CHAPTER 2

Acquiring Know-How

In This Chapter

Easy ways to learn how to fish

What you can learn from experts

What homework assignments can provide information

In this chapter, you’ll learn a variety of ways to acquire fishing knowledge. These methods include observation, conversation, actual fishing, learning from experts, and doing a little homework. Since fishing is a lifelong learning process, the suggestions in this chapter are valid for experienced anglers as well as for novices.

Easy Ways to Learn

Throughout your fishing years, you will continue to learn about fishing as you watch other anglers, converse with other anglers, and actually do your own fishing. These three means are also good first steps to learn how to fish.

Observing

Even though angling is a participatory rather than a spectator sport, individuals can learn by watching other anglers. Such opportunities exist at local parks, public docks, boat launches, marinas, local fishing derbies, and regional tournaments. By observing anglers in action, you can see what the quality of the fishing is like in a certain area and what gear and techniques anglers are utilizing. At marinas and derbies, you can see anglers’ catches as well as the gear and lures they are using. Fishing etiquette calls for viewers to do so without crowding or being intrusive.

Conversing

Even better information can be learned by asking questions and striking up a conversation with an angler. Despite the stereotype of fishermen not sharing their knowledge, most anglers love to talk about their sport. To find out how conversant an angler is, politely ask a question and then attempt to assess whether the angler wants to talk or be left alone.

You might begin by asking, “What are you fishing for?” If you get a warm response, you might follow up with, “How has the fishing been so far this season?” If it seems appropriate to carry on the conversation, then continue to converse and acquire know-how. If you get a terse response to the original question, you might want to wish the angler luck and leave him or her alone.

Learn by Doing

You can learn a lot just by going fishing, so don’t be shy about grabbing your basic gear (rod, reel, hooks, sinkers, bobbers, worms) and heading to a near-home fishing spot. Hands-on experience is a great teacher. If other anglers are there, don’t crowd them. Instead ask, “Mind if I set up here?” or “Mind if I set up over there?” Once at the site, you can continue to learn by observing and conversing. “Do you fish any other places?” is a great conversation starter.

Learning from the Experts

Experienced anglers are all around us, and I contend that any experienced angler can teach us something we don’t know. Whenever I spend time conversing with or, better yet, fishing with a fellow angler, I learn something that increases my fishing knowledge.

Experts Surround Us

All of us have family, neighbors, friends, and coworkers who are avid anglers, and these folks are your experts. Ask them about favorite species, fishing places, good times to fish, techniques they use, lures, and equipment. Since anglers like to share their passion for the sport, you may even get an invite to join them on a future outing.

The owners and workers at local bait and tackle shops are also experts. Not only are these people fishermen themselves, but they are knowledgeable about the equipment they sell, and they are in daily contact with anglers. This contact means the folks at tackle shops have a good handle on the local fishing scene, and by becoming a purchasing customer at the store, you can have access to their knowledge. Once you have established a relationship at a bait shop, it’s appropriate to call for information such as what is happening on Lake Clear, are the crappies biting, what flies are the rainbows hitting, and is the ice safe yet on Big Bay.

Formal Learning

Among the more formal opportunities to learn from experts are fishing seminars and classes. Local media are the best sources for finding when such offerings are available. Fishing stores, sportsmen’s clubs, and sportsmen’s shows typically offer informative seminars during the year. Expert presenters include local anglers, licensed guides, professional anglers, and company representatives. Although some of the sessions may be specific or advanced, such as surface lures for largemouth bass or trolling for deepwater muskellunge, most seminars include a lot of basic information that is applicable to a variety of fishing situations.

Real Fishing

I recently stopped at Jones Outfitters, a fly-fishing shop in Lake Placid, New York, to pick up a couple of flies and strike indicators. During the short time I was there, the clerk, a knowledgeable fly fisherman, answered four different phone calls, and in each case he courteously provided the caller with information about water levels and other fishing conditions. I was impressed by the clerk’s willingness to share valuable information, and this incident illustrates what’s in store for anglers who develop a relationship with local shops.

Seminars are more common than fishing classes or courses, but classes are frequently offered by fly-fishing shops and schools or colleges as part of their adult-learning or continuing-education programs. Typical classes include learning to fly-fish, learning to fly cast, and learning to tie flies. Also, there are weekend and week-long fishing schools, where participants spend time both in the classroom and on the water. Muskellunge and fly-fishing schools are particularly popular.

Guides

Hiring a professional guide is an excellent means of acquiring fishing experience as these guides are fully licensed, have significant experience, provide quality gear, and are willing to share their knowledge and expertise. On a guided trip, you will learn where and what time of year to fish for a particular species. You will also learn what gear and techniques to use. The outing should give you the know-how and confidence to be more successful on future fishing trips on that water and other waters, for that matter. Again, don’t hesitate to ask your guide questions as he or she is likely very knowledgeable about additional species, waters, and techniques.

Doing Some Homework

Although there may be no substitute for on-the-water learning, you can glean a lot of fishing knowledge by applying those good work habits from your school days. In fact, you are actually doing such homework by reading this book, but plenty of other reading and viewing assignments lie ahead. The reading assignments include newspapers, magazines, books, and tourism brochures; television shows and CDs constitute the viewing component. The Internet offers both reading and viewing assignments.

Bad Cast

When fishing with a guide, remember that he or she is the guide and you are the client. In addition to poor fishing and lousy weather, conditions over which the guide has no control, two things upset guides. One is when the client wants to do things his or her way rather than follow the guide’s instructions, and the other is a client who consumes too much alcohol.

Newspapers and Magazines

The outdoors columns in your local and regional newspapers are prime sources for current what, where, when, and how-to fishing information in the area. Magazine possibilities include state, regional, and national publications. Although the state and regional magazines offer the most relevant information regarding places to fish and species to pursue, national magazines have plenty of how-to information. Also, there are species-specific publications, so if you are into a single species such as crappies, then a crappie magazine is the one for you.

Books and Brochures

Just as books provided a wealth of information in your history classes, books also provide a wealth of information on any conceivable topic related to fishing. You will likely be amazed by the range of available titles when you visit the local library, major bookstore, or Internet store. Tourism agencies are an overlooked source of fishing information, and since an agency’s job is to promote its area, most agencies have fishing brochures chock full of valuable information.

Television and CDs

For those who prefer to learn from viewing rather than reading, fishing shows and CDs are the way to go. Major outdoors channels offer a variety of fishing shows across North America, and local cable channels often carry local fishing shows. CDs are frequently species specific, and you can find them at fishing departments or advertised in fishing magazines.

Internet

My generation did its research in the library, but the current generation logs onto the Internet for information, and there are thousands and thousands of websites that provide fishing information. My frustration with these sites is that many of them are more interested in marketing and making money than they are in providing information to anglers. Still, if you are willing to spend some time searching, quality sites are available. For example, state fish and game departments offer visitors excellent information such as regulations, license requirements, available species, best fishing waters, public-access sites, public boat launches, marina locations, and fish stocks.

The Internet’s social networking also opens the door to acquiring fishing know-how. For those who are so inclined, socializing via the Internet opens up a world of opportunities to converse with and learn from fellow anglers.