YOUR TIME ON THE WATER

By Guide, Art Malin

The art of fishing has undergone tremendous changes since the first Homo sapiens tried to catch fish with crude spears or hooks fashioned with certain circular bones tied to sinew made from animals. Slowly changes came about mostly during and following the industrial revolution. Man has changed, equipment has gone through a drastic change and now you can just about learn anything you want about fishing techniques from VCR tapes, TV info etc. etc. etc. In the last thirty years or so information and equipment changes have virtually gone off the screen.

We have fish locators that are paper graph, liquid crystal display, flashers, TV screens, you name it. The latest is underwater cameras that permit you to see what is down there and even watch fish hit your bait. You can get a map of the water you want to fish, with GPS coordinates to help you find where you are and graphic details of what the bottom of the lake looks like. I won’t even begin to discuss types of lures. There are thousands. Rods and reels run into the mega sphere in terms of cost. Boats, motors and other equipment are breath taking.

But do you know what? The vast majority of fishing persons don’t catch that many fish. Why is that? All the finest equipment in the world won’t help you unless you’re using it correctly and are willing to learn or experiment if nothing is happening .Take a swimming jig for example. If you tie that jig on your line and it hangs like a limp noodle, chances are you will not get as much action as the person who has pulled the line back toward the hook and made the jig hang perpendicular to the bottom.

If you have come up here to the North Woods and are on vacation and want to make the best of your fishing time spend a little extra and have licensed fishing guide show you how. He or she knows how, where and when to catch fish. They are not God. They may not catch that many fish but, to quote the Music Man, THEY KNOW THE TERRITORY. Have fun enjoy our great fishing area and please come back.