It was such a bucolic setting. Even now, more than fifty years later, I can still see little Opie (Ron Howard) in his rolled-up jeans scrambling beside Andy; both carry fishing poles as they head to the lake. It introduced every episode of The Andy Griffith Show, along with that catchy whistled tune. It’s what first comes to mind when I think of fishing…but that’s just the first thing. Between their idyllic walk to the lake and meal time at dear Aunt Bea’s loving dinner table, Andy and Opie shared more – much more. In the real world of recreational fishing, there would have been an afternoon that included much of the following:
Procuring the Bait
It’s hard to miss the “Walt’s Crawlers” signs. They’re commonly seen in storefront windows all over the rural Midwest. Their sighting means two things: fishing bait can be found inside and there’s probably an accessible lake not far away. Walt’s Crawlers are earthworms; big fat earthworms. Some people call them “angleworms” (though they rarely form one). Others like to differentiate and call the little worms “angleworms” and the big ones “nightcrawlers.” They can be purchased inside, or you can go home and dig some up yourself (but they probably won’t be as big and fat as Walt’s). If you don’t like digging holes in the yard, step outside after a rain or when the lawn sprinklers have stopped; you and your son or daughter will likely find an ample supply wriggling through the wet grass (contrary to popular belief, they may not be drowning). Just pick some up, put them in a bucket or an old coffee can, throw in a little moist dirt, and you’re all set for the lake.
Earthworms were probably the bait of choice for the kind of casual fishing that Andy Taylor and Opie embarked upon each morning, but they had alternatives. Insects, such as grasshoppers or crickets, work just fine (and due to their alluringly moving appendages, may actually work better). If their aim was to go after the really “big one” though, they would probably have chosen another option: live minnows (a little fish is a good way to attract a big fish). As with earthworms, Andy and Opie may have caught their own insects or minnows, but if Mayberry had a convenient bait shop, they could easily have purchased them inside before heading down to the lake. Upon arrival, the entertainment (and bonding) for Andy and Opie truly began, just as it will for you and your child after trekking to your favorite little lake or stream.
Confronting the Hook
You have to persuade the fish to chomp down on a metal hook, so you’ll need to fool it into thinking that the hook is not really a hook. For some, this is where the idyllic hike down to the old fishing hole becomes a little less charming. It’s because of the bait; it doesn’t volunteer to jump on by itself; it has to be put it on the hook. Chances are, you and your offspring are using earthworms. If it came from Walt, it’s probably too big for one little hook, so you’ll need to cut it into shorter pieces (usually between thumbnail and forefinger). Once the proper length is established, you can choose between two common techniques for putting it on the hook. The first (and easiest) method is a multiple “pierce and fold” strategy where you stick the barbed hook through the worm’s fat body, kind of fold or loop it a little and then pierce it again. After several repetitions, you should end up with a tangled mass of earthworm that hides the hook, and a short length left dangling to further tempt the fish. The second technique requires a little more finesse and is called the “sock” method. If you think of the hook as your foot, and the worm as your sock, you can easily visualize what needs to be done. Like a hollow tube sock, the butt end of the worm (or maybe its head) is slipped over the barb and pulled up to completely enclose the hook. The hook then looks like a temptingly chubby worm, and again, a little length left dangling at the barbed end further enhances the effect. If you (or your kid) find sticking a live worm on a hook to be discomfiting, it might be comforting to remember what some of the experts say: “Worms do not feel pain because they do not have the ability to process emotional information.” So, it’s functional to go with what the experts say and disregard the worm’s agitated wiggling as you bait the hook. You can reassure your youngster that the worm is not conscious enough to feel pain; the wiggle is just some kind of stimulus-response thing going on in its body, as if it were being tickled (you can smile and tweak your kid’s ribs a little bit to demonstrate).
Live crickets and grasshoppers appear less cooperative and more openly emotional than worms; they have watchful eyes and thrashing legs that make their resistance seem quite sincere. While a young or novice baiter might find the resistance to be disconcerting, it’s important to realize that the kicking and thrashing limbs are what catches the fish’s attention; it’s why they make good bait. There’s more than one way to attach a cricket or a grasshopper to a hook. Most of the techniques (but not all) attempt to extend the insect’s life and activity long enough to attract a fish. This means inserting and slipping the hook through much of the insect’s interior body in a way that avoids vital organs, while firmly keeping it attached to the hook. If the impalement makes your children wince, it’s helpful to remind them that you’ve actually granted the cricket or grasshopper a long and pleasant life: In the wild (if lucky) it might have lived for up to a year (tops). Held captive in your basement cricket box (or at the bait shop) and provided with ample food and sustained warmth, it can live for twice that long! So, while it might now be experiencing a few minutes of short-term hook discomfort, it has already been blessed with the long-term comfort and pleasure of two years in cricket heaven. You both can know that you’ve given it a better life, even if the cricket lacks the neural capacity to process how lucky it’s already been to have lived so long.
In some ways, hooking a minnow is easier than hooking a worm or an insect. You don’t have to “thread” it through the whole body, and there are no thrashing legs to contend with. Although they’re further along on the evolutionary chart and have clearly recognized eyes and mouths, their gaze seems no more accusatory than that of a grasshopper, and likewise, they make no auditory sounds of protest when being skewered. Fish brain scientists differ as to what a fish can feel. Some (like the worm experts) say that fish have no ability to process pain, some say they actually do feel pain, while still others say they do feel pain, but it’s a “fish kind of pain” and shouldn’t be equated with pain as a human being perceives it. So, rather than dwelling on what it might not be feeling anyway, it’s best to just get on with the task at hand. There are multiple ways of introducing the hook to a minnow, and if done properly, will keep the little fish alive and tempting for several casts. Three different approaches are suggested: front, middle, or rear. With a through-the-lip frontal approach, the hook is inserted through the lower lip (or jaw) and out through the upper lip (or nose). Alternatively, one can employ the trick-hook method by inserting the hook through the minnow’s mouth and out behind its gills, with the barb protruding below and pointing forward in an inconspicuous manner. The middle approach, called the dorsal-hook method, requires inserting the hook through the minnow’s back, near its top (dorsal) fin, hopefully avoiding damage to the vital spine so as to encourage plenty of wiggly movement. The rear, or tail-hook technique, simply involves hooking the minnow slightly in front of its tail fin, allowing it to freely struggle forward in an enticing manner. The aim of all three approaches is to keep the minnow alive and active long enough to tempt and catch that big pike or bass. If after a few casts you notice that your minnow has become lethargic, it’s probably advantageous to respectfully discard it and proceed with another one that’s still perky (you likely have a bucket full, so you might as well use them).
The Joy of Fishing
Okay, your hook is properly baited; it’s time for the fun part of the adventure to begin. With fishing poles in hand, you and your kid might be standing on the shore of a pleasant lake, on the bank of a tranquil river, or you could be sitting on a rickety old dock. If you have the means, you might even be in a little boat floating off shore. From whatever the whereabouts, just cast or swing your line out towards a likely looking spot and wait for the action. It might not happen right away; some people bring snacks and/or beverages to provide a little sustenance during the lull (the lulls are in no way boring; they serve to enhance the anticipation). Usually sooner, rather than later, it happens! You (or your child) feel an exciting little tug on the pole as a fish begins to nibble the bait. It’s wise to patiently wait for a stronger tug that lets you know the cleverly disguised hook has been fully engulfed. Then, it’s the moment you’ve both been waiting for; with a quick upward yank on the pole, you hopefully “set” the hook and its sharp barb will pierce the fish’s lower jaw or upper snout and he (or she) will be securely attached to your line. If you’re lucky and it really is a big one, the most enjoyable (and skillful) part of fishing begins. Your fish suddenly realizes that there’s something weird stuck in its mouth. He can’t spit it out and he doesn’t have hands or fingers with which to remove it, so he does what a fish can do; in a burst of energy, he tries to swim away from it. This is where your skill (and patience) must assert itself. You need to be crafty and play with him a while to avoid having your line break. You give him a little more line and let him swim out a bit further, but with the pole strategically tilted at an upward angle (it bends to provide some resistance to the line). The unrelenting resistance will gradually tire him out a little. When he stops to rest, you subtly pull or reel him in a bit closer until he’s ready to resume fighting again. When the tugging returns, you do allow it, but again with the line held taught to maintain resistance. You repeat this as often as it takes to tire the gilly guy out, and when his energy is sufficiently spent, you pull him up onto the bank, the dock, or the boat and examine your prize.
That’s it, you’ve won the battle; you caught the big one that didn’t get away! Now, all you have to do is take it off the hook. If hooked through the jaw, it’s easy; you just pull the hook up and out (or down and out) and if done nimbly, the barb will cause very little ripping damage (which the fish might not feel anyway). Sometimes though, it’s not so clean; the ravenous fish has swallowed the bait, hook included (this is when it might be best for your “Opie” to look away for a moment). Your hook is lodged firmly in the fish’s stomach, and if you pull it out, the stomach and some intestinal debris will likely come out with it. You don’t necessarily want to do that, so assuming it’s a keeper (of legal size and big enough to eat), you have the option of just cutting the line and retrieving your hook later when cleaning the fish. But if it’s not a keeper (or if you happen to be playing “catch & release”) you’re faced with an unpleasant decision: cut the line and let it go (with your hook in its belly and some line hanging out of its mouth) or pull it out (along with the fish’s stomach) to save your hook. It’s a tough call to be made either way and neither one is all that great for the fish (if you’ve ever stood on a dock where a lot of people were fishing, you probably noticed a few fish floating in the water with white stuff protruding from their mouths). For sure, it’s not the most picturesque part of fishing, so it’s good to remember what some of the fish scientists say: fish don’t process pain like we do, and they probably don’t even know they’re dying.
Keeping Them Alive
If it’s not that monster fish big enough for the whole family to eat, you’ll probably want to catch more than one. Here’s the thing though: live fish already smell fishy; dead fish smell even fishier (and they get fishier fast). So, you need to keep them alive and fresh smelling until you’ve caught enough and are ready to go home. There’s a couple of basic ways to do so. Maybe the easiest way is to just put the fish in a large bucket with a lid (to keep them from jumping out). It should hold enough water to keep them fresh and breathing for a good while as you continue fishing. If you check in an hour or so, you’ll probably notice that the fish opening and closing their mouths a lot. It’s because the oxygen in the water is getting used up and they have to work a little harder to breathe. It doesn’t mean they’re suffering though (remember, fish can’t process fear and discomfort like human beings; they’re just displaying a new state of being). What it does mean is that the fish are still alive (but maybe it is about time to stop dawdling and get them home). Another way to keep your fish alive and fresh is to put them on a stringer. Stringers are handy if you’re fishing from a boat or standing on a dock with a convenient post for tie-up (but watch out for snapping turtles; they might try to steal your dinner). Most stringers work something like this: you pass a wire or chord in from behind the fish’s gill and out through its mouth (or visa-versa). It might look a little uncomfortable, but the fish isn’t really feeling the pain and it can still breathe adequately as it’s towed alongside the boat or immersed dock-side. Some stringers have a series of metal clips arranged along its length. With this kind, you open the clip and pass the pointy wire through the fish’s lower jaw (kind of like the hook that caught it) and then clip it shut. It’s easy to do and with this kind of stringer, you don’t risk injuring the gills and ending up with a long dead fish at the end of the day. You can put several fish on either type of stringer. They can’t get away, they’ll stay alive and fresh for quite a while, and the only risk is from that old snapping turtle that might be lurking nearby!
Final Respects
So, you’ve had a great day and have all the fish you need; now you and your kid(s) have to go home and prepare them for the meal. For most people, it’s the least fun part of fishing; your catch needs to be scaled and gutted. If you’ve done everything right, most of your fish are still alive and fresh. If it’s a large fish, like a lengthy pike or a nice bass, some people will cut the head off before scaling. But if it’s a smaller fish, like a bluegill or a sunfish, most people will leave the head on, because without it, there’s not much left to grip while scaling. Here again, is where you might want to remind the youngster you’re bonding with, that fish are just fish; they’re not capable of processing fear or pain like human beings. So, while it might appear insensitive to be scaling a fish that’s quite likely still alive, it’s not an act of cruelty. It’s just a necessary part of fishing that should be done as quickly and humanely as possible. If right-handed, you’ll hold the fish’s head in your left, pushing it down tightly against whatever surface is being used as a scaling board. With a knife in your right hand (even a butter knife will work), from the tail end, scrape forward towards the head, with the blade edge straight down or even sloped slightly away from the direction of your hand movement. Scales will be flying about and sticking to whatever they land on, so it’s best to do this outside or in the garage. When satisfied with one side, flip it over and scale the other. Remember, you should be doing this as quickly as possible, because the fish might be alive and you want to be as kind and considerate as possible, even if it isn’t feeling any pain (if it was a chicken, it would be like you were pulling out its feathers before chopping off its head, so be respectful and don’t linger). When the scaling is all done, turn it on its back, and with a sharp blade placed just behind the front fins, slice down (angled slightly towards the mouth), severing the head and leaving as much of the fish’s meaty body as possible for eating. Okay, you’re almost done; all that’s left is to take a knife and slice the belly skin from where the fish’s head was cut off, all the way to its tail end. Then, with just your forefinger, start from where the anus was, and slide the intestinal stuff forward and out. That’s it; do it with all the rest; rinse them off a little bit, and you’re all done. It’s time to bump fists with your kids, peel the scales off your faces, and heat up the old frying pan!
Epilogue
There’s an old idiom: whistling past the graveyard. It can mean pretending to be brave when you’re actually scared, or it can mean putting on a happy face when things are unpleasant. The nostalgically whistled tune that opened every Andy Griffith episode still resonates, but Andy and Opie were whistling past a lauded tradition that’s not really so very laudable. Recreational fishing, like recreational hunting, is an activity pursued for entertainment rather than for need. It’s done for fun and pleasure. If it’s considered inhumane to kill living things for pleasure, recreational fishing is even more inhumane than recreational hunting. In hunting, an animal is quickly “dispatched” with a bullet. In recreational fishing, several living things are slowly mutilated and eventually killed in quest of a fish that will also be subjected to injury and mutilation before finally being killed. Somehow though, fishing has come to be seen as an idyllic and even peaceful activity. That cheerful opening to the Andy Griffith Show would have seemed conflictive had Andy and Opie been carrying shotguns, but with fishing poles, the buoyantly whistled tune felt just right. The violence committed in sport hunting is loud and unabashedly blatant. The violence committed in recreational fishing is quiet and glossed over, as if it’s not real or worthy of thought. So, if you’ve come to love the activity, but are perhaps bothered by some misgivings festering at the edges of your awareness, it might be comforting to whistle something pleasant, like that happy Mayberry tune.
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