It's the end of a long day of hiking.
Tip
• If you happen to be visiting a national park, you can usually buy a license that permits you to fish throughout the park. In some cases, nonresidents have to pay more for their fishing licenses than do residents. People caught fishing without a license may find themselves stopped by the local warden and slapped with hefty fines!
• One of the easiest ways to find live bait is to buy worms or minnows at the local tackle shop. What if you forget or you're in the backcountry without bait? To find earthworms, uncover large rocks or logs and gently probe the earth underneath with a stick. Use a flashlight and look for them at night sliding through the grass.
First, you must be able to distinguish between a nibble and a bite. This is not always easy to do at first; it comes with time and practice. Imagine your line with your bait or lure at the end. If the fish just toys with it, without putting the whole thing in its mouth, that's a nibble. If you're using a bobber, it will dance up and down a bit, but it won't be pulled under the water. It usually takes one or two nibbles before the fish really tries to eat the bait or lure. Now, that's a bite-which feels like a more serious tug on the line. Usually, a bite pulls the bobber on your line all the way under the water. This is the time to pull the rod back and set the barb of the hook (the jagged part) into the fish's mouth. And timing is everything. If you don't set the hook at this time, it may fall out and the fish will get away. If you try to set the hook when the fish is merely nibbling, you'll just pull away the bait or lure, and possibly scare off the fish.
Just because you've got ultralight gear doesn't mean you have to catch ultralight fish. You can reel in lots of respectable-size fish if you know the secret: setting your drag on the reel. The drag is like a brake that controls the tautness of the line. If you set the drag for maximum tension, no matter how hard the line is pulled, it will not slip off the line spool. If you set the drag for minimum tension, it will slip a little. This is especially important when you're using ultralight gear with line that is only two- or three-pound test. If you set your drag to maximum tension, you risk breaking the line if a fish pulls hard on it. If you set it on minimum, the line will slip a little when the fish pulls, lowering its chance of actually breaking. Set the drag on your line before you begin fishing. When you buy your reel, ask a knowledgeable person at the store how to set the drag on your reel. Learn the joys of giving up a little line- and in return, getting back a fish!
Tip: Fish tend to be more plentiful just prior to rain because the low-pressure system in the atmosphere dislodges food from the bottoms of streams and lakes, letting it rise to the surface. Before it rains, the fish will come.
Even after you've set your drag, it's still not a great idea to reel in the fish right after you've set the hook. If the fish makes a mad dash for it and tries to escape, you still risk breaking your line. The best thing to do is to cut the fish a little slack. Reel in some line, let the line go, and then let it run a little, and then reel it in again. It may take a little longer to land it this way, but your patience will pay off. Learning this technique will permit you to catch fair-size game fish using just your ultralight gear.
Imagine that you are an airline pilot trying to land a plane. You have to land it properly in order for it to be a success. It's the same in fishing. Sadly, no matter how big or beautiful the fish is, unless you pull it to shore, it's still the "one that got away." Here are some helpful hints that should help you get that fish to its dinner engagement (though they'll work whether you choose to fry it or release it).
• Reel in the fish as close as possible to the shore, but be sure to keep it in the water.
• Fish are coated with a protective slime. If you intend to throw the fish back, be sure you don't scrape the slime off; otherwise handling the fish-especially if your hands are dry-can kill it by causing infection.
• Using your left thumb and forefinger, grab the fish by its lower jaw. This will temporarily immobilize the fish and stop it from flopping around. Don't worry about teeth; most of the small game fish you'll be catching don't have them.
• Nets can be useful, but are too bulky for backpackers.
• Remove the hook from the fish by pushing on the shank-the base of the hook near the eye-with small pliers or your hand. Be careful not to cut your fingers on the hook or the sharp edges of the fish's gills. If a fish hook gets stuck in your finger and doesn't come out easily, seek medical attention.
• Never try to land the fish by reeling it up to the top of your rod. You could break the line and may hurt the fish.
• If you decide to keep the fish, put it on your stringer and keep it in the water until you go back to camp. The typical stringer is a piece of cord with a metal tip and a loop at the end that you push carefully under a fish's gills; another model employs a chain with big snaps.
• Be sure you attach your stringer to something solid, or you risk losing your catch.
Freeing Fishy
Sometimes you will land a fish and realize that it's just a baby-only a few ounces-and too tiny to cook. Or perhaps it's a species that is not in season. Or perhaps you just lost your appetite for the big kill. Whatever the reason, you may want to throw it back. Here are some useful tips:
• Try not to wear out the fish by playing with it too much before you land it.
• Leave your fish in the water and never touch it with dry hands.
• Gently remove the hook; squeezing the fish will crush its internal organs.
• If the hook is too hard to remove or the fish has swallowed it, cut the line.
• Release the fish in quiet water. Never actually throw it back, this may hurt it or kill it. If the fish needs help recovering from the shock of being caught, hold it lengthwise and gently move it back and forth in the water to move its gills and help it breathe.
How to Clean the Fish
Here are a few simple steps to cleaning fish to prepare it for cooking:
• First kill the fish by whacking it on the head with a heavy knife or a rock.
• Wrap a piece of linen or paper around the tail of the fish to ensure a good grip.
• If the fish has scales, scratch the inverse side of the scales with a knife to remove them (stroke the blade of a knife from tail to head). After scaling the fish, rinse it with water to remove extraneous scales.
• Take a very sharp knife (the best ones are narrow with a small point at the end) and, starting at the throat, slit the underside of the fish lengthwise; cut all the way along the belly.
• Remove all the internal organs.
• Fillet the fish, or pan-fry it whole.
• Dig a small hole in the ground and bury the fish entrails.
Fish for Dinner
It's easy to cook your fish. Put a little butter or oil in a frying pan. Fry it for just a few minutes on each side. Don't overcook, or your dinner may be ruined. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. You might also try adding some garlic. Another way to cook fish is by wrapping it in thick aluminum foil and putting in the campfire for a few minutes with some spices. You can also use the foil as a plate.
Be sure you clean up properly after dinner to avoid attracting animals to your camp.
No matter how good your fishing skills are, it's not a good idea to count your fish before they're caught. Don't plan on catching dinner on a backpacking trip. Instead, plan your meals before you leave-and always bring along enough food with you, including food for one extra day (just in case you get stranded). If you happen to catch a yellow perch, consider it a treat. You can always bring back the pouch of dehydrated goulash and use it on your next trip. If there is an emergency and you do get stranded in the backcountry, a fishing rod is valuable to have.
http://sites.google.com/site/carpfishingguide is a free informational website about carp fishing including choosing your carp fishing tackle, tips on carp care, carp fishing tactics and many more
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