The Old Man and the Sea

This movie was released in 1999, but it was actually based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, which was originally written in 1951.

Fishing Summer Flounder (Fluke)
Fishing for the Summer Flounder or Fluke has a good fishing range in the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia down the coast past New Jersey to Florida, and possibly further south where the Summer Flounder may mix and if caught be confused with its close relative the Southern Flounder. You will notice the Southern Flounder when caught will lack the eye-like spots of the Summer flounder. Both are a fun fight and are great for a fishing trip out at sea.

Fishing Bluefish (including “snappers”)
When fishing Bluefish, please know it is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail and very fun to catch. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins, meaning it’s a fast fish and a good fight. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally (where it gets the name Bluefish), fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw are uniform in size, knife-edged and sharp so steel leaders and gloves are preferred when landing the larger Blues. Bluefish commonly range in size from seven inch (18 cm) “snappers” to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 40 pounds (18 kg), though fish heavier than twenty pounds (9 kg) are exceptional you may see some in the great fishing conditions recently.

Fishing Weakfish
The weakfish is a marine fish of the drum family Sciaenidae and sometimes called Sea Trout.
The head and back of this fish are dark brown in color with a greenish tinge. The sides have a faint silvery hue with dusky specks, and the belly is white. The origin of its name is based on the weakness of the mouth muscles, which often cause a hook to tear free, allowing the fish to escape. The weakfish grows to 3 feet in length and 19 pounds in weight. It is found along the eastern coast of North America from Nova Scotia, Canada down the coast past New York and New Jersey to northern Florida, where it is fished both commercially and recreationally.
In the mid-Atlantic states, the fish is sometimes referred to by the name Sea Trout, though it is not related to the fishes properly called Trout, which are in the family Salmonidae. In New England it is also known as the Squeteague.
The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.

Atlantic Cod
Haddock
Pollock
Striped Bass
Red Drum
Spanish Mackerel

There are several specialised fishing sites on the Internet, and they take many forms. Some take the approach of a travelog, noting experiences of an angler who spends time visiting different locations and reporting back on which were good and which simply were not. There are other sites which are specifically informational, and still others which are more social than anything else. Usually these will be forums or message boards, and these can be the best place to look if you wish to ask questions.

If you have concerns over whether you are using the right bait, are looking to buy a better rod but want one that suits the waters you are fishing in, or are looking for a decent location in which to fish, then there is plenty on the Internet for you to check out. You’d be surprised what you can find and some of the information you get will be highly beneficial.

However, if you do intend to eat the fish you catch, you should be sure what kind of fish live in the body of water you plan to fish. It may be that the available species are not really the kind of fish you want to eat. It is true that everyone has different tastes, but there is no doubt that some tastes are so “out there” that most people will not consider it to be worth the effort of acquiring them. If you can find nearby a fishing location with a fair supply of the kind of fish that you want to eat, then it is all the better for you.

If you are going to eat the fish you catch, it is probably also worth reading up on how to prepare them for cooking. The fish that you hook will not be ready for eating, by a long way, and needs to be cleaned and filleted before you can even think about putting it in your mouth.

As humans we are very drawn to the significance of signposts. Not literal signposts, but rather times, places and things which have a deeper meaning for us. Our wedding anniversary, our home town, our lucky rabbit’s foot, whatever they may be, these items have a connection for us which means that we don’t forget them, and which we will always recognize them when we see them or when they happen. Your favorite fishing spot has the same effect.

The interesting thing about this is that the favored spot may not be one where we were especially successful. We may have landed more and bigger fish in other places, and the place we love may be entirely imperfect. But when push comes to shove, and we need a trip to get our spirits up, it will be there that we return. Surely you have a favorite spot? If you don’t, you will one day.

Good fishing equipment does not need to be expensive, but there is no doubt that some financial outlay will be rewarded with more sophisticated equipment. If you know what you are looking for, then you will be able to find a lot of different variations on the theme – and then comes the time for the comparison shop. Comparison shopping has become hugely popular in recent years as a way of finding the best deal on any product. Not just the best price, but the best value. How well does it do what it does, and is it worth the $10 extra they are asking for? Ask the Internet.

People who know about fishing equipment will often congregate on forums with fishing as their theme. Visit a few of these forums and canvass opinion before going and spending your cash.

The same people would probably not ask the world’s great botanists and naturalists why they go to Kenya to see tigers or to Norway to see the handsome forests which are there. People like to go fishing in different locations because it provides different fish, different climates, and different experiences. You might just as well ask why people go to foreign countries on holiday. There is a big world out there, and a lot to see. And there are many fish to be caught.

There are also a number of hot spots on the planet where fishing will be rewarded with a more exotic catch, a challenge in terms of landing the larger fish that you catch, or a more peaceful location to cast your line. Whatever your reason for going, there really is a wide range of choice out there, and if you are planning a fishing holiday you should certainly consider spreading your wings somewhat.

If you go on a fishing trip, you will usually be located in a fairly rural setting. Although this may not play in most people’s minds, into something which could be considered the height of social enjoyment, it is more or less a rule that every fishing village or small town will have at least one bar which serves good, hearty food and enough beer to sink a small navy. This is something that makes a fishing trip worthwhile even for some of the less committed anglers in your group.

It may be that you don’t want to go out after your afternoon’s work. There is no harm to this, either, and it may be that you will prefer to return to your accommodation and set to preparing the fish you have caught for an evening meal. This is one of the most enjoyable things about fishing – knowing that you have caught and prepared what you are eating. It brings out something primal in a person, which satisfies an urge.

But apart from the fact that it provides a better chance of catching something, the isolation of a quiet riverbank has other benefits for an afternoon’s fishing. We’ve all been Christmas shopping during a December weekend. It takes a very strong and determined person to do that and not come home feeling like they want to roll up into a ball and start sucking on their thumb. This is not something that you want from a fishing expedition, which should after all be sedate and pleasant.

Sitting on a riverbank is also pretty much as close as you can get to nature. There is nature flowing right in front of you, hopefully with a lot of nature swimming around in it. There is nature beneath your feet, and there should be some more behind you – riverbanks tend to be close to trees, in most cases. It really is one of the most relaxing pursuits that you can indulge in.

There is a grain of truth in the stereotype, but no more so than that which exists for any hobby. You will always find at least one golfer in any club that you walk into who shows you, by means of putting their thumb and forefinger very close together, how close they were to getting a hole in one. The keen amateur soccer player will talk of a goal they scored which, when they originally hit it, was about ten yards out. By the time they have finished talking about it, they’ll be saying how they were somewhere around the halfway line.

This kind of bravado exists anywhere where there is competition. It is mostly self-mocking in any case, where people jokingly plead with you to believe that they are so good at what they do that they can achieve feats that are beyond the reach of a mere mortal. And frankly, it is what makes most hobbies so much fun. We’d be nowhere without our boasts.