Fishing For Dummies, UK Edition E-Book

Peter Kaminsky

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 645

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Fishing For Dummies, UK Edition, provides you with a thorough introduction to all types of fishing - sea fishing, game fishing, and coarse fishing. This authoritative covers everything you need to know about this fantastic sport, including instruction on:

• Identifying the key species of fish found within and off the coasts of the British Isles
• Selecting the right rods, reels, line, and tackle
• Mastering casting techniques
• Tying knots like a seasoned angler
• Hooking and landing fish with ease

Leseprobe

Fishing For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/fishinguk to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Part I: Before the Bite

Part II: Gearing Up Without Going Overboard

Part III: The End of Your Line: Enticing Fish with Bait, Lures and Flies

Part IV: Now You’re Fishing

Part V: After the Catch

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Before the Bite

Chapter 1: Getting Hooked on Fishing

Why Fish?

For the outdoors

For the enjoyment

For the table?

Where Should You Fish?

Fishing freshwater

Sea fishing

What Are You Fishing For?

Common freshwater catches

Common sea catches

What Do You Need to Fish?

Picking up fishing essentials

Adding to your angling arsenal

How Do You Fish?

Casting around: Basic and fly

Finding freshwater fish

Basic techniques for sea fishing

Fish On! Now What?

It’s not hunting: Release your fish!

The occasional fish supper

Chapter 2: Gathering What You Need to Fish

Dressing for Fishing Success

Wear layers and always be happy

Pack your foul-weather bag

Pick a good hat

Pull on waders to wander into the fish’s world

Vests: Great for wading

Carrying Just What You Need to Fish

Start with your rod, reel and net

Pick a tackle carrier and load up

Are you sitting comfortably?

Don’t forget food and drink for yourself

Tucking Your Fishing Licence in a Safe Spot

Seasons in fishing

Rules for good reasons

Chapter 3: Finding and Evaluating Water for Fishing

Knowing Where to Go

Fish the one you’re with: Finding fishing water close to home

Finding fish when you’re on the road

Getting the Scoop

From tackle shops

From online forums

From guides

When no one knows: Walk the bank

Evaluating Freshwater Sites

Ponds and commercial fisheries

Canals and Drains

Streams, small rivers and big rivers

Lakes and reservoirs

Evaluating Saltwater Sites

Tidal estuaries and bays

Surf fishing

Fishing piers and breakwaters

Finding the Right Time to Fish

Watching the Weather

Planning a trip around the weather

Reacting to changing weather while fishing

Chapter 4: Putting a Face on the Fins: Common Freshwater Fish

Coarse Fish

Silver Fish

Carp and friends

River residents

Predators on the prowl

Your mother wouldn’t like ‘em: Oddballs

Game Fish

Rainbow trout: High jumpers

Brown trout: Wildly spotty

Atlantic salmon: The leaper

Grayling: Shady ladies

Chapter 5: Familiarising Yourself with Common Sea Fish

Flatfish

Flounder: A winter staple

Plaice: Spotty and highly prized

Dab: Small but tasty

Cod Family

Cod: Monster mouth

Pollack: Don’t call me Colin!

Pouting: Common as muck

Whiting: Ravenous hordes

Sea Bass: The silver surf king

Wrasse

Mackerel

Garfish

Grey Mullet

Sea Bream

Black Bream: Pretty and palatable

Gilthead Bream: Silver slabs

Rays and Skate

Thornback Ray: Watch those spines

Blonde Ray: Fair game

Common Skate: Flat and dangerous

Conger Eels

Sharks and Dogfish

Lesser spotted dogfish: Down boy!

Smoothhounds: Night brawlers

Tope: Seriously strong

Blue Shark: Cold blooded killers

Chapter 6: Staying Safe on (or Near) the Water

Planning Ahead for Your Trip

Water, Water Everywhere: Bringing Food and Drink

Dehydration hurts

Alcohol kills

Don’t forget the bait for yourself

Serious Safety: First Aid Kits and Sun Protection

Making your own kit

The sun is a fair-weather friend (sort of)

Why polarised sunglasses make a difference

Safe Wading

Thy rod and thy staff, and thy friend, too

Handling the current and the occasional mishap

Danger Amplified: Boating Safety

It starts with life jackets

Your call, Captain

Part II: Gearing Up Without Going Overboard

Chapter 7: Hot Rods and Cool Reels

Getting a Handle on Fishing Rod Basics

The writing on the rod

How slow can you go?

Catching Up with Reels

It’s a drag, but it works

The writing on the reel

Which reel: Fixed-spool, multiplier or centrepin?

Coarse Fishing Gear: There’s Nothing Coarse About It . . .

No reel, but really deadly: Poles and whips

Fun and finesse: Float rods

Top Tips: Quiver Tip Rods

Big ideas: Carp and specimen rods

Predator catchers: Spinning and lure rods

Making Waves: Sea Fishing Rods

Taming the tide: Beachcasters

Saltwater with a twist: Specialist shore rods from bass to the pier

Catching afloat: Boat rods

Flyfishing Gear: Artful and Effective

Advantages and disadvantages of flycasting gear

Fly rods: Choosing the right one

Chapter 8: The Bottom Line on Line

Getting to Know the Three Kinds of Line

Monofilament: Best for beginners

Braid: For those who don’t like to stretch

Fluorocarbon: For serious anglers

Buying Line 101

Information to get before you leave home

Factors to consider when you’re at the shop

Spooling Up: Attaching Line to a Reel

Caring for Your New Line and Knowing When to Let It Go

Protecting your line from wear and tear

Saying goodbye to old line

Setting Your Sights on Fly Lines

Looking at the types of fly lines

Considering the weight and taper of fly line before you buy

Threading your fly line

Throwing leaders into the mix

Chapter 9: It’s Terminal (Tackle): Hooks, Weights, Snaps, Swivels and Floats

Hooks: What They Do and Why They Matter

Keeping a range of hooks

Making a point

J hooks: Some things never change

Treble hooks: Extra points

Barbed, barbless or ‘bumped’ hooks?

Dehooking yourself

Leads and Sinkers: When You Need To Get Down to the Fish

Selecting the right range of weights

The shocking truth about shock leaders

Storing your weights

Adding On Swivels and Snap Links

Floats: Dipping Delights

Chapter 10: Going the Extra Mile: Boats, Gadgets and More

Taking Advantage of Boat Fishing

More casting angles

Fishing places shorebound anglers can’t reach

Finding bluer water: Humps, points, and channels

Choosing a Boat That’s Right for the Way You Fish

Great non-motorised boats for fishing

Ideal motorised boats for fishing

Considering the Costs of Watercraft

Licensing, safety and fees

Upkeep, storage, and maintenance

Trailering

Fishing in the 21st Century: Gadgets Galore!

Fish Finders: Can They Really Find Fish?

How fish finders work

Do you really need a fish finder?

Where to find fish finders

GPS Units: Finding Yourself

Bite Alarms: Racket or Asset?

Bait Boats: Smart Thinking or Cheating?

Part III: The End of Your Line: Enticing Fish with Bait, Lures and Flies

Chapter 11: Real Food for Real Fish: Using Bait

Assessing Your Bait Options

Gathering and Keeping Bait

Support your local tackle shop

Forget your wallet: Gathering free bait

Supermarket baits

Storing and transporting bait

Coarse Fishing Baits

Worms: Great bait by the dozen

Maggots and casters: Grub’s up

Groundbait: Super crumbs

Sweetcorn: Yellow and deadly

Bread: Flaky food

Meat Baits: Savoury specials

Boilies: rolling with flavour

Pellets and paste: Fishy treats

Particle baits: Vegetarian killers

Dog biscuits: Floating food

Full flavoured fishing: Using bait flavourings

Fake baits: Tricky treats

Fish for dinner: Predator baits

Deadbaits: Dead and deadly

Livebaits

Common Sea Fishing Baits

Lugworms: The (not so) sweet smell of success

Ragworms: Nippy critters

Peeler crabs: Soft targets

Squid: Rubbery snacks

Fish baits: Fresh is best

Prawns and shellfish: Seafood specials

Why You Can’t Take It With You: Disposing of Leftover Bait

Chapter 12: It Only Looks Alive: Tricking Fish with Lures

Picking Perfect Plugs

Popping and chugging plugs: Designed for surface explosions

Stickbaits, propbaits and other surface specials

Floating/diving plugs: Classics that work, even for beginners

Deep divers: Good for hitting the bottom

Spoons: Heavy Metal Time

Spinners: Easy to Fish, Hard to Miss

Spinnerbaits: Freaky but Deadly

Jigs, Soft Plastics and Swimbaits: Rubbery All Stars

Jigs: Bouncing the bottom

Soft Baits: Plastic Worms and Beyond

Examining three types of soft baits: Worms, fish and swimbaits

Narrowing Your Lure Options by Asking Some Key Questions

How deep does the lure run?

Where’s the action?

How fast is the lure designed to move through the water?

How big should the lure be?

Does the lure raise a racket?

Does a lure’s colour count?

Chapter 13: Fish Don’t Fly, But Flies Catch Fish

Taking a Look at Where the Fly in Fly Fishing Came From

Stream born: The nymph phase

Time to shed some skin: The emerger phase

All grown up: The dun phase

Ready to mate: The spinner phase

Figuring Out Which Fly to Use

Opting for the dry fly

Discovering when you may want a wet fly

Going the nymph route

Picking meatier lures and streamer flies

Choosing the caddisfly

Fingers on buzzers: Midges for stillwaters

Extra: Terrestrials

A Rundown of Flies That Work Everywhere

Pheasant Tail Nymph

Black Buzzer

Klinkhamer

Hopper

Elk Hair Caddis

Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear

Griffith’s Gnat

The Muddler Minnow

The Daiwl Bach

The Woolly Bugger

Part IV: Now You’re Fishing

Chapter 14: Tying Popular Fishing Knots and Rigs

The Knots You Need

The Arbor knot: It helps if the line is tied to the reel

The Trilene knot: Connecting your line to hook (and about anything else)

The Palomar knot: An easy classic

The Surgeon’s knot: Easy for tippet to leader

The Surgeon’s Loop knot: to connect hook lengths to main lines, or leaders to fly lines among other things

Loop to loop connections

The Albright: Joining fat line to skinny line

Using the Right Rig to Present Your Offering

Float Fishing Rigs: Effective and Easy on the Eye

Waggler rigs: Fun and effective

Stick float set-ups: Going with the flow

Pole float rigs: Finesse for success

Pike and sea float rigs: slip-sliding away

Leger Rigs: Plundering the depths

The running leger rig: Resistance is futile!

Semi-fixed rigs: Bolt rigs and method feeder set ups

Tying the hair rig: Cute presentation

Leger rigs for pike and predators

Wire traces: Tooth-proof essentials

Common Sea Fishing Rigs: A Saltwater Assault

Paternoster Rigs: Sea staples

The rotten bottom rig: For the rough stuff

Chapter 15: Choreographing Your Cast

Casting Fixed Spool Gear

Preparing to cast

A nice, smooth delivery: Perfecting the overhead cast

Trick shots: The side cast

Mastering (Sort Of) Multiplier Techniques

Setting the reel (and using your thumb) to cast better

Casting overhead with a multiplier

Flycasting: Presenting Flies

Striving for the oneness of rod and line

The forward (and sometimes sidearm) cast

Figuring out what you did wrong

Cast Disaster: Beating Snags and Snarls

Chapter 16: Exploring Different Fishing Techniques

Static Fishing

Floating away

Legering: Waiting out the fish

Top Tips: Using the rod tip to spot bites

Active Fishing Methods: Casting About

Covering water and taking fish

Matching your retrieve to the conditions

Fishing Still (Non-flowing) Water

Working the banks: A deliberate approach

Fan casting: Covering the bases

Stirring things up: Fishing windy days

Fishing Flowing Water

Casting upstream, retrieving downstream

Trotting with floats: Meals au naturel

Other Fishing Techniques

Specimen tactics: Waiting for the big one

Specimen Carp: Plotting for monsters

Legering for pike and zander: Drop offs and dead baits

Night fishing

Drifting and trolling

Chapter 17: How to Hook, Fight, Land and Release Fish

Finally! How to Handle a Fish Attack

Starting out in the right (positive) frame of mind

Setting the hook

Playing a Fish the Right Way

Savouring the most enjoyable part of fishing

Letting the rod, reel, and line help you

Pulling up, then reeling down

Getting the fish pointed up

Using current if it’s there

Reacting when the fish jumps

Handling a snagged fish

Knowing how long to play a fish

Netting and Landing Fish

The right way to use a landing net

What about a gaff?

Unhooking mats

Keepnets

When It’s Time to Say Goodbye: Releasing Fish

Taking quick action after landing a fish

Unhooking and handling fish

Releasing your catch and reviving an exhausted fish

Part V: After the Catch

Chapter 18: Photographing, Weighing and Preserving Fish for Posterity

Hurry Up and Take Your Time: Photographing Fish

Digital cameras: Perfect fishing partners

Lighting at all times

Working with live subjects . . . or not

Hold ’em high: Posing fish for photographs

Taking measurements for bragging rights

Come On, Everyone’s Doing It: Making a Fish Video

YouTube, here you come

Downsides to being your own videographer

You Want This Fish Forever: One for the Wall

Chapter 19: Biting Back: Storing, Cleaning and Cooking Fish

Acting Fast to Retain Taste and Texture

Well and Truly Gutted

Keeping your catch fresh

Cleaning: A Good Meal Starts with the First Cut

Scaling

Filleting

Cutting steaks

Freezing to Avoid an Oily, Fishy Taste

Is It Done Yet?: Cooking Fish

Fearless Frying

Poaching Allowed

Grilling and BBQ

Simple Fish Favourites

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Fishing Lessons You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way

Avoid Making Bad Vibes

Go the Extra Mile

Cast No Shadow

Choose Clothing that Blends In

Reuse Home Items

Pick a Bait Cooler

Seek Out Advice

Keep a Fishing Diary

Be Open to Multispecies Angling

Take Someone Along for the Trip

Chapter 21: Ten Fishing Organisations You Should Know About

One for all: The Angling Trust

Read all about it: Angling Times

A Band Apart: The Carp Society

Wild Out West: The Wye and Usk Foundation

For the Future of Our Seas: Fish Fight!

Wild Trout Fishing for Beer Money

Angling with Added Bite: The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain (PAC)

Watching Our Waters: The Environment Agency (EA)

Bring on the bass!: The Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society

Save our spots: The Wild Trout Trust

Chapter 22: Ten Great Fishing Reads

Discovering the Joy of Carp Fishing

A Mixed Catch of Fishing Treats

Casting Towards Adventure

When It’s More than Just a Hobby . . .

A Lesson from the Master of Modern Angling

More Fun Than You Can Shake a Rod At

The Magic and the Madness

Here’s One I Tied Earlier

The Finer Points of Tackling Freshwater

The Greatest Fishing Tale Ever Told?

Cheat Sheet

Fishing For Dummies®

by Peter Kaminsky, with new material by Greg Schwipps

Adapted by Dominic Garnett

Fishing For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, LtdThe AtriumSouthern GateChichesterWest SussexPO19 8SQ Englandwww.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex

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About the Authors

Peter Kaminsky caught his first fish, a 30-pound grouper, on a party boat in the Florida Keys. It was the first time he went fishing, and that grouper won $45 for the big fish of the day. Kaminsky was hooked. He was Managing Editor of National Lampoon at the time. Soon after, he began to write for Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, and Sports Afield. In 1985, he began his regular contributions to The New York Times ‘Outdoors’ column. Kaminsky also wrote ‘The Underground Gourmet’ in New York magazine and is a frequent contributor on food and dining in Food & Wine magazine. He has written numerous books on cooking and fishing. His current book is Culinary Intelligence. As a television producer, Kaminsky is a creator and executive producer of The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Kaminsky is a graduate of Princeton University and lives in Brooklyn.

Greg Schwipps fished the farm ponds around his home in Milan, Indiana, as soon as he could walk to them. He later earned an MFA at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and he now teaches creative writing at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. His work has appeared in outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Indiana, Indiana Game & Fish, and In-Fisherman. In 2010, his first novel, What This River Keeps, won the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award in the Emerging Writer category. He lives with his wife, Alissa, and their two dogs in Wilbur, Indiana, and fishes the White and Ohio rivers. www.gregschwipps.com

Dominic Garnett fell in love with fishing aged three, sitting on the banks of the Thames with a fibreglass roach pole. Thirty years later, he has a garage full of random tackle and a strange-smelling car that rattles with rods and reels. From early encounters with minnows, roach and perch, he graduated to match fishing on the local canal and casting further afield to outfox pike and carp. A move to Devon stirred further interest in tackling sea fish and exploring trout streams with a fly rod. Even the discovery of loud music, beer and the opposite sex did little to curb his great enthusiasm for spending time on the bank.

As an English graduate Dominic followed his passion for writing with a spell in film journalism, before switching to his first love of fishing. An Angling Times correspondent and contributor to many fishing titles in the UK and beyond, he has written over 100 articles on many subjects and was recently described as ‘Britain’s most promising young angling writer’. Backed by Britain’s longest running tackle company, Hardy Greys, he is also an avid photographer and the author of Flyfishing for Coarse Fish. These days you might find Dominic lure fishing for pike, sitting it out for a big carp or just as happily casting a fly for trout. His website (www.dgfishing.co.uk) showcases his articles and pictures, along with the regular misadventures he records in his blog ‘Crooked Lines’. He lives in Exeter, Devon.

Dedication

From Peter: For Lucian and Honeybunch.

From Greg: For my dad and grandfather, who made the time to take me fishing.

From Dominic: To Dad, for taking me fishing. Also to my mother, and Jo Bliss.

Authors' Acknowledgements

From Peter: There are many people to thank, but first an anonymous thank you to all the anglers – men and women who have shared their knowledge, companionship, and often their tackle with me over the years. I would especially like to acknowledge the late Gene Calogiero (forgive me, Gene, I’m just guessing at the spelling, and you’re not around to correct me anymore), who first taught me how to tie flies and fish the Esopus Creek; Nick Lyons for his generous counsel and support as I tried to learn how to write about this wonderful sport; John Culler for buying my first fishing piece in Outdoor Life; Duncan Barnes for years of putting up with my ageing-hippy-writer’s ways; Susan Adams for making a home for me at The New York Times (and Joe Vecchione for getting me started there); Tom Akstens for being an exemplar of a passionate and joyful angler; a debt beyond measure to the unsung Everglades guide Jack Allen, the most complete angler I know, who, by his example, has taught me that one can make a life out of angling; not rich in money, but face it, for most of us, the money isn’t going to happen anyway, so we might as well enjoy the fishing.

From Greg: I should thank first the fine folks at Wiley who welcomed me into the 2nd Edition of Fishing For Dummies: Lindsay Lefevere for presenting the opportunity, and Sarah Faulkner and Elizabeth Rea for expertly shepherding me through the writing process. Thanks to copy editor Susan Hobbs, and to technical reviewer Jeff Knapp for his great insights. The fine angler Mikey Hemkens helped out, as well. Any writer would be lucky to have such a team. Thanks, too, to Lucia Watson, the super-chef who graciously shared some recipes with us, and a tip of the fishing cap to Doug Stange; he’s a great fisherman and friend at In-Fisherman from way back.

I fish most often with my brothers, Tim and Ron, and our cousin, Ben. There are many lighthearted references to their prowess throughout this book. They’re not quite as inept as I make them seem, but as always, I had fun making jokes about them in print. We fish most often for catfish, a long-neglected and maligned fish – may they continue to find their rightful place in anglers’ good graces everywhere. (Right, Dr. Pepper?) Finally, thanks to my fishing partner, Alissa, who is a fine angler and a pretty danged good wife.

From Dominic: The world of fishing is such a great community and I’d like to thank many of you, not just for your support but for your friendship and encouragement. A big shout firstly to the Westcountry massive: Rob Darby, Seb Nowosiad, Nick Maye and Ian Nadin in particular, also Paul Hamilton, Steve Lockett and everyone at Exeter Angling Centre. To Bob James, for taking me under your wing and sharing your fantastic knowledge and enthusiasm. I would also like to thank all the editors I’ve worked with, but especially Steve Partner at Angling Times for bringing out the best in my writing and daring to entertain some of my madder ideas. Thanks also to Tom Legge and the late Pike & Predators editor James Holgate for giving me those crucial first chances to shine. To all the Garnetts – Alex, Ben and especially my mother, for everything! Lucy Bowden and all at Hardy Greys. Last but not least, I would also like to give a big mention to those organisations which represent a brighter future for fishing: The Westcountry Rivers Trust, The Pike Angler’s Club of Great Britain and most of all The Angling Trust – if you enjoy this book please give them your support.

Publisher’s Acknowledgements

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Introduction

Wherever you live in the UK, there is exciting fishing nearby. Whether that means a wild river or the local canal, the village pond or the open coast, there is another world waiting to be discovered. It is this ‘other world’ that captivates those who fish all over Britain. This other place, far from school, work and daily chores, means many things to the angler. It can be a calm, meditative experience, but it can also be utterly thrilling. It can be a sedate way to spend a perfect, sunny afternoon, or an adventure spanning miles of countryside. Make no mistake, fishing is a million miles away from the cliché of the bored-looking bloke who sits there like a statue. It’s a process of continual fascination in which you never stop learning. Whether you’re after that heart-stopping bite from a monster fish or just a few hours of relaxing fun, fishing has it all.