Fishing has always been one of the most popular recreational activities since the 19th century. This pastime does not require you to have any skills or techniques in advance, but it can bring you a lot of benefits for both your mental and physical health. There are many different types of fishing; the three most well-known ones are freshwater, saltwater, and fly fishing.
Surprisingly, the participation rate for fishing is the highest among children and decreases for the older age group, though fishing is usually been thought to be a boring activity that is suitable for the elder.
If you are interested to know more about fishing, continue to read this article because we are going to provide you with all the useful information on fishing, from benefits of fishing to where and when you should fish, that you certainly want to hear.
Why you should fish?
Due to various benefits gained from fishing, many people are motivated to take this hobby up. There will be some values from fishing which you may not think of, so it is essential for us to give you an insight into what you can actually get from fishing that will attract you to the activity.
Patience and Concentration: You are required to be patient and to always stay focused to acknowledge when the fish takes the bait, as fish would rarely come immediately after you dip the bait in the water. Owning these two traits will have you to succeed in life.
Enhance family bonding: Fishing is usually a part of a family trip, which is when parents teach their kids how to fish. This is also the reason why the majority of people who take part in fishing are children. While learning fishing skills, parents can interact more with their children, chat with children about their study, and obviously try to teach them some life lessons.
Build Confidence: Once you have successfully caught a fish, you will definitely feel proud of yourself, which will then boost your self-confidence.
Reduce Stress: Fishing mostly happens in nature where you can hear the calming, soothing sound of the river and other creatures such as birds. You can also enjoy the fresh air and the peaceful atmosphere there to relieve your anxiety.
Keep your body fit: Places to fish are commonly not close to the main street. And you are often required to complete a 10 to 15-minute walk to get there. So by walking, you have already exercised without even realizing. Besides, the act of fishing itself can be considered a work-out. You will have to hold the fishing rod in one position for a long time and need to execute some strength to catch those huge fish.
Where to fish?
To choose a fishing location, you have to determine which type of fish you want to catch. Once you know what you want, you can try searching on the Internet for some nearby suggestions, but keep in mind that the weather can also affect the availability of fish in an area. After finding out the pond or lake of your preference, move on to find a spot there where there are fish. The simplest way to do this is by attempting to lure fishing or worm fishing. Wait for about 15 minutes to see if any fish are attracted. In case nothing happens, eliminate that spot and continue to test another one. It should also be noted that different fish prefer different water depths, so you may check the existing fish at several levels.
When to fish?
There are many different factors that you need to take into account when choosing the best time for fishing. And we are here to help you with that. Keep in mind that these are just general guidelines regardless of fish types. That means if you know exactly which fish you want to cast, our guides will still be helpful but you should also look at their specific behaviors and preferences.
1. Weather condition
Fish is highly influenced by the temperature of the water due to their cold-blooded trait. Their behavior differs before and after a cold or warm front.
Immediately before the cold front hits, fish starts to increase their feeding and slow it down afterward.
Warm front increases the water temperature, which motivates fish to go feeding.
Therefore, you should consider fishing before the cold front comes or during the warm front, and of course avoid doing this activity during and after the cold front period.
Furthermore, cloudy days also a good time for fishing because the gloomy sky can stimulate fish to look for food more than sunny days. Light rain is also an opportunity to fish as it drops all the insects and baits which fish eats into the water. Then we have windy days that are another great fishing time because the wind pushes surface water and small prey fish toward the far shore.
On the other hand, too high or too low water temperatures tend to decrease the amount of oxygen in the water, which causes fish to be less active in feeding. So extreme weather is obviously not going to be the best time for fishing.
2. Season
The amount of fish coming out does vary depending on which season you choose to go fishing.
Spring: This is not an ideal season for fishing. During spring, there are not going to be a lot of bugs, so it is unlikely for fish to go out and look for food. The weather is also not warm enough to encourage feeding activity. But if you can only fish in the spring, we suggest you do so at dusk as this is the fish’s usual feeding time.
Summer: The weather is generally hot in the summer, so it must be a nice fishing time except for those days with extreme heat. It is best to fish right before the sun going down since that is when food appears to be plentiful. Avoid fishing during mid-day when the temperature rises to the highest and fish tend to hide in cooler and deeper water.
Fall: This season will be an amazing time for fishing if you are able to choose the right time of the day. Morning and early afternoon are not a suitable time for fishing as the weather is quite cool. But it gets better beginning from the sunset up to the end of the day as the temperature increases. Fish would go out to eat more and you need to take this advantage to catch them.
Winter: Unless you do ice fishing, winter is no doubt a terrible time for fishing. The weather is way too cold for the fish to come out. Hence, you better want to take a rest from fishing and wait for the next season to arrive.
3. Tides
When the tide is in the process of rising or falling, an abundant amount of prey will move en-mass, which makes it an excellent time for coastal fish to feed. On the contrary, fishing during low or high tide will be more difficult since there is less water movement. But you can still fish when the high is low in shallow water and when the tide is low in a mud bank near a slough where there is a depression at the bottom. In order to ask for the current condition of tides in your area, you can search the keyword “tide chart.”
If you are too lazy to look at these factors, you can simply rely on the daily fishing forecast which can easily be found on fishing apps such as Fishbrain, Fishing Points, or Fishidy. They will provide you with everything you need to know before going fishing: locations to fish, reports of weather-related data, skills to improve your fishing, etc.
Conclusion
Fishing is a great leisure activity so if you have never done it yet, definitely give it a try! It does not demand prior knowledge but will help you to gain a lot of necessary characteristics. Before you go on any fishing trip, make sure you have already checked the weather forecast for that day. You will not want to ride a long way to your fishing location and waiting hours for the fish to come up then end up getting nothing. Finally, we hope that our guides will be helpful enough for you to recognize when the best time for fishing is. If you still want to know more about fishing, check out our article on fishing gear for beginners that will be coming up shortly.
