Fishing Mikes

Welcome to our site, look around and then let's go fishing!

Fishing has been my past time for many years and has brought me both great pleasure and worse great frustration.  It is estimated that there are over 38 million fisherman in the United States today.  All trying hard to catch the big one.  Fishing is an ancient practice that dates back at least to the Paleolithic period which began about 40,000 years ago.

I started as a young boy learning how to tie knots on the line so it would not break and what to do if I actually caught a fish.  Many pleasurable hours were spent casting my lures in the local streams and rivers.

There are many different fishing techniques for actually catching a fish and learning to do them all is both relaxing and builds a knowledge base that can be used in other aspects of your life.  Several ways of fishing include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping.

Recreational Fishing

Recreational fishers fish for pleasure or sport, while commercial fishers fish for profit. Artisanal fishers use traditional, low-tech methods, for survival in third-world countries, and as a cultural heritage in other countries. Mostly, recreational fishers use angling methods and commercial fishers use netting methods.

One of my favorites is recreational and sport fishing which is generally fishing for pleasure or competition. Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught; typically, these prohibit the use of nets and the catching of fish with hooks not in the mouth. In addition to this many species of fish have set size restrictions and they can vary by state.  The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits or artificial lures such as spinners or 'dry flies'. The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is generally known as angling.

In angling, it is often expected or required that fish be returned to the water, catch and release. Recreational or sport fishermen may log their catches and many like to participate in fishing competitions.

Big-game fishing describes fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna, sharks and marlin. Sport fishing (sometimes game fishing) describes recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial value of the fish's flesh. Fish sought after include marlin, tuna, tarpon, sailfish, shark and mackerel although the list is endless and most fishing enthusiasts find a variety that they prefer to fish for.

Tackle

Fishing tackle is a general term that refers to the equipment used by fishermen when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are hooks, fishing lines, sinkers, floats, rods, reels, baits, lures, spears, nets, gaffs, traps, waders and tackle boxes.

Tackle that is attached to the end of a fishing line is called terminal tackle. This includes hooks, sinkers, floats, leaders, swivels, split rings and wire, snaps, beads, spoons, blades, spinners and clevises to attach spinner blades to fishing lures.  Ancient fishers even used hooks made from bones to catch fish.  While the Egyptians found fish in the Nile plentiful they quickly learned how to salt the fish to keep them from spoiling.

Fishing tackle can be contrasted with fishing techniques. Fishing tackle refers to the physical equipment that is used when fishing, whereas fishing techniques refers to the ways the tackle is used when fishing.

Patience

One of the most important aspects of fishing either recreationally or commercially is learning to have patience. Often heard stories of "the big one that got away" which grow larger with each telling have become the norm for fisherman. Especially rampant during conventions and other fishing gatherings.

However, it is the art of patience that wins for the fisherman in the end and this leads us to fish another day. FishingMikes.com is designed to please all fishing enthusiasts and if you find something missing please drop me a line... and I will reel in something about that subject.

Now go catch a fish!