45 PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013

Summer2013

by Andrew Desko and Adam Spangler

You know how to tie clinch knots, and you can hook worms. Are you ready for another challenge? Show someone else how to fish. If you can’t share your memories with someone, what fun is fishing?

This issue of PLAY will provide basic fishing information that you can share with friends and family. This way, they can enjoy some fishing fun with you. Visit www.fishandboat.com,and go to our “Learning Center” for other information that can help you and your friends become expert anglers.

46 Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat

One of the first lessons to teach a new angler is how to be SMART. Each letter of that word will help remind you how to have fun and protect the fish that we love to catch. Share your smarts with your new fishing buddies.

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SMARTBe a SMART Angler

T - Teach others to be SMART anglers. Imagine that? You will gain a fishing friend, and they will know how to be SMART when fishing with you.

Do you really need to keep any or all the fish you caught? What will feed your family and friends? It may be better to release some of the fish you caught to keep the population going in the future.

R - Release some of your catch.

• Watch where you are swinging hooks while casting.

• Be careful when walking around steep banks near the water.

• Wear a life jacket when fishing on steep banks or from a boat.

M - Manners are important. • Don’t yell on the water. You could ruin the quiet

of nature that others enjoy. • Don’t bully people out of fishing spots if they

were there first.

water. Neighbors may not let you fish on their land if you leave garbage behind.

S - Safety first!

A - Appreciate clean water. The fish live in water, and they have no place else to go. Litter tossed into the water can harm the wildlife that we enjoy while on the

47 PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013

A great way to get someone “hooked” on fishing is to show the new angler how to catch panfish at a local pond or small lake. You don’t need much equipment to enjoy a day in the sun reeling in sunfish.

Here are some items to consider when taking someone fishing for their first time. Fishing rod – Ultralight fishing rods will make sunfish

feel like you are reeling in a river monster. These rods are sensitive to strikes from small fish. If your friend can’t afford to buy a rod right away, take advantage of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s Fishing Tackle Loaner Program. One of our partner sites can loan you a rod for the day. Check it out at

www.fishandboat.com/loaner.htm.Forceps/narrow pliers – Many anglers let sunfish

Getting Started with Sunfish

swallow the hook on their first fishing trip. Make sure you have pliers or forceps to remove the hook from the tiny mouths of these fish.

hooks – What size should we use? Sunfish have small

BobberR - Release some of your catch.

mouths. If you use a hook size that is too small, they can quickly swallow an entire hook. Try fishing with hooks in sizes 12 (smaller) to 8 (larger). Take a variety of sizes, so you can adjust to larger sizes to stop fish from swallowing the hook.

Bobbers – Bobber fishing is a great way to get a friend interested in fishing. You can keep an eye on the bobber to look for fish bites.

17There are 17 sunfish species in Pennsylvania:• Banded Sunfish (endangered)• Blackbanded Sunfish (considered extirpated*)• Black Crappie• Bluegill• Bluespotted Sunfish• Green Sunfish• Largemouth Bass• Longear Sunfish (endangered) • Mud Sunfish (considered extirpated*)• Pumpkinseed• Redbreast Sunfish• Redear Sunfish• Rock Bass• Smallmouth Bass• Spotted Bass• Warmouth (endangered)• White Crappie

*Extirpated - no longer occurs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat48

Palomar 1. Make a loop of

4 inches or so of line.

2. Put loop through eye.

3. Tie an overhand knot with loop. Hook should dangle from middle of knot.

4. Pull loop over hook.

5. Pull both lines to tighten.

Know those KnotsYou will need to teach your friend how to set up a fishing rod on their own, so you

can get fish, too.There are a couple of knots that you need to know to get started. Both of these knots

will help you attach a hook to your line, and that is enough to begin fishing.

1. Thread line through eye and double back on line.

2. Wrap loose end around line to reel five times.3. Thread loose end through first loop above the eye. 4. Thread loose end through the big loop made in step #3. 5. Pull tight.

12

3

4

5

1 2

3

4

5

improved Clinch

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49 PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013

Teaching a friend to cast a fishing rod can be a fun activity to learn and make you a safe angler on the water.

To get started, you can begin in a backyard that is

Casting with a Friend

1. Push the button in, and point your rod at the target.

2. Draw the rod back over your shoulder, just past a vertical position.

3. Allow the rod to flex.4. Swing the rod forward toward your

target.a. As the rod comes forward, take your

thumb off the buttonb. The line will release and head

towards the target5. Remember to follow through to your

target. The motion should be nice and easy. Don’t “whip” the rod.

6. Switch to a smaller target when you can hit the hula-hoop each time.

open and clear of trees. Set up a casting target. Hula-hoops or big buckets make nice targets for beginners.

how to Cast a Fishing Rod

Rig your rod with a casting plug or a weight to practice casting.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat50

What’s a Panfish?The term panfish describes several

species of fish that are small enough to fit in a frying pan. Many of these species are from the sunfish family. Pennsylvania has numerous panfish that you can fish for throughout the state. Some of these panfish are pumpkinseeds, bluegills, yellow perch and rock bass.

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Catch a Panfi h with a Friend

Panfish aren’t picky, and they will eat minnows, scuds, crayfish, insects and worms. Their competitive nature for food makes them fun and easy to catch.

Where do they live?Panfish are everywhere. Many of

Pennsylvania’s lakes, streams and rivers have healthy populations of panfish. Panfish can often be found in shallow pools, so there are many opportunities to catch them near shore in late spring or early summer. Structures in the water, such as trees, boulders or weed beds, provide homes for panfish. These structures are good places to catch panfish.

What do they eat?

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Yellow Perch

Rock Bass

Crayfish

Amphipod or Scud

Common Shiner

Fathead Minnow

Longnose Dace

MidgeDragonfly

PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 51

Editor: Spring GearhartDesign and Illustrations: Jeff Decker, University of

Wisconsin Extension and Ted WalkePhotos: Jeff Decker, Spring Gearhart, Robert Krehling,

PFBC archives and Ted Walke© Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

W P Q F J M U M N B J H M X H D U V X H X Q H L R C X M N D K M W O E R P U S R J U Y Z H G P J H S N K S E I C B I T T G K U N M I M P S D F B A S S T I E Y L X S Z W J X N W A T H N A S J T D I Z V I T U Z G G S E O A L S O S U R Y Y S A R E G D H K Q Q J E A O T P S A E O N F P K M S I X E R E X H D L A K P B R D P R E O C G O J A L C O N F J P I Q W Q C L L I G E U L B Y A F V A X Q C T D Q I S L K D R E R Y X A C E F M T I O G K C V C V K B

Word List• BASS• BLUEGILL• CRAPPIE• PERCH• PUMPKINSEED• SUNFISH

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