Fish can be caught in many different ways. Either with your hands, impaled with a spear, caught on a hook, trapped and sometimes the hillbilly way by throwing explosive in the water (not recommended and also illegal). Fish have been captured and eaten for more than forty thousand years, and over time, fishing has been re-invented and can be done in various ways. Some people do it as a hobby, some due to necessity and others for sport.
1. Noodling
Where fishermen catch catfish by sticking their hands into catfish holes where these fish resides. Generally practiced in the Southern regions of the United States.
2. Flounder Tramping
People compete in catching species of flatfish (flounder) by stamping on them. This method of fishing is practiced in the Scottish village of Palnackie during August every year.
3. Spearfishing
Fish are caught with spears or with other variants such as tridents, harpoons, Hawaiian slings, spear guns, and arrows.
4. Netting
Fishers use nets as a method of fishing. You get several types of nets with separate uses for different types of fish. A casting net is a small round net with weights attached on the edges. Gillnets are vertically placed in the water with a combination of attached floats and weights, and the fish is caught when they try passing through them. Trawling nets are large, conical nets, which are dragged by a ship.
5. Angling
Where fishing is done with a line, hook, and rod. The hook has bait to attract fish and is sometimes weighted with using a sinker. Focus Fishing’s website offers more informative articles on all things fish-related.
6. Fly Fishing
Fishers uses lures like artificial flies (available in a variety of shapes) with specially constructed fly lines and rods.
7. Bottom Fishing
Fishermen fish from land or boats with a heavyweight at the bottom of the body of water. The aim is to catch fish that resides at the bottom.
8. Ice Fishing
Often practiced by Eskimos, this method of fishing is done through a hole in the ice when a body of water is frozen.
9. Float Tube Fishing
Fishing is done from a small boat which is inflatable and is often used for fly-fishing or when fishers are trying not to scare the fish with too much splashing. Does it really make sense to ride on a boat run by a powerful trolling motor when you aim to catch fish? You’ll certainly scare the shoals miles away from you.
10. Trapping
Fishing is done by using basket weir traps, woven from branches and produced so that a fish can enter the trap but not exit. Lobster traps are smaller with more compartments but are made similar. Fishing weirs are large traps made of fences and logs and placed in the water to fore fish into entering parts of the trap from where they cannot exit.
11. Cormorant Fishing
A practice in Japan and China since the fourteenth century. They use trained cormorants with rings on their necks to prevent the birds from swallowing the fish once they catch it. They bring the fish to the fish to the fishermen.
12. Electrofishing
Fishery scientists use this method for freshwater fishing. Fish is stun by using electricity to check the fish population and then returned to the water unharmed.