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Fishing is the catching of fish, either for recreation or for commercial purposes. It usually requires a fishing rod or fishing net and various other equipment.
Fishing continues to be a favorite pastime around the world, inlcuding in the United States. In 2001, 16% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older (34 million anglers) spent an average of 16 days fishing. Freshwater fishing was the most popular type of fishing with over 28 million anglers devoting nearly 467 million angler-days to the sport.
Forms of fishing can include freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, fly fishing, and ice fishing.
Various forms of fishing tackle have been produced over the years for these types of fishing, all of which have had fair success. Fishing lures have more renditions than anything else, and continues to grow both in design and use.
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When fishing there are various things you can do to help to take care of our lakes, rivers, and other waterways so that others may enjoy these areas for years to come.
Firstly, avoid littering, bring along a trash bag or other receptacle for collecting your trash so that you can deposit it in the proper trash receptacle and use proper dumping stations instead of tossing refuse into the water.
Second, respect local laws and guidelines. Make sure that you use the correct type of bait and fishing gear permitted in that area and remember that there may also be limits on the number, size, and kind of fish that you can keep; information on such regulations is usually available by contacting the site. If you use a boat or watercraft when fishing, check to see what kinds of watercraft are allowed at the body of water where you are going to fish. Pay attention to local procedures and cautions for cleaning your watercraft after you leave the water so that you don't encourage the spread of npn-native species, such as the Zebra Mussel, to the next body of water you may visit with your boat. Don't fish in areas where it is not permitted as these areas have been declared "off limits" to fishing to protect wildlife, vegetation, or for your safety.
There are also precautions you can take while fishing. If using a boat to fish, wear your life jacket and make sure that your passengers wear theirs too. Use caution when baiting and removing hooks as sharp points can be dangerous. Do not fish on unauthorized waterways. If operating a houseboat, be careful of carbon monoxide build-up around the boat. Obey the posted speedlimits and wake warnings if using a watercraft when fishing. Consider bringing along extra safety items such as water, flashlights, maps, and a cellphone or radio.
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In the United States fish hatcheries were established in the 1800's, to enhance the number of fish in streams and lakes where native fish populations were declining due to changes in the natural environment.
"Cultured" fish were used to replace fish that were lost from natural causes (drought, flood, habitat destruction) or human influences (over-harvest, pollution, habitat loss due to development and dam construction), to establish fish populations to meet specific management needs, and to provide for the creation of new and expanded recreational fisheries opportunities.
Today, fish hatcheries also provide hope for endangered fish species as well as providing research on fish disease, habitat, and the future of fish in general. Not all fish hatcheries allow recreational fishing, so call ahead to see what activities are allowed.
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"Take Me Fishing" is an organization formed to promote the sport of fishing to our youth, by supplying quality information to parents. Their website, www.takemefishing.org, offers a wealth of data for your local waters, tackle loaner programs, boating and saftey tips, how-to's and much more.
To assist parents, they offer these worth-while details:
Involve your kids:
Keep your kids active with responsibilities before and during the event. Giving them duties makes them feel needed and appreciated. Depending upon the age, such things can be to make sure there are plenty of life jackets, or going down to the local bait shop for worms, etc.
Keep them busy:
Children get bored easily these days, so it's important to plan games or tasks while fishing. Kids are ready to learn, so take this time to teach them things about your envirement, boating termonology, saftey precautions, how to cast their pole and anything else that occurs. They'll have lots of questions, so be sure to answer them with enthusiasm.
Invite Family
Let the kids invite family and/or friends to share the fun.
The best parts of the fishing experience is simply the time spent with others.
Time
Be ready to go fishing when they want to go, but more importantly... be ready to leave when they're ready. A person can sour the experience for our youth if they try to 'force' a child to do something they don't want to.
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