angling
Ref: F04

Angling is the art of catching fish with a rod and line. It is called Angling because the rod and line form an angle. The sport of angling is enjoyed by over 3 million men, women and children. There are other forms of fishing such as the use of nets, generally for commercial fishing purposes. Some people fish to catch food but angling is purely for sport.

A hooked fish - Trout fishing

COARSE FISHING
Coarse fishing is the most popular fishing sport. Coarse fish are divided into two groups - predatory fish (Piscavors) like the Perch and Pike which eat other fish, and Non-predatory fish (Cyprinids) such as carp, roach and rudd. Both are caught by anglers. They generally use a hook with bait on or a lure to catch these fish. Most fish are returned to the water after being caught by Coarse fishermen. There is a closed season from mid March to mid June on rivers and streams and some still water, to allow fish to breed. In Cornwall, Coarse fishing is almost exclusively on still waters.

Fishing

• The bait used will vary depending on the preferred diet of the fish. Most anglers use maggots, others use natural baits such as lobworms or mussels, some even use bread or bacon.

Fly fishing

• Lures are an imitation of small fish and include spinners, spoons and plugs. The secret of lure fishing is to keep the lure moving so that it appears to be a live fish and will attract predators.

GAME FISHING
Game fishing accounts for nearly one million anglers. Where the river is wider and easier to fish, most game anglers use artificial flies. These are hooks that are disguised with feathers, hair and thread, etc to look like insects or small fry that fish feed on. This is called fly fishing. They also use spinners and occasionally bait. In Cornwall, because the rivers are generally small and often overgrown, spinners and bait, particularly garden worms, are much more popular.

Game fish include salmon, trout, sea trout and grayling. They can be found in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and estuary waters. These fish are often caught to be eaten, but as the numbers of fish has declined they are increasingly released back into the water. Fishing seasons vary from region to region and depend on the species of fish and its spawning time.

Fly tying	A fishing fly

A good catch - pupil and fish

Stithians young fishing group

Fly fishermen, particularly trout fishermen, need to know about insect life cycles and the feeding patterns of game fish. Dry fly fishing imitates natural flies that sit on the water. Wet fly fishing uses flies that sink below the surface of the water. Nymph fishing uses flies that imitate aquatic larvae (G1).

Wet fly fishing!

Most anglers do not own their own stretch of river or fishing pond and they join fishing clubs or syndicates. At some fisheries, both rivers and ponds, a day's fishing can be hired. See Angling 2000 web site or (B05a) for further details.

Many angling clubs and youth groups run courses for young people to learn about fly fishing and coarse fishing.