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Anyone here like fishing?

Recently I've started taking it quite serious. I've won 350 euros as 2nd place in a match here in my town this morning. The association here holds about 350 members and the matches are 4 times 4 hours 2 weeks apart, where only your 3 best matches count towards your final weight (numbers matter as well, not entirely sure on the algorithm though). The matches are usually about 150 people each time. Got some smaller prizes as well that I've gathered over the years. What's amazing is all of the members know eachother, and after the prize ceremony it's just a matter of drinking in a pub somewhere Really nice atmosphere around these people, I absolutely love it.

I've been fishing for some years now, and I love it There's a ton of nice ponds/rivers/lakes/channels here where I live in the province of Limburg (Holland). It's just so nice to be able to sit near the water and enjoy the environment and catch some fish :p Loads of wildlife, calm atmosphere, amazing!

For U.S readers, keep in mind this is mostly pole-fishing here in Europe on private lakes where matches are organized. There aren't very big fish there, with some exceptions. Just Carp, Bream, Tench, Bass, Roach, Rudd, etc etc. All the freshwater fish basically. Feeder- and waggler fishing is allowed as well in the matches, and the best anglers change alot on these methods of fishing to try and get numbers + weight balanced throughout a match. Or when the pole (few metres off the banks)isn't working, just switch etc. I know pole-fishing isn't very popular at all in the U.S., most people don't even know what it is exactly. It's just a pole with sections that you can take off which gives you alot more control, and on the tip theres a simple line attached with a float + weight + hook, which you just drop in the same spot after you stick your sections on. its faster in general, and the recent-ish elastics technology ensures you can pretty much get double figure fish out as well with the pole. I can go into further details but im sure you get the picture by now ^^

There's so much you can know about fishing. Gear, technique, wellbeing of the fish, knowledge of water+wind conditions etc. I love learning it all and I've learned quite a bit over the years. I've been taught well though, my uncle is an accomplished angler and he has quite some trophy's from the last 20 years.

Lately it's kinda become my dream to be a professional angler and travel to international matches. These things are huge... people are sponsored, coaches, representing their country with national anthems and all, amazing!

Anyway, I'm still a smalltimer, but I've been told I do well for a 20 year old I want to take this further, most def.

Anyone like fishing at all?

i like fishing, i just hate it when people call it a sport.

Do you throw them back in the water? @[SD]Twysta

Oh yeah, definitely. There are loads of really strict rules that ensure the wellbeing of the catch in most commercial fishing grounds these days. Also known as the catch-and-release policy.

When match anglers catch a fish, they'll unhook it, and put it in a keeping net which is basically a sectioned tunnel down into the water (a net). After the match is over, this net is weighed in, after which the fish are released immediately.

With recreational fishing etc, they are immediately released after unhooking. Sometimes, the double figure fish need some extra time in the water for recovery before they have regained enough strength to swim off, which some people believe is not actually needed and is only bad for the fish. It is a rule in fact on some waters. What you do is basically hold it by its tail and wiggle it back and forth on the surface/just under the surface so the gills have more water going through them. That way the fish can filter out oxygen more quickly and have a better recovery. It'll swim off in a heartbeat this way. I've tried it many times, the difference between holding it before it swims off, and wiggling it by its tail is huge.

Most modern commercial fishing grounds/associations enforce really strict rules on handling fish anyway. Some people might argue that it's animal cruelty to some extent, but the scientific facts are out there so I never get involved with these conversations. I handle my catch with extreme care to ensure they can be caught again

The rules can vary alot though. The one in my town (which is relatively small), has strict rules on baits to ensure the fish aren't fed too much. There are park rangers (its just inside a national park, I live on the edge of it) , police officers and people from the association that do regular checks there every day. Since it's in a national park which is a popular tourist attraction due to big recreational parks in the area, there are lots of people that don't know the rules and try to take fish with them to eat. These people are serious, and this is serious business too. The fines are huge. Some of the fish in our lake are protected as well by law. Endangered species such as the catfish and some others, if the police catch you with one of these on shore you're in for some serious troublz! You can't use some popular baits such as coloured maggets, boilies, because of the chemicals etc. You can't use live baits (fish that you put on the hook) because that only attracs predatory fish and the ones in our lake are a protected species by law. The list goes on.

Anyway im drifting off topic. These are just some of the simple rules. There are tons of papers on a clipboard as you enter the area, filled with rules. Some are quite pathetic but make sense to some degree.

If you find a place where you catch alot of fish on a regular day of fishing (by that I mean 75+ in all sizes), it means the fish are well taken care of, the rules are right, and it's just a nice place which also gets people to come there more often, and new people to come there as well.

Yup, I fish when I can.I live in central Florida, so there are many places to fish, but I've never gone freshwater believe it or not.. If I lived closer to the coasts, I'd go alot more often, but its a 1-2 hour drive to the coast from where I live. Mainly just go off of piers for a good time, dont really have a boat to go troll or in the deeper waters. Pretty hot over here, so the water is alot warmer. Usually catch Flounder, Blue fish, sheepshead, pompano, and other stuff like sea bass and red fish. Overall, I enjoy it, and its pretty fun.

Sometimes if they are good size we will keep them, but most we throw back. Use live ( or dead )shrimp which is always good saltwater bait, crabs,and sometimes softbait like berkley gulp products

I went fly fishing once. Didn't catch anything and never tried again.

My dad and a friend caught one of these once:



They caught it and dragged it to shore by themselves, no boat or anything like that. Where is your fishing God now ? True story btw.

I don't find fishing to be a sport, but that's just me. Sure there's some technique involved, but to me it's more of if you're lucky enough to have a fish swim by your lure.

I do find fishing to be a really relaxing hobby though. Often times my friends and I will take a few rods out to the ocean and fish off the piers. It's good to just wind down, sip a few brews, and just hang out with the guys.

That's why you feed your area, you will have school and even shoal of fish around at all times depending on the technique you used Feeding is the most important thing in fishing so this stuff goes real far. Sure a little luck helps, but the ratio's are nothing like most non-fisherman think



That is exactly how I think about it. My dream (kinda) is to take it alot further, but the bottom line is always this right here. When you're at a nice water and you're just chilling on the banks with a drink and a smile on your face, tossing stories back and forth with friends, it's complete zen!

I listen to vocal hardstyle/trance when I'm going solo and the morning wildlife music is gone



Lmao, I did the same as my very first fishing trip. Went with my stepdad, I didn't catch a thing Fly fishing is quite hard to master. It's fun though once you get the hang of it, it's quite an amazing way to catch fish. I'll probably never do it again though, not my style.


@ Love, did they weigh it? :O

Heaviest fish I ever caught was a 55 pound (roughly 20 kg) catfish. Took around 2 hours to land it, these guys have some real fight in them.

That sounds good!
Otherwise... we may find that there are no fish left in the lake. Isn't that right? xD

Well, technically, they grow in numbers every year (the total fish count in any lake that is) if they are put back in without any harm after being caught. However there are other, more natural conditions that reduce the population of a species sometimes. Lots of things are involved here.

But yeah it sure helps when they are properly handled at commercial fishing grounds.

Btw what I meant with protected by law; it's because they are endangered. The fishing lake I'm talking about has 2 out of roughly 20 protected fish species in Holland living in it. It's the Catfish and the Asp. There's a couple more throughout holland such as the Salmon family.

Anyway, yeah, if you get caught with one of those you're going to do some time most likely

Yep! I love to fish. I too have fished several tournaments, but never won anything substantial. Just a few small prizes. There is a big bass tourney we fish every year that is really popular. Basically, there is a weigh-in every hour and the top 10 biggest win money, 6am-2pm. At the end of three days the top three fish from the entire weekend win huge prizes (truck + boat + atv etc).

Sounds like we fish completely different where I from compared to you. I fish almost exclusively for black bass (large, spotted, etc) in fresh water, using a boat, and all types when saltwater fishing, but usually red snapper and tuna. I have my own boat and my grandfather is an avid fisher with several of his own fresh and saltwater boats.

.curve, there is a lot of skill involved in fishing, especially tournament caliber fishing. You have to know what you're doing to consistently produce nice 5 fish stringers in tournaments, especially in adverse weather. At the latest tourney I was in it was constant 25mph winds on a lake where the water was 8 feet low with 4 foot rollers (huge waves for a fresh water bass tourney). Far from ideal fishing yet the veteran fishermen (a pro-am guy I know in particular) produced fish all weekend. If it was 'luck' the Pro tour would be full of fishermen...

Gas must suck if your going on a boat :[

Nice!

Yes, the methods are entirely different I use the feeder/waggler as well occasionally but not much really. That's because I have 2 topsets for my pole. I rig 1 up for carp fishing (using Pellets) and 1 for smaller fish (using maggets). I use other pellets to feed my carp spot, and I use a groundbait mix for the smaller fish (rudd, roach, small bass, chub etc). Topsets are the last 3 sections of a pole (and your line basically is the length of these 3 all the time). You can just swap them out in 5 seconds and you can fish entirely different. Just a matter of taking your pole in, taking the topset off, put the other set on, and done. The carp line is .14, and the other one .10. I find this to be working very nicely for my matches. Other people prefer to use a feeder or a waggler float system to get their weight in matches, but it takes too much time imo. You can easily work on a feeding ground for carp and one for smaller fish using different food, and in 2 or 3 spots that you can reach with your pole. Lots of people fish this way, but some still prefer a waggler/feeder rod next to a pole to get the numbers.

I have never actually gone fishing in the ocean. It's about a 1-2 hour drive from here, but I can certainly see myself doing it some time this summer with a buddy. We'll just go there for a day or 2. Like I said there's lots of waters inland in holland, absolute loads, so it's just a bit more popular I guess. My friend's parents (back when I was about 14) own a 40ft boat. We used to go there for weekends and roam around on the Maas (big river here). I never really fished on it though and I'm not even in contact with that guy anymore. But yeah I'd love to fish from a boat at some point, I will most likely end up buying one somewhere in my life. I love to be on a boat.

It's such a nice feeling to catch a somewhat bigger fish. It's amazing how they fight more and longer, the bigger/heavier they are. I caught a 7 pound carp with my pole today, took roughly 20 minutes before it was tired out enough for me to scoop it with my net. Elastic string on the end ftw That stuff has become really popular around here in western europe. You can easily take in double figure fish with a decent elastic and like .14 or .16 line. The elastic comes out about 3/4 metres and takes the blows. Really awesome.

Anyway yeah, I'm going to participate in some more matches this season. I used the prize money to buy a 3rd topset, some small stuff and a new 2.2 meter wide umbrella XD

Got some nice gear together now. I bought a nice one of these (not sure of the name):
last week as well. Very nice to have, everything goes in it. Pegs, poles, topsets, rods, umbrella, etc etc.

I go fishing almost every other weekend. My dad has a boat. I boat him a new fish finder for father's day. I can't wait - so excited. Plus my dad is a Farking boss.

I want to try some bowfishing next spring. He has a crossbow I could borrow but I am not sure if I need a firearm's license or if bowfishing is restricted to vertical bows?

When I was younger I would often go fishing with my dad. So yeah, I kinda like fishing. Haven't done it in a couple of years, though.


Quick question: Did you ever try fly fishing or whatever it's called.

I'm not sure if you're allowed. I'm not from the U.S. anyways. I think crossbows are illegal here, I don't think you can even have one with a permit/license. Can't you ask your old man? I'm sure he knows since he owns the crossbow?

Btw what does one of those fish finder things cost? It's like a high-tech piece of gear isn't it? Works with sonar to actually picture a pretty accurate image of everything under the surface of the water. Rocks, floor, depth, all the fish and even what type of fish, etc. I guess some are better than others.



Yeah I have (also wrote about it a few posts up). It's hard! xD I didn't catch a thing... It's alright I suppose but it will slowly make your arms fall off... honestly :p Once you master it, it's loads of fun apparently.

This. Is. Holland.

Honestly, if you can give me an example of someone who actually did time for catching a fish IN THE NETHERLANDS. I will... well idk, I'd be really really surprised.

In Texas you just need a fishing license to bow fish with any type of bow; compound, recurve crossbow, etc. Dunno about your state. I've never been, but I have a bow and would love to give it a try... looks challenging.

Nice looking gear bag Twysta. We definitely do it waaaay different here. Live bait is not allowed in tournaments, nor is chumming the water. We use artificial lures like plastic worms, plastic crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. My favorite is finess fishing with worms, specifically trick worms and senkos. Here's one style:



Fishfinders are great for finding underwater structure in deeper waters, drops offs, creek channels, etc. Stuff fish like to hang around. I don't use mine for actually 'seeing' fish usually. More to monitor the depth of water I'm fishing in and the things I mentioned above. They can be extremely useful... almost essential if you have a bass boat.

When I used to live in Dubai, the last 2 years we had some old 33foot long boat. We had 4 fishing rods and we used to do some trolling, biggest fish I tried to catch was a 9 years old, the fish weighed around 9.8kilos, (try to reel that in at 9, its impossible believe me) Was fun, not when its 46 degrees Celsius outside though gosh that was horrible...

I know bowfishing is legal here, there are just some restrictions. I don't think you can fish at night and your limited to certain types of fish. I'm going to have to call the ministry to clarify.

I bought my dad this fish finder for father's day: http://store.humminbird.com/products/34 ... 310ab4fa77 But I have no idea what to look for or what makes a fish finder good.

He told me yesterday that they have a ton of silver bass right now. I think that's what he will want to fish when I visit him. Last time I went down I hooked a muskie 3 times in a row within a span of 7 minutes. The first time he jumped out of the water and dislodged the hook, flew right passed my face under tension - almost lost an eye. The next two he managed to swim under a log and get my second hook stuck. Mother fucker.