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The Freshwater Angler™
The
,
www.creativepub.com
CREDITS
international
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO FRESHWATER FISHING
Executive Editor, Outdoor Products Group: David R. Maas
Creative Director: Bradley Springer
Managing Editor: Jill Anderson
Senior Ed,tor: Steven J. Hauge
Photo Ed,tor: Angela Hartwell
Director, Production SeMces: Kim Gerber
Production Manager: Helga Thielen
Production Staff: Stephanie Barakos, Laura Hokkanen
Contn'buting Manufacturers: Berkley (www.berkley-fishing.com): pp. 29, 30TR; Lowrance Electronics, Inc.
(www.lowrance.com): pp. 38T, 38(,41 all; Ranger Boat Co. (www.rangerboats.com): p. 36
Contn'buting PhotographelJ: Bill Buckley/The Green Agency: pp. 278-279; Dwight Kuhn: p. 12TL; Chris Munchow:
p. 46; Dale C. Spartas: p. llBC
fish Idenbfication Illustrations: Joseph R. Tomelleri (www.americanfishes.com)
Printing: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © 2002, 2010 by Creative Publishing international, Inc.
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
1-800-328-3895
www.creativepub.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The complete guide to freshwater fishing.
p. cm. -- (Freshwater angler)
ISBN 1-58923-009-4
Digital ISBN: 97-1-61673-906-5
1. Fishing. 2. Freshwater fishes. 1. Creative Publishing International. II. Series.
SH441.C5923 2002
799.1'1--dc21 2001047615
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ... 4
All About Gamefish ... 6
In order to consistently catch fish, you need to have a good understanding of their senses, their spawning and
feeding behavior, and how they change location throughout the season in ponds, lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
The chapters in this section detail all of this information in an easy-to-understand manner. You'll also see the
cover types used by fish under a wide variety of on-the-water conditions.
Fishing Equipment ... 24
From rods and reels to high-tech sonar devices, you must have functional and dependable fishing equipment
to be successful. The chapters in this section show you how to pick out the best gear and get the most out of
it. On any given day, gamefish typically prefer a particular lure or bait type. The chapter "Lures and Live Bait,"
(p. 46) teaches you how to narrow your choices and make smart decisions.
Skills ... 54
Your ability to make long, accurate casts and control the boat while casting, drifting or trolling is critical to
consistently catching fish. In addition, you must perfect the skills of setting the hook and playing and landing
fish. Finally, it's important to release many of the fish you catch to guarantee good fishing in the future. These
pages show you how to carefully land and release fish so they can be caught another day.
How to Catch Fish ... 72
crankbaits, weed less spoons, topwater lures and
soft plastics.
LARGEMOUTH BASS ••• 74
104
SMALLMOUTH BASS •••
Throughout North America,
Whether you prefer to catch smallies on jigs, top
the largemouth bass is tar
water lures or live crayfish, this chapter details the
geted for its tremendous
best presentations for every situation.
fighting and jumping ability. You too can enjoy this
exciting action by learning tournament-tested pat
STRIPED BASS & WHITE BASS ••• 114
terns for catching largemouths on spinnerbaits,
Catching these schooling species requires special speed and aggression. In these pages you'll learn
ized fishing techniques, such as jump-fishing and how to fool these awesome fish with all types of
balloon fishing. artificial lures and live baits.
122 222
SUNFISH ••• STREAM TROUT •••
It's easy to catch numbers of little sunfish, This chapter teaches you how to identify and
butthe big ones a re more elusive. This catch rainbow, brown, brook and cut
chapter explains how you can catch throat trout. You'll learn how to choose
big sunfish year-round by choosing a fly-fishing setup, and when to use
the right lures and live baits. dry flies, wet flies, streamers or
nymphs. You'll also see proven methods
134
CRAPPIES ••• for catching trophy trout with spinners,
Often the most difficult part of catching plugs and live bait.
crappies is finding them. In these pages you will
252
discover methods for locating suspended crappies STEELHEAD •••
in the waters you fish. This close relative of the rainbow trout is known
for its ability to make line-breaking runs after it's
146
YELLOW PERCH ••• hooked. In these pages you'll learn how to use
While tiny yellow perch are usually aggressive egg imitations and other lures to trigger strikes,
feeders, it takes special tactics to fool the wary and how to land a higher percentage of hooked
"jumbos." steelhead.
CATFISH ••• 150 LAKE TROUT ••• 256
In order to catch flatheads, channels and blues, Known as "The Fish of the Far North," lake trout
you should master a variety of fishing tech grow to huge size and are powerful fighters. This
niques, including still-fishing, drift-fishing, chapter will help you track the seasonal movements
trotlining, jug fishing and limblining. Hand of lakers, and teach you how to catch these giants by
grabbing, or "noodling," is also covered in still-fishing, trolling and verticaljigging.
this chapter.
SALMON ••• 262
172
BULLHEADS •••
Thanks to successful stocking efforts, salmon can
Bullheads are targeted by many anglers through
now be caught in the Great Lakes and many other
out the United States. This chapter shows you the
inland fisheries. Of course, salmon are one of the
different types of bullheads, and also the proper
most popular gamefish along the West and
handling method to unhook these fish.
East coasts. From downriggers to
trolling boards, this chapter will
& 174
WALLEYES SAUGERS •••
show you guide-tested methods
If you're an avid walleye and sauger angler, you
for catching all species of
know that these fish aren't always cooperative
salmon.
biters. You can increase your success dramatically,
however, by learning how the tournament pros KEEPING & CLEANING FISH ••• 272
use jigs, spinners, slip-sinker rigs, slip-bobbers
From filleting and pan-dressing to steaking
and crankbaits to quickly find active fish.
and skinning, this chapter shows you how to make
the most out of your day's catch. Included are tips
& M 200
PIKE USKIES •••
for removing the Y-bones from northern pike.
Few species of gamefish are as exciting as north
ern pike and muskies. These toothy predators are PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR CATCH ••• 278
famous for attacking their prey with incredible
Regardless of whether you keep or release your
catch, a great photo of your trophy is something
The book staff traveled to Castaic Lake in California to catch and photograph giant largemouth bass.
n deveLoping this book, the
writers, editors and researchers
traveLed from ALaska to Mexico
to fish with veteran guides and
•
nationaLLy known tour
nament angLers. The
tips and techniques
they uncovered are
fuLLy expLained in these pages
through hundreds of fuLL-coLor how
to photographs and an interesting,
The walleye fishing was Canadian waLLeye fish
easy-to-understand text. The foL
ing at its finest as the staff Located fish on
Lowing paragraphs highLight a few nearLy every reef and point. And thanks to the
fine Lac SueL guides, the staff Learned a number
of the most memorabLe book staff
of different presentations tailored for reservoir
fishing adventures. waLLeyes.
Western Lake Trout - Flaming Gorge Reservoir,
Arkansas Catfish - A rustic houseboat owned Located on the Wyoming-Utah border, brought
by RaLph Griffin, liThe Cat Man," was home to the the staff in search of trophy Lake trout. LocaL
book staff for an amazing week of trotLining, jug guide Cliff Redmon provided the fishing infor
fishing and LimbLining. The staff traveLed by jon mation needed to Land severaL of the giant
boats throughout the Three Rivers Country - the Lakers Flaming Gorge is known for, and aLso
region where the White, Arkansas and Mississippi introduced the crew to great kokanee saLmon
rivers converge - and Learned how RaLph suc and smaLLmouth bass fisheries availabLe at
cessfuLLy catches big bLue and flathead catfish. liThe Gorge."
Mexico Largemouths - The photo crew spent Kentucky Mixed Bag - Kentucky provided the
10 incredibLe days bass fishing with LocaL guides staff with a number of fishing opportunities on
on Lake Guerrero, Mexico. Creek channeLs, weed scenic Lake CumberLand. Working closeLy with
beds, timber, brush and man-made features aLL LocaL guide and fishing expert Randall Gibson,
heLd bass on this sprawLing reservoir. According the staff gathered information over a 2-week
to the staff, the best part of the adventure was period on how to catch eight different fish
putting the cameras down and getting in on the species. Duri ng their stay, the staff was sta
expLosive action. After a coupLe of days the tioned on a houseboat in the heart of the best
crew was missing thumbprints from Lip-Landing fishing. The trophy striped bass fishing was the
and unhooking big Largemouths. highLight of the trip, as the staff worked closeLy
Canada Muskies and Walleyes - A 11f2-hour with a crew from In-Fisherman magazine to dis
boat ride to the outpost camp on beautifuL Lac cover Little-known stri per secrets.
SueL in Ontario, Canada, was home for the These trips are onLy a small sampLing of the
staff's north woods muskie/waLLeye trip. This dozens and dozens of fishing adventures the
huge body of water is known for producing tro staff enjoyed while putting together this book.
phy muskies. During the week, the crew As you turn these pages, you can be assured
Learned and used various techniques to catch that the fishing tips and techniques you're
and photograph severaL muskies, including a Learning come from North America's finest fresh
35-pound giant on the Last night of their stay. water angLers.
5
nderstanding how different gamefish species
live and interact in their environment is the first
step in learning how to catch them consistently.
This section details the basic biology of North
American gamefish, along with the characteristics of
the waters they occupy. The trophy smallmouth bass
st.
shown in this photo was caught on the Croix River
in Wisconsin.
•
ou don't have to be a fisheries biologist to
be a successful angler. However, without a solid
understanding of how fish use their senses to
feed and avoid predators,
you'LL have a difficult time finding and
catching fish consistently. Likewise,
you need to know how the
spawning season affects
gamefish location and
behavior in aLL bodies
of water.
Fish Senses
Fish are fine-tuned to their brightness
watery world. In addition to the and color by means
usual senses of most animals - of tiny receptors, called
vision, hearing, taste and smell rods and cones, in the retina.
they have a unique sense, the lat Rods sense light intensity; cones that the
eralline. It enables them to find identify color. most effective colors
food and detect danger even when Most fish, particularly shallow are usually blues and
they are unable to see. water species like largemouth greens. Even if fish cannot see a
LATERAL LINE. Nerve endings bass, have good color vision. In certain color, however, they can
along a fish's sides (see crappie bright light near the surface, still identify the object. They see it
above) sense vibrations in the they can detect much the same as a shade of gray, or they may
water, helping fish determine the range of color as humans. But respond to a flash of light reflect
speed, direction of movement, some fish cannot see the full ed from it. This ability, combined
and even size of predators and color spectrum. Walleyes, for with the lateral-line sense,
prey. In murky water, the lateral instance, see all colors as some explains why brightness and
line is more important to a fish's shade of red or green. action of a lure are often more
survival than its eyes. Not only Water fi lters out color, so fish important than its color.
does it enable fish to find food in the depths cannot see the The distance fish can see in
and escape predators, it also spectrum of colors visible at the water depends on its clarity. In
helps them detect fixed objects surface. extremely clear water, fish can spot
and swim smoothly in compact Red is first to disappear; yel objects more than 100 feet away,
schools. low, next; and blue, last. Anglers but in very murky water, they can
VISION. Like humans, fish see working deep water soon learn see only a few inches. The usual
8 FISH BASICS
