If you read my article about the tadpoles I caught at my cottage, you already know that I love nature and all God’s creation.  But, not only do I love bullfrogs and tadpoles, I also love fish.  I love going fishing.  I usually go fishing at my cottage.  But, sometimes I fish in Michigan where my Aunt and Uncle live.  Wherever I am, it’s always fun to catch a fish.  You never know what you’re going to catch – perch, bluegill, bass, large-mouth bass, catfish, etc. Here’s a large mouth bass I caught at my cottage.  Ever since I was little, my dad and I have had a tradition (or a joke you might say) that we always kiss each fish we catch before we throw it back, except for catfish of course.

I usually use the fake bait (lures), but sometimes I use real worms.  When I was little, the worms didn’t like me as much as I liked them.  I’d squeeze them and stretch them.  My grandma used to joke that she bet the worms couldn’t wait to get on the hook and get away from me.  Now, I’m nicer to worms (besides the fact that I put a hook through them).  Anyway, as I was saying, I use lures way more than real bait.  If you want to find real bait or lures, I’d suggest that you Google the nearest Bait and Tackle Store.  If you don’t find one near you, your other option is to go to your background, dig a hole, and search for some worms (just kidding).

The two best times to go fishing are right at the beginning of the day and the last hour of daylight.  That’s when they like to feed.  There are many types of fishing:  some people fish off a boat, some people go trolling, other people go hand fishing, or in the winter, some people ice fish.  I like to go dock fishing, which basically means I fish off a dock. I did a little bit of research about the different types of fishing I listed above.  Here’s what I found out:

Dock Fishing:  You fish off a dock.  Big docks located by weeds, that are closer to the water, and have tight decking (no cracks or opening between the decking), are the best to fish off of.  These docks provide shade, which attracts and holds bass.  Here’s me and my dad fishing off the dock at my uncle’s place in Michigan.

Ice Fishing:  Anglers (people who fish with a hook and line) can drill and check hundreds of holes in the ice.  Hand held GPS and augers help the fishermen.  An auger is a drilling device.  The rotation of the blade in the auger forces the material out of the hole being drilled.

Hand Fishing:  One type of hand fishing is called noodling.  Noodling is fishing for catfish using your bare hands.  The noodler goes underwater to depths of a few feet to 20 feet.  He finds a catfish hole and puts his hand in it.  If everything goes right, the catfish swims forward and latches onto the fisherman’s hand (usually to try to maneuver itself out).  If the fish is big enough, the noodle hooks his hand around the catfish’s gill.  I personally wouldn’t recommend this type of fishing; besides, this type of fishing is illegal in some states.

And, last but not least, here is my research on trolling.  I wanted to do some research on this because my friend went to Kentucky and she told me she went trolling.  I had never heard of that before, but don’t worry, it’s nothing like hand fishing.  It’s much simpler.

Trolling:  Trolling is a type of fishing where a couple of baited fishing lines are drawn through the water.  This could be from behind a boat or winding the line in from the shore.

I hope you enjoyed my article.   Come back to KIDS CORNER for more articles about wildlife.  See you soon.