Fishing for sport is pretty much the same everywhere. It’s done with a rod and reel, some bait and lures, and maybe a boat. What people are fishing for will vary all over the world, of course, because the same fish don’t live all over the world. The manner in how people try to catch them, though, is roughly the same. Because fishing is a timeless activity, a lot of tradition, superstition, and myths surround it. Early man didn’t fish for enjoyment and relaxation; they fished so they wouldn’t starve. Of course, there is still commercial fishing today, but fishing is also a sport and leisure activity enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. Here we try to dispel some common misconceptions about fishing and win some new fishing enthusiasts.
Misconception: Fishing Is Boring
Get the notion of a solitary old man drifting in a boat out of your head. Fishing can be an exciting and exhausting activity. It is quite a great thrill to get a fish on the line and try to reel it in without losing it. They fight, and you fight. It takes skill to bring in a 2-pound crappie—now imagine you are reeling in a 700-pound marlin! Fishing Panama for marlin and hooking into a monster is about as exciting as it gets.
Misconception: Fishermen Keep Everything They Catch
Keeping or releasing a fish is up to the fisherman who caught it. Some areas have strict rules that demand releasing anything that’s caught. There is obvious value in releasing the fish so they can continue to live and mate and perpetuate the species. But some fish have no natural predators and can easily take over an area and eat all the other fish. There are also invasive species in certain waterways, and their destruction is necessary for the survival of everything else.
Misconception: Fishing Pollutes the Waterways
Fishermen spend a lot of time on the water and out in nature because they enjoy it. It makes no sense that they would pollute that which they love. If they destroy the ecosystem of the fish they are trying to catch, there will be nothing left to catch. Fishermen are very conscious of the water and everything in it and around it, and they take care to have as little an impact on it as possible.
Misconception: You Must Be Quiet
“Shut up, you’re scaring the fish!” is a common refrain that comes to mind when most people think of fishing. Well, that might have been the case when some cantankerous old guy didn’t want to hear a kid babble on with a thousand questions. Talking on the water is permitted and encouraged. Chatting about nothing on the water with some buddies is relaxing and therapeutic.
