By Staff
Waterhead™ Watersports
October 6, 2011

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.  The latter has been true for centuries; however, modern man has evolved from fishing for simply for food to fishing for food or sport.  Fishing as the name would suggest is the act of catching fish and was popularized in coastal communities thousands of years ago as an alternative means to get food either for the individual and his family or fishing was the occupation of men that needed income so they could feed their family.  No matter, whether direct or indirect, fishing was a means of feeding oneself and/or the community. 

The fisherman of yesterday would probably regard the fisherman of today rather strangely in that an activity that was invented in an effort to feed one's family has now turned into a recreational sport.  The modern fisherman, with the use of some very helpful, advanced tools such as global positioning systems (GPS) other high-tech electronics, and sonars can kick back on a nice, cushioned boat and wait for the fish to provide a few announcement tugs.  Needless to say, modern man still eats fish, however now there is an option of fishing for food or sport. 

There are several techniques or methods that one can employ when setting out to catch fish.  These techniques can include but are not limited to netting, angling, trapping, hand-gathering, and spearfishing and whichever technique you use will definitely depend on what type of fish or aquatic animals you are interested in catching.  The techniques also vary between those fishing for food or sport.  Sometimes the techniques between recreational and commercial fishers overlap but often the methods employed are different.  Again, recreational fishers fish for sport or as a hobby and commercial fishers will fish to provide food for profit.  Those fisherman who use the angling method are primarily competitive fisherman who fish for sport. 

Conversely, the commercial fisherman are the ones that primarily use the netting method.   The most identifiable instrument that is used when angling is the hook. The hook, has been discovered by archaeologists, during the earliest civilizations of man about some 40,000 years ago.  The hook, as is used now, was an ingenious way to hook fish wither with bait or by itself because of how easy it was to ensnare a fish due to the shape of the hook.  It is the best indication that the art of fishing has been around for quite some time, which coincides with man's early nomadic lifestyle and settling around areas that had easy access to water outlets.  This, of course, offered a means to a plentiful food and income source. 

The use of the net is also an ancient invention that coincided with the commercial fisherman of yesterday, whose occupation was fishing. Of course there is another class of fisherman who is a combination of the two and that is the everyday fisherman who fishes because it is a relaxing past-time but instead of casting the fish back into the water as does a recreational fisherman, he or she will keep the fish and prepare it for a meal.  Typically this is the everyday fisherman, who, again, just wants to enjoy a relaxing day on the water.

No matter if you are fishing for food or if you are fishing for sport there is some equipment that most fisherman use.  This equipment is called fishing tackle.  Tackle is simply a generic term that is used to describe the tools or equipment that is used by both fisherman who fish for sport, recreation, and/or food and most all equipment that is used for fishing can be called fishing tackle.  There are some recognizable examples of fishing tackle and it includes hooks, sinkers, lines, reels, rods, lures, baits, nets, traps, spears, gaffs, waders, and even tackle boxes. 

Not unlike the technique that a fisherman will employ, the types of fishing tackle may differ depending on the way a fisherman will use it when fishing (i.e. commericially, sport, or recreationally).  Here it is important to note that the fishing tackle that a fisherman attaches to the end of fishing line in order to attract fish is called terminal tackle.  Terminal tackle includes a variety of different items and the type of terminal tackle used will depend on the type of fish or aquatic animal that you are hunting.  For example, hooks, sinkers, swivels, floats, leaders, snaps, spoons, or beads.

Again, recreational fishermen, primarily fish for sport, pleasure, and/or competition.  Typically, with recreational fishing there are laws or rules that place sanctions on the ways fish may be caught.  In this regard, the types of fishing tackle will be different than that of a commercial fisherman.  Individuals who fish for sport may be prohibited, and this will vary depending on your jurisdiction, from using nets.   Generally, fishermen who fish for sport will use equipment or tackle such as reels, rods, and lines.  The bait or lures that is used will vary widely, with some fishermen choosing to using artificial flies; however, this will vary primarily based on the preference of the fisherman as well as what is permitted by law. 

Those who fish for sport, generally utilize a practice of catch and release, where the fish is returned back to the water and the technique that is usually employed is angling, which again, is catching fish with a hook.  Those fisherman who are in a competitive sport, will write down or log their catches before releasing the fish back into the water.  Fishing for sport can take place in a small lake or river but then there is big game fishing where the catch is much more sizeable such as sharks, tarpon, marlin, and tuna.  This type of competitive sport requires larger boats and much more sophisticated equipment like GPSs and sonar equipment.

The tackle or equipment that is used will be based on the needs of the individual(s).  It goes without saying there is equipment available to meet any budget.  There is economical equipment and gear for the more leisurely fisherman, to very expensive equipment for the professional, where money is no object.  Quite often, you will find that sports fisherman will spend a great deal more on equipment because there is typically financial rewards associated with competitive fishing.  So in order to make themselves competitive, persons who fish for sport are willing to spend more money on equipment in order to improve their chances of catching those huge open-water fish like the prized marlin, sailfish, sharks, tuna, and tarpon.

Individuals should understand that although fishing is a very fun, relaxing activity, there are some safety tips that everyone interested in fishing should keep in mind.  No matter if you are a great swimmer, always try to wear some type of personal floatation device like a life preserver.  Always keep a first aid kit available in the event of an accident.  If you are a big-game fisher on the open waters like the ocean, properly install a GPS device so that you are able to navigate back to land easily and/or help others find you a lot quicker.  You should always wear, appropriate clothing to protect yourself from the elements and agitated aquatic animals. 

No matter if you are fishing for fun or if you are fishing for sport, remember to have fun!

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