angling

Fishing with rod and line. It is widespread and ancient in origin, fish hooks having been found in prehistoric cave dwellings. Competition angling exists and world championships take place for most branches of the sport.

The oldest is the World Freshwater Championship, inaugurated in 1957.

Freshwater fishing embraces coarse fishing, in which members of the carp family, pike, perch, and eels are taken by baits or lures, and (in the UK) are returned to the water virtually unharmed; and game fishing, in which members of the salmon family, such as salmon and trout, are taken by spinners (revolving lures) and flies (imitations of adult or larval insects).

In sea fishing the catch includes flatfish, bass, and mackerel; big-game fishes include shark, tuna or tunny, marlin, and swordfish.

Coarse fishing So called because of the coarse texture of the flesh of non-salmonid fish, coarse fishing is the most popular branch of angling. The UK coarse fishing season runs from 16 June to 14 March, when normally vegetarian fish such as roach, bream, carp, chub, dace, and tench are taken on a wide variety of baits. Omnivorous and predatory fish, including perch, pike, and eels, are taken using live or dead fish baits or spinners, which are designed to imitate the movement and vibration of a small fish. The two standard techniques are float fishing, with the bait suspended above the river bed or laid on to it (float leger), or leger fishing with heavier end weights, when indication of a bite is given by movement of the rod-tip. Maggots are popular as hook bait, varying in size according to the fly, and stained different colours using vegetable dyes. The maggot changes to a chrysalid after a short time and becomes an equally popular hook bait known generally as a ‘caster’.

Game fishing The art of fly fishing is based on the ability to cast an imitation of the flies that form the main diet of trout, salmon, and other insectivorous species. The three main species of fly imitated, either during their underwater larval stage (wet-fly), or when they have hatched out and are winged (dry-fly), are Diptera or midges, especially the genus Chironomus, mayflies, and caddis or sedge flies. Salmon and sea-trout fishing is confined to rivers with unimpeded seaward access and little pollution. Successful angling for salmon depends very much on the condition of the water that controls the running of the fish after they enter from the sea.

Sea fishing Sea fishing can be from shore, pier, or boat. The main hook baits used are lugworm, ragworm, mussel, and fresh fish. Lures can also be used for flatfish (dabs, sole, flounders), bass, and mackerel. Big-game fishing is a separate category and is considered the ultimate form of angling, with shark, tuna, and swordfish being the main species hunted. The use of a mixture of fish and oil as ground bait is essential for shark fishing.