"Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fishing techniques include hand-gathering, spearing, netting, angling, shooting and trapping, as well as more destructive and often illegal techniques such as electrocution, blasting, and poisoning."
Catching fish for sport or food, requires knowledge of equipment, techniques, and regulations.
Types of fish: The different species of fish that can be caught and targeted when fishing.
Fishing equipment: Types of fishing rods, reels, hooks, and other specialized fishing gear.
Fishing techniques: Various methods to catch fish such as trolling, casting, fly fishing, and ice fishing.
Fishing locations: Different types of bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and oceans and how to effectively fish in each.
Bait and lures: Types of bait and lures to use depending on the type of fish and technique being used.
Knot tying: Different types of knots such as the Palomar, the improved clinch, and the fisherman’s knot.
Safety and regulations: Understanding boating safety regulations, weather conditions, and personal safety precautions.
Cleaning and preparation: How to clean and prepare fish for cooking or preservation.
Conservation and sustainability: Environmental conservation practices, catch and release techniques, and sustainable fishing practices.
Assessment of fishing conditions: Evaluating factors such as weather, water temperature, and the behavior of fish to determine the best time and location to fish.
Legal and ethical concerns: Laws and regulations related to fishing, including fishing licenses, bag limits, and restrictions on certain types of fish.
Understanding fish behavior: Understanding the behavior and feeding habits of different fish species to better anticipate where they will be found and how to catch them.
Boating and navigation: Basic boating and navigation skills, including how to operate a boat, safety guidelines, and navigation tools such as charts and GPS devices.
Fishing etiquette: Proper angling etiquette, including respecting other fishermen, keeping areas clean, and following the “leave no trace” principle.
Fly tying: The art of creating your own flies using different materials and techniques for a more personalized and efficient fishing experience.
Freshwater fishing: Fishing in lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and other bodies of freshwater for freshwater fish like trout, bass, pike, and more.
Saltwater fishing: Fishing in oceans, seas, and other saltwater bodies for saltwater fish like tuna, marlin, snapper, and more.
Fly fishing: A type of fishing that involves casting a lightweight artificial fly onto the water with a special fly rod and reeling it back in to attract fish.
Ice fishing: Fishing through holes in frozen lakes or rivers, typically for fish like walleye, perch, and trout.
Surf fishing: Fishing from the shore of a beach or shoreline, typically for larger saltwater fish like striped bass, bluefish, and shark.
Kayak fishing: Fishing from a kayak, which allows anglers to reach remote fishing spots and avoid disturbing fish with boat noise.
Canoe fishing: Fishing from a canoe, with a similar focus on reaching remote areas and avoiding excessive noise.
Deep-sea fishing: Fishing in deep ocean waters, often for larger fish species like marlin and swordfish.
Pier fishing: Fishing from a pier, typically in saltwater environments, for fish like snapper, flounder, and more.
Trolling fishing: Fishing by trailing a baited fishing line behind a moving boat, often used to target species like salmon and tuna.
Jug fishing: Fishing by placing a baited jug in the water and waiting for fish to bite, often used in freshwater environments.
Noodling: Catching fish by hand, typically catfish, in a process that involves wading into the water and reaching into holes or underwater nests.
Bow fishing: Fishing with a bow and arrow, typically in freshwater environments for fish like carp and catfish.
Spearfishing: Fishing by using a spear to catch fish in saltwater environments, often utilizing breathing apparatus like snorkels and scuba gear.
Shore fishing: Fishing from the shore of a body of water, typically in freshwater environments, for various species of fish that are attracted to the shoreline.
"Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands, and reservoirs."
"The term fishing broadly includes catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as crustaceans (shrimp/lobsters/crabs), shellfish, cephalopods (octopus/squid), and echinoderms (starfish/sea urchins)."
"The term is not normally applied to harvesting fish raised in controlled cultivations (fish farming)."
"Nor is it normally applied to hunting aquatic mammals, where terms like whaling and sealing are used instead."
"Fishing has been an important part of human culture since hunter-gatherer times."
"Fishing is one of the few food production activities that have persisted from prehistory into the modern age, surviving both the Neolithic Revolution and successive Industrial Revolutions."
"In addition to being caught to be eaten for food, fish are caught as recreational pastimes. Fishing tournaments are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept long-term as preserved or living trophies."
"When bioblitzes occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released."
"The total number of commercial fishers and fish farmers is estimated to be 38 million."
"Fishing industries and aquaculture provide direct and indirect employment to over 500 million people in developing countries."
"In 2005, the worldwide per capita consumption of fish captured from wild fisheries was 14.4 kilograms (32 lb)."
"With an additional 7.4 kilograms (16 lb) harvested from fish farms."
"Fishing techniques include hand-gathering, spearing, netting, angling, shooting, and trapping."
"The term fishing broadly includes catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as crustaceans (shrimp/lobsters/crabs), shellfish, cephalopods (octopus/squid), and echinoderms (starfish/sea urchins)."
"...as well as more destructive and often illegal techniques such as electrocution, blasting, and poisoning."
"Fishing tournaments are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept long-term as preserved or living trophies."
"When bioblitzes occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released."
"The term is not normally applied to harvesting fish raised in controlled cultivations (fish farming)."
"Nor is it normally applied to hunting aquatic mammals, where terms like whaling and sealing are used instead."