Achieving a good swimming action is not an exact science, what your looking to create is an unstable system i.e. something that moves in the water, wobbling, twitching, darting from side to side. This has a lot to do with the shape of the plug, the buoyancy of the wood and the weight and angle of the diving vane. In addition to this each plug will require slightly different retrieval speeds to get the best performance (even plugs with a poor action can be enhanced by varying the speed and angle of retrieval). Note, a 15 – 30cm wire trace must be used when fishing for pike to stop the fish biting through the line. For small medium size fish, a 10lb breaking strain will do, 1 or 2 strand of brass wire, higher breaking strains will be required for large fish, different techniques.
Figure 7.11.2 : Alternative wooden plug design
Spinners and spoons don’t try to imitate a prey fish or animal directly but to replicate the vibrations they make in the water. Spoons can be easily made by sawing off the handle from a teaspoon, drilling holes top and bottom and attaching a hook using a split ring (figure 7.11.3 middle). Alternatively a brass or stainless steel wire is passed through these holes and small fins soldered on or cut / formed out of the spoon to make a Colorado spoon (figure 7.11.3 left). The teaspoons handle can also be made into a bar spinner by bending it into a shallow ‘S’ shape, again attaching a hook using a split ring (figure 7.11.3 middle). The final method of making a spoon is to hammer one out of sheet metal. The sheet metal is cut to size, an oval shape, typically 5 – 10cm long (can be larger). Then using a ball point hammer start in the middle and gently hammer out to the edge to form the concave spoon shape. This process can be made easier by carving a depression of the required size and shape into a block of wood and then forming the metal in this mould. Spinners are best bought as the moving parts involved are difficult to make. Some variations I’ve had good results with are double spinners and spinner/plug combinations. One spinner that is easy to construct is a mackerel spinner. This has the same basic construction as a Colorado spoon, except that its main body is made from a flat triangle of plate metal and tubing i.e. brass, copper or steel (figure 7.11.3 second left). The sheet metal is cut to size, a long thin heart shape, typically 2 – 6cm long. The vanes are then curved to generate the spinning motion when retrieved and the tube soldered in place. A brass wire is placed through the tube and connecting loops formed, a bread is normally placed at the bottom to prevent the vanes jamming on the lower loop. Contrasting colours are painted onto the top and bottom faces i.e. silver and brown, to produce a flashing action when retrieved, however, when retrieved at speed you cant really see this. Tip, when using spoons and spinners use swivels to prevent the hook trace and main line becoming twisted.
Figure 7.11.3 : Spinners and spoons
The finally category of artificial lures are Jellies, Jigs, feathers and flies as shown in figure 7.12 – 7.12.2. Jellies are a relatively new addition, made of a soft plastic giving the lure a more realistic feel and action (figure 7.12 right). The down side to this is that they are more prone to bite damage. Feathers have long been used in the construction of lures, giving a very flowing, streamlined action when in the water. Mackerel feathers were traditional made from the hackle feathers of a chicken (small, long thin feathers) 2 - 4 tied near the eye of a hook. Modern alternatives tend to be made of plastic foil (figure 7.12 top left), I have also seen them made from aluminium foil, insulation and duct tape. A number of these feather are tied to a main line at regular intervals using standoff knots and a short hook trace. Flies come in a large number of different types and sizes from streamers and pike flies shown in figures 7.12 and 7.12.1 to smaller wet and dry flies shown in figure 7.12.2. I have used dry flies a couple of times when on holiday with success, using a length of button cotton and a simple pole. Cut a sapling 1 - 2m long, about as thick as you finger at the base and attach a length of button cotton (strong cotton, almost impossible to snap with your hands) to the tip, the same length as the pole (use a dark colour cotton if possible, good idea to continue the cord down to the base just in case the tip snaps). Tie the fly to the cotton and flick the fly out to where the fish have been spotted rising. This is relatively easy to do as the cotton takes in water giving it a little weight. Using this rig I’ve caught dace and bleak.
Figure 7.12 : Jellies, Jigs, feathers and flies
Figure 7.12.1 : Variations on the basic fly design
Figure 7.12.2 : Dry flies
An alternative to rod and reel is the hand line. This is well suited for backpacking owing to its small size and robustness, some examples are shown in figure 7.13. The line is secured to and wrapped around a spool, either specifically designed for the job or an improvised item such as a can or bottle. To cast the hand line hold the spool in one hand and point it in the direction of the target, gently holding a finger again the line to prevent it un-spooling. Then in the other hand hold the line about 50cm from the bait or lure. Swing the lure in an under arm (by your side) circular motion, realising when the lure is pointing in the desired direction. When you realise the lure move the finger resting on the line away from the spool to allow the line to peels off the spool with as little friction as possible. Replacing it to slow down or stop the line. To retrieve the lure, simply hold the spool steady and wrap the line around it. The main disadvantage of the hand line is that you don’t have the shock absorbing effect of the rod, as a result a higher breaking strain line should be used e.g. 10lbs+. This problem is particularly problematic when hooking and playing a fish i.e. you don’t want to pull the hook out of the fishes mouth, and you need to let out line allowing a fish to run to avoid breaking the line (use finger pressure again to control the line as it is feed out).
Figure 7.13 : Hand lines
Figure 7.13 : Flounder and Dab
Figure 7.14 : Mackerel and Whiting
Sea fishing has a lot of similarities with fresh water fishing but a there are a couple of major differences. The first of these is distance, unlike freshwater fishing were you can catch fish just a few metres from the bank, when shoring fishing you need to get the bait beyond the breakers. Therefore, casting distance is substantially increased. One trick to overcome this problem is to stake out a long line at low tied i.e. a strong main line secured at each end to a stake driven well into the sand, with baited hooks at regular intervals. However, unless you have a good rod it will be impossible to cast the required distance. As a result you have a limited range of fish that can targeted. The most common fish that come close inshore are flounders, dabs, mackerel and whiting, as shown in figures 7.13 – 7.14, using a running ledger or multiple hook paternoster rig. Dabs can be found on smooth sandy ground, mud or fine shingle but not rocks. Flounders are distributed all around the coast where the ground is clear of rocks, particularly in muddy and brackish waters found in estuaries. A common method for attracting flatfish is to use a small spoon or bright beads just above the bait as shown in figure 7.16. Mackerel come inshore during the summer and early autumn preferring warm, clear water, can be caught using small spinners. Whiting can be found on all types of ground from rocky edges to smooth sand but not in brackish estuaries, preferring colder water.
To improve casting distance when a rod and reel are not available a casting stick can be used (not sure of its original name, but was a technique used on the east coast), as shown in figure 7.14.1. What you need is a stick the length and thickness of a broom handle, approximately 1.5m long and 2.5cm wide (can be longer). The top is thinned down a little and a ‘V’ notch cut. This notch holds a cross bar secured to the main line when casting (clove hitch). The bar needs to be quite strong so should be split out of a suitable piece of wood. Also significant loading will be placed on the line at this point, so a strong leader must be used e.g. a couple of metres of paracord. At the end of this cord tie a suitably sized stone, 2 – 4oz (can be heavier up to 8oz), one with a natural hole is best (more common than you would think) or tie on using a bag. Lay out the main line down the beach in a ‘Z’ shape with the spool pointing in the direction of the cast tethered to a good stake. Note, make sure you have more line laid out than the cast requires as if the line is pulled tight during the cast there is a high probability that it will snap. Finally holding the stick in both hands, use a twisting motion about your waste, pulling in with the bottom arm and pushing out with the top arm to cast out the bait. When using a proper sea fishing rod bite detection is achieved by looking at the rod’s tip, very difficult i.e. differentiating a bite from the normal rod tip movement caused by waves. Therefore, I just pull in the line every 15 – 20 minutes, check the bait to see if its still securely attached and recast.
Figure 7.14.1 : Casting stick
Figure 7.15 : Sea fishing hooks
Figure 7.16 : Flat fish hook traces
The second difference is hook size. When sea fishing you need a larger hook than for fresh water fishing i.e. you are targeting larger fish therefore you need larger baits, as shown in figure 7.15. This is because the sea supports a larger ecosystem than that found in a section of river or lake, allowing a greater number of larger fish to inhabit any given area, increasing the probability of their capture, compared to freshwater fish of an equivalent size i.e. these freshwater fish would be classified as rare specimen fish. For large whiting choose a hook with a 15 – 20mm gape i.e. a size 2/0 – 6/0 hook. For smaller fish such as flatfish, eels and any fish under about 4 pounds require a gape between 5 – 15mm i.e. a size 4 – 2/0 hook. The best baits to use are rag and lug worms, however, these can be difficult to find. The most commonly available baits that can be found on most beaches are shellfish e.g. mussels, razorfish, limpets, cockles etc. Mussels can be found on most sea defences e.g. groynes, open and thread 2 – 4 mussels onto the hook, as this is a soft bait, they need to be secured to the hook with a few turns of cotton, tied off at the eye. Other baits include small strips of fish, peeler crabs (crabs that have shed their shells), these can sometimes be found buried in the soft sand around groynes.
Figure 7.17 : Easily found bait
Figure 7.17 : Crabs, prawns and shrimps
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