11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

  Login Subscribe

Article Media Additional Info

ARTICLE CONTENTS 
Introduction 
LOAD PREVIOUS PAGE
Early history

Methods
Methods
Saltwater fishing

The five
Big-game basic
fishing methods of angling are bait fishing, fly-fishing, bait casting, spinning, and
trolling.
Recent Allfishing
trends in are used in both freshwater and saltwater angling.

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Bait fishing, also called still fishing or bottom fishing, is certainly the oldest and most
universally used method. In British freshwater fishing it is used to catch what are called
coarse (or rough) fish. These include bream, barb, tench, dace, and other nongame
species. A bait is impaled on the hook, which is “set” by the angler raising the tip of the
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 1/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

rod when the fish swallows it. Common baits in fishing include worms, maggots, small
fish, bread paste, cheese, and small pieces of vegetables and grain. The bait may be
weighted down with what is called a ledger in Britain and a sinker in the United States,
usually of lead. In this type of fishing, the angler simply holds the rod or lays it down and
waits for the telltale tug of the fish to be transmitted through the line. Bait may also be
fished by suspending it at a chosen depth under a buoyant object attached to the line that
is made of cork or plastic, called a float in Britain and a bobber in the United States. The
angler attempts to suspend the bait at a depth where foraging fish will notice it and in
locations near the natural hiding places of fish—such as sunken weed beds, logs, and
underwater rock formations.

The rods used in still fishing both in North America and Britain are usually 6 to 9 feet
(1.8 to 2.7 metres) long, with a fixed-spool reel and monofilament line of 2- to 25-pound
(900- to 11,300-gram) test strength. In North America, still fishing is usually practiced
with conventional bait-casting or spinning tackle. Freshwater fish taken by this method
include bluegills, crappies, perch, carp, and catfish, as well as bass and walleyes. The
most common natural North American baits are worms, minnows, crayfish, cut-up fish,
leeches, and grubs or maggots.

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Ad

High Arctic Lodge

www.higharctic.com VISIT SITE

Another type of bait fishing, most commonly done in rivers and streams, involves
drifting a baited hook into deep pools and beneath in-stream cover (such as logs and

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 2/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

rocks) to entice game fish that station themselves in those locations for feeding.
Conventional spinning gear is the tackle of choice for this style of fishing.

Ice fishing, through holes cut in frozen lakes, is particularly popular in the northeastern
United States and the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence valley region of the United States and
Canada. Equipment is commonly a three-foot rod with a simple reel or a cleatlike device
to hold nonfreezing monofilament line and a tilt, or tip-up, to signal when the fish has
taken the bait. Fish taken through the ice vary from panfish (crappies, bluegills, and
perch) to larger game fish (pike, walleye, bass, and lake trout). Ice fishing became
increasingly popular in the 20th century in Scandinavian and other European countries
where heavy freezing permits it.

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Fly-fishing is a method of angling employing a rod 7 to 11 feet (2.1 to 3.4 metres) in

length, a simple arbor reel, and a heavy plastic-coated line joined to a lighter nylon
leader. The rod is used to cast artificial flies—made of hair, feathers, or synthetic
materials and designed to imitate the natural food sources of the fish. The fly-fisher
snaps the long rod back and forth, allowing the heavier weight of the line to propel the
nearly weightless fly forward. The fly needs to land as gently as possible upon the water
to avoid startling the fish. A simple reel is used only to contain the line and to help in
tiring a hooked fish. Species fished include trout and salmon, but by the end of the 20th
century virtually all game fish, from panfish to muskellunge, were fished with flies.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 3/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica




Examples of two types of fishing reels: bait casting (left) and fly.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Bait casting and spin casting differ essentially in the type of reel, the rod length, and the
strength of the line used. Bait casting usually employs a reel with heavier line, often in
the 10- to 20-pound (4,500- to 9,000-gram) test range. Most spinning reels are usually
spooled with lighter lines in the 6- to 10-pound (2,700- to 4,500-gram) test class.
Spinning rods are generally 6–10 feet (1.8–3.0 metres) long, while the usual length of a
bait-casting rod is 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 metres). Bait casting originally used live minnows
but grew to use artificial lures—pieces of metal or painted plastic designed to imitate a
fish’s natural prey—as well as metal spoons and spinners. The lures are cast in likely fish-
rich areas and are retrieved in a manner that allows them to effect a swimming action in
1
the water. Lures vary in weight from / to 1 ounce (1.8 to 28 grams) or more. Spinning
16
tackle is usually used with lighter lures, and bait-casting tackle is used with heavier lures.

Trolling involves the use of live bait or artificial lures that are drawn through the water
behind a slow-moving boat, originally rowed but now generally motor-powered. Trolling

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 4/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

is usually done inland on lakes and reservoirs, but it is also the primary method for big-
game fishing in the oceans. The method has the advantage of covering a large amount of
territory where fish might otherwise be difficult to locate. The correct depth and speed of
the lure are crucial in the method. The introduction of sonar equipment in the second
half of the 20th century greatly increased the effectiveness of trolling. Rods are usually
5–7 feet (1.5–2.1 metres) long, and lines are heavy, occasionally of metal, with added
weights used to get the lure to greater depths. In inland trolling, the rod is held at a right
angle to the motion of the boat to take advantage of the rod’s resilience when a fish
strikes. Lures are much like those used in bait casting. Salmon, large trout, walleye, and
pike are the main species fished.

Examples of two types of fishing reels: spinning (left) and trolling.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 5/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

Ad

Get CorelDRAW Suite 2020

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite SHOP NOW

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 6/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 7/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

LOAD NEXT PAGE

Inspire your inbox – Sign up for daily fun facts about this day in history, updates, and
special offers.

Enter your email

Subscribe

By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 8/9
11/16/2020 Fishing - Methods | Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Click here to view our Privacy Notice. Easy unsubscribe links are provided in every email.

     

About Us & Legal Info Partner Program Contact Us Privacy Notice Terms of Use

©2020 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/fishing-recreation/Methods 9/9