Striped Bass	Largemouth	Smallmouth	Walleye	Catfish	Trout	Pike
waters	large reservoirs and canals	farm ponds, lakes, sandpits	lakes, reservoirs, rivers	reservoirs,rivers, and lakes	warm water rivers, reservoirs and ponds	rivers, streams, creeks	lakes, rivers, reservoirs
habitat	rocky areas or open water	flooded stumps, brush piles, weed beds; in deeper water	rocky areas and flooded brush piles	clean hard bottoms, under sand bars	brush piles, reservoir inlets, below sandbars, below dams	obstruction in streams, undercut banks	feed in shallow water by weed beds rest in deep water
temperature	active,64-72	active 60-76	active 60-73	active 55-74	active 60-75		active 55-74
food	fish especially shad	fish,crayfish, insects	crayfish,fish and insects	fish	fish, meat, decaying fish	insects, small fish	fish, occasional small mammal or bird
time of day	after dark in spring and summer, daytime in fall	dawn and dusk, but active anytime	dawn and dusk, but active anytime	dawn, dusk, night time	nighttime and daytime	all the time	all the time
baits	big jigs,crankbaits in spring. Big chubs or shiners in fall.	spinnerbaits, jigs, crankbaits, plastic worms	spinners, plastic worms,crankbaits, crayfish, worms, and insects	crawlers,leeches,minnows	shad, frog, crayfish, big minnow, spinning gear	small spinners, flies, nymphs, worms, grasshoppers	spoons, spinnerbaits, chub, shinner, plugs

For each fish there is a right time to set the hook, or the fish may be lost. There are several things to consider before setting the hook. What size is the fish? Does it have a large or small mouth? What kind of bait are you using? Does it have a tender mouth area? Does it swallow the bait or does it mouth it for a while? Does it run with the bait, then swallow?

For example, hooking a bluegill is often pretty easy. The chances are that he'll mouth for only a second, and then take it. You'll have to set the hook quickly, but not too hard, because the bluegill has a tender mouth.

Crappies have larger mouths than bluegill. The technique for hooking them is a little different. A crappie will often take the bait and run with it for a couple yards before swallowing it. Let him have the line until he stops. Set the hook when he starts to swim again.

Pike and musky require a different technique. These fish have very tough mouths, and the hook must be set hard, sometimes with all your strength. The musky will often strike a lure or a live bait from the side, so it is held cross wise in the mouth. If this is an artificial lure, such as a plug or a large spoon, it must be set quickly and firmly, so that the hooks will be driven into the sides of the mouth. The musky will often carry a live bait crosswise in his mouth for twenty or thirty feet before stopping to turn the bait and swallow. In this case, you must let him have the line, and wait until he starts to swallow before you set the hook hard.

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Some fish are fighters, some are not. Once your hook is set in a fighter, you find the struggle as exciting as the last inning of a baseball game. A strong fish, or a smart fish, have many ways of resisting capture. He may head for a weed bed and tangle-up your line. Or, he may just jump out of the water and shake the hook free. He will head for a log and wrap your line around it before escaping. When you've almost got him in the boat, he may dart under the boat and break the line on the keel.

But nobody keeps records of how many fish out-smarted them. They just show pictures of the big ones they caught. Some fisherman don't play the fish at all. They just "crank" him. They do this by using a line that is much stronger than the fish. If the hook is set properly, the fish has no chance. When fisherman do this, they miss out on one of the greatest thrills in fishing. It's more fun when the fish has a chance. Try to keep your rod tip high when playing a fish. This will give you a better chance of getting the fish in the boat.

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Every sport has it's discouraging moments. Losing a fish right before landing it is like striking out in a baseball game. Probably the best way to land a fish is to use a net. The correct way is dipping the net into the water and guiding the fish into the net head-first.

Bass fisherman often hold a bass by sqeezing the lower jaw between the thumb and index finger. This has a paralyzing effect on the fish. Another method used by trout fisherman is grabbing the fish by the back, so the thumb and forefingers can sqeeze the back of the gill covers. This works only with U.S. pound fishes. Any struggling can be stopped by sqeezing harder.

If you're in a boat with someone else, and you have a very large musky or pike on your line, your partner can hand you a gaff or large hook. The correct way is to have your partner lower the hook into the water and raise it quickly, so it goes through the lower jaw of the fish. You should never try to gaff a fish by yourself.

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Removing the hook is usually easy, if it is in the lip or corner of the mouth. But if the hook is deep in the throat, or in a mouth of a fish with sharp teeth, it can be difficult. If the fish has a sharp dorsal fin, you'll want to grab the fish underneath. If the fish has something sharp on its bottomside, grab it on the top. Grab the base of the hook and push down until the barb of the hook is all the way through, then pull it out through the same hole.

If you have a big fish, like a catfish or a pike, you may want to whack him on the head. This will make him easier to handle. If the fish has sharp teeth, you'll have to use pliers to get the hook free, or you might get part of your finger bitten off. If the hook is deep in the throat, and your fingers can't reach it, you will have to use long needle-nosed pliers to get it out.  

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Fishin Around