Fishing Merit Badge What is a fish? • You need to know about fish to catch fish • https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/fish/what-is- fish/ What is a fish? • https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/fish/inside- fish/ Requirement #1a • Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while participating in fishing activities, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards. Requirement #1b • Discuss the prevention of and treatment for the following health concerns that could occur while fishing, including cuts and scratches, puncture wounds, insect bites, hypothermia, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and sunburn. Heat Related Injuries • Dehydration symptoms: Thirsty, dark urine, tired, weak, increased sweating, nausea, headache, confusion – Treat by drinking more fluids, rest, get out of sun into AC • Heat Exhaustion symptoms: Same as above but more extreme with cool, pale, moist skin, rapid pulse, severe weakness – Treat by having victim lie with feet up in cool place, apply wet cloths, drink water • Heat Stroke symptoms: Same as above but temp above 105F, confusion, vomiting, siezures, unconscious – Call 911. Treat by moving to AC, loosen clothing and place ice packs in a shirt and under the arms, immerse in cool water, if awake give water. Requirement #1c • Explain how to remove a hook that has lodged in your arm. Requirement #1d • Name and explain five safety practices you should always follow while fishing. Requirement #2 & 3 • Discuss the differences between two types of fishing outfits. Point out and identify the parts of several types of rods and reels. Explain how and when each would be used. Review with your counselor how to care for this equipment. • Demonstrate the proper use of two different types of fishing equipment. Types of Fishing Rods • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC4k8b4m0VE Balance with Fishing Rods • Balance is important. You need to select the rod, reel, and line combination which will match the type of fish you are planning to catch. • A lightweight rod, reel and line is best for smaller fish and might work best in a stream. You get more fight. • A heavier rod, reel and line is best for larger fish. Less fight but more likely to catch. Closed Face Spin-Casting Reel • Most common types of reels for young anglers. • Most have adjustable drags Bait-Casting Reel • More difficult to use but gives good control and excellent for heavy bait Open Face Spinning Reel • Very popular style reel which is mounted below the rod. • Line is controlled by index finger – stops when line is reeled in • Be careful with the reverse setting Fly Fishing Reel • Need a long flexible fly rod to cast the plastic coated line. • The weight of the line carries the fly out. How to Care for your Rod • Store all rods straight, in a dry, clean area, so they will not take a bend or set. • Wash rods after each use, especially if they have been in dirty or salt water. • Use a brush or cloth to wash carefully and thoroughly around the guides and reel seats. • Do not use a rod for heavier or lighter lures or weights than recommended. How to Care for your Reel • Reels need special care because they have so many working parts that can rust or corrode. • Always use line within the pound-test range and type recommended for the reel. • Wash each reel after use (especially in dirty or salt water) • Periodically oil and grease each reel. The parts that need oil are the handle, rotor, and line roller in spinning reels; and the level. wind track and axle in casting reels. Add grease to the internal gearing casting reels. Fly reels require little greasing-only on the gears, on the pawls, and around the handle. How to Care for your Reel Too Much Grease! Periodically Grease Gears Oil it up! Maintaining Hooks and Lures • Don’t overlook lures and hooks, which also need regular attention • Check lures at all times for hook sharpness. Dull hooks are a prime cause of missed strikes. • Remove and replace any broken, damaged, or rusted hooks. • To keep spoons and spinners shiny, polish them with a metal polish and then coat with a clear protective finish. • Metal lures such as spinners, spoons, and jigs can be repainted during the off season. • Store soft-plastic lures in separate bags sorted by color and type; otherwise, the various colors will tend to bleed. Fishing Line Characteristics • Memory: When you pull line off your spool, does it hang straight or curl up? Memory can cause problems • Stretch: Stretchy line keeps tension better as you fight a fish. However, stretch can make setting the hook tougher. • Shock Strength: Another advantage of having some stretch is that your line is less likely to snap under sudden pressure. • Abrasion Resistance: All modern line is pretty abrasion resistant but high end line is better. • Buoyancy: Some line floats in the water, some sinks. • Visibility: If a fish sees your line, it can get spooked. Types of Line • Monofilament is a single piece of plastic, usually nylon, that’s stretched out and set into a thin tube. Copolymer fishing line is essentially an improved version of monofilament. – Pro: Cheap and easy to use. Relatively low memory. It’s recyclable. A lot of stretch. Very buoyant. – Con: Doesn’t last very long and is much weaker than other lines of a similar diameter. Types of Line • Fluorocarbon line is made in the same way as mono, but from much denser material. – Pro: Invisible underwater. Super abrasion resistant and lasts much longer than other lines. It can stretch, but only under a lot of pressure. – Con: Knots tend to fail if they’re not tied right and the line’s high memory can make it tangle and kink at the drop of a worm. On top of that, it’s expensive. Types of Line • Braided Fishing Line is made by weaving together several strands of polyethylenes. This produces a super-thin line that could stop a Swordfish in its tracks. – Pros: Built to last and is the strongest line pound for pound by miles. Braid has no memory, letting it flow freely without kinking. It also has no stretch. This gives you complete precision with the trade-off of lower shock strength. – Cons: Braid stands out like a sore thumb underwater, is hard to tie knots with, and can get cut off by toothy fish. It’s so tough and thin that it can bury itself in the spool and damage cheaper equipment. Very expensive line. Requirement #4 • Demonstrate how to tie the following knots: improved clinch knot, Palomar knot, uni knot, uni to uni knot, and arbor knot. Explain how and when each knot is used. Animated Knots • Improved Clinch Knot • Uni Knot • Palomar Knot • Arbor Knot • Uni to Unit Knot Arbor Knot • Used to attach fishing line to the reel or spool. • If you make a Slip Knot by mistake it will just pull undone. • When the Arbor Knot is tightened the Second Overhand Knot snugs down against the Arbor. • https://www.animatedknots.com/arbor-knot Improved Clinch Knot • The Improved Clinch Knot is one of the most widely used fishing knots. It provides a good method of securing a fishing line to a hook, lure, or swivel. The “improved” version shown here includes an extra tuck under the final turn. • https://www.animatedknots.com/improved-clinch-knot Palomar Knot • The Palomar Knot is a simple knot for attaching a line to a hook, or a fly to a leader or tippet. It is regarded as one of the strongest and most reliable fishing knots. • The Palomar Knot is recommended for use with braided lines. • https://www.animatedknots.com/palomar-knot Uni Knot • Also known as the Duncan Knot or the Grinner Knot and is a versatile knot that can have many applications. • The Uni Knot works well with both braided and monofilament fishing lines • https://www.animatedknots.com/uni-knot Uni to Uni Knot • Used to join two lines. • Also known as a Double Grinner or a Double Uni Knot • https://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/Shakespeare-ome-uni- to-uni-knot.html Other Knots • The Blood Knot is a favorite knot for fly fisherman. It is primarily used to join two lines of similar size. The strength of the Blood Knot depends on making at least five, and up to seven, turns on each side of the center • https://www.animatedknots.com/blood-knot Other Knots • The Surgeon’s Loop is essentially a Double Overhand Knot. It can be tied quickly and easily in the end of a line. It is often used to make a “Loop to Loop” connection in the same way that two elastic bands can be hooked into each other. • https://www.animatedknots.com/surgeons-loop-knot Requirement #5 • Name and identify five basic artificial lures and five natural baits and explain how to fish with them. Explain why bait fish are not to be released. Hooks • Bait fishing hooks come in a variety of styles. Most feature barbs on the shaft to hold bait in place. • Circle Fishing Hooks help prevent gut hooking fish because the hook slides out of the fish’s throat but catches the mouth. • Treble Fishing Hooks work well for cut bait and lures • Aberdeen fishing hooks are composed of a light wire and are often used for bait fishing. Sinkers & Weights • Sinkers as tackle associated with live-bait fishing and weights as tackle used with artificial lures. Sinkers were made from lead but other metals are replacing it due to toxicity.