In regard to links throughout this
Site, you may see a word that is underlined but NOT highlighted blue
like a link, It IS a link and these are words that can be found in
our Dictionary. In case you're unfamiliar with some of the
fishing lingo.
Fishermen,
as a species, are a superstitious lot. Traditions and folklore are
passed down between generations on the banks of rivers and lakes
while a fire gently crackles and Coleman lanterns hiss their lives
away. Over gentle conversations between grandfolks and grandkids, the
lore of decades is imparted in the minds of eager young kids. Some
becomes vital in later years in the pursuit of fish while some are
the even more vital scripts of superstition.
We
all see superstitions for what they are: beliefs based on irrational
assumptions. Within a sport or hobby, though, these superstitions
help to link generations that have few, if any, other connections.
For many families, it is the superstitions that are the best
remembered and the last forgotten. In any family that fishes, the
superstitions of fishing often play a central role in the connection
of family members, even if the lore is not readily remembered. Dad's
favorite fishing hat, ratty as it is, brings about nostalgia for the
carefree days of a youth spent at the family cabin. It may not be
remembered immediately that the reason the hat was favored was
because that Dad was wearing it the day he caught the biggest pike he
had ever seen and had considered it lucky forever after. In that way,
superstitions also play a role in capturing a moment, preserving it
forever without the need for camera or words.
The
following are a few superstitions that have been obtained over the
years from who knows where. One of these involves one of the most
essential of fishing accouterments . . .
Without
a doubt, a hat can make or break a fishing trip. No other article of
clothing has that power. For many, a specific hat is vital for a good
fishing adventure and must be handy at all times.
Holding
you mouth right
Another
superstition that is widely held is the one of "holding your
mouth right." If you did not land that last big catfish, you
were not "holding your mouth right." It doesn't matter how
you were actually holding your mouth as long as you don't hold it
that way again on the next fish. This is sometimes difficult to do as
it is hard to remember from one fish to the next what you were doing
with your mouth.
Some
have discovered that it seems your mouth is always right if you have
a cigar in your mouth. It doesn't have to be lit, although the smoke
will keep away skeeters well. Perhaps a sucker would work just as well.
Specific
pieces of equipment
Several
anglers have superstitions regarding specific pieces of equipment.
If a favorite lure is somehow misplaced, the entire trip may be for
naught even if your partner has the exact same lure in his box. Most
every fisherman I know has a favored rod or reel that will assuredly
catch fish when all others fail. Some boaters must fish off a
specific side of the boat. Others must fish from the front or back
ends. Some folks may not fish a certain spot that is fine for
everyone else.
Breaking
in new rod
One
superstition that I believe very strongly in and that many other
anglers follow as well is choosing the "right" spot to
break in a new reel or rod. If you want to successfully fish with
equipment, it must be broken in a suitable location. If it is
lightweight equipment, you must go to a place that has been proven to
harbor a good population of properly sized fish. If it is a travel
set, it must not be used in a local setting.
Nothing
you can do will ruin your chances of using a pole effectively more
assuredly than improperly breaking in your rod.
Fishing
Pole
Carry a fishing pole into the house before you start on a fishing
trip and you will not catch any fish.
If the end of your pole touches the water, you will not be successful
at fishing.
To change poles while fishing will bring you bad luck.
Fishing
Line
When you go fishing, spit on the line and you will get fish by the peck.
Never let anyone step over your line; it will cause you bad luck.
If you drop your line when going to put it on the pole, throw the
line away and attach a new line for you will not get fish on the line
you dropped.
Fish will not bite if you use a bright cork on your line.
Fish with three or five lines, never with one line, to catch the most fish.
Fishing with crossed lines is unlucky.
Put a cigarette paper on your hook, put it in the water and keep
walking back and forth with the line to catch bass.
Hook
When you lose your hook, tie bait on the line and continue fishing.
Use an even number of hooks on your line for luck, as fish will not
bite if the number is odd.
It is unlucky to bait your hook with a worm by using your left hand.
If your bait runs out, dip your hook in motor oil; which is very good
for catfish.
Put a cigarette paper on your hook, put it in the water and keep
walking back and forth with the line to catch bass.
After you have put a worm on the hook, spit on it for good luck.
Chew anise and spit on your fishing hook for good luck.
Wind from the south, hook in the mouth/ Wind from the east, bite the
least/ Wind from the north, further off/ Wind from the west, bite the best.
If a person goes fishing every Sunday, someday he will catch the
devil on his hook and be snatched off the bank into the water and may drown.
Bait
If you want to catch a two or three pound fish, always use a
grasshopper for bait.
Put safetida on the bait and fish will bite.
To catch sunfish or perch, use salty pork for bait.
Use cake for bait and you will catch a lot of fish.
Use dough balls to catch carp.
Spit
Spitting on your bait will give you luck.
After you have put a worm on the hook, spit on it for good luck.
Chew anise and spit on your fishing hook for good luck.
When you go fishing, spit on the line and you will get fish by the peck.
First
Fish Caught
Saving the first fish caught brings better luck, but throwing it away
is like throwing your luck away.
A fisherman always throws the first fish he catches back in the water
for luck.
If you go on a fishing party, the first person to catch a fish will
have good luck.
WEATHER
If a fisherman goes out to fish, he should always pray - For
perpetual sunshine that will not fade away - And he will have good
luck all day.
Rain
You will not catch any fish, if you see fish humping on a rainy day.
When a rain comes rapidly and falls heavily, fish will stop biting.
If it rains, catfish will bite.
If a rain comes slowly and falls gently, fish will continue to bite.
Go fishing just after a hard rain.
Fish become excited and bite well when it is raining.
Clouds
Never fish with a seine on a clear night; you will never have any
luck until you fish on a cloudy night.
If the wind is in the south and it is cloudy, you can pull out fish
as fast as you put your line in the water.
A cloudy day is a good time for fishing.
Wind
Wind from the south, hook in the mouth/ Wind from the east, bite the
least/ Wind from the north, further off/ Wind from the west, bite the best.
When the wind is in the east, fish on the east side of the bank.
When the wind is in the southwest/ The fish bite the best.
Fish on the west side of the bank, if the wind is in the west.
Fish do not bite when the wind is in the south.
Fish bite best when there is a good soft wind from the south or southeast.
Do not fish when the wind is in the west; the fish will not bite.
Always fish against the wind for luck.
Thunder
Fish will not bite if it thunders.
Fish bite well when it is thundering.
Catfish bite well when it thunders.
The
Moon
Fish bite best (at night) on the increase of the moon.
Fish bite best (in daytime) during the dark of the moon because they
cannot see in the dark of the moon and are hungrier.
Fish bite best at night during full moon.
Calendar
Days
Good days to fish are the 17th and 18th of the month.
The best time to gig fish is when they begin to roll following the
first three warm days of spring; and they will roll for three days.
Sunday
Your will have bad luck, if you fish on Sunday.
If a person goes fishing every Sunday, someday he will catch the
devil on his hook and be snatched off the bank into the water and may drown.
Friday
Fishing on Friday is unlucky.
Fish for the first time in the season on Good Friday and you will be
lucky at fishing all year.
Animals
and Critters
A good time to go fishing is when you see a chicken oiling its feathers.
A rabbit crossing your path when you are going fishing is a sign of
bad luck that day.
It is unlucky to take a dog on a fishing trip.
When owls hoot during the day is a good time for catching catfish.
If a dragon fly lights on the cork quit fishing for you will catch nothing.
The
Actions Of Fish
If fish flop out of the water, fishing is no good, because they are
not hungry and will not bite.
If fish in a globe are still and inactive, fishing is no good; if
fish in a globe are lively, fishing is good.
If fish in a tank are at the top, it is a good day for fishing; if
your fish stay at the bottom, don't go fishing, for it is a poor
fishing day.
If you go fishing and see a big fish jump up, it will be bad luck for
you all day.
The sign of the "fish" is the good time for fishing.
When a small minnow jumps out of the water,it will be a great and
successful day for you, and you will have good luck all day and come
home with lots of fish.
You will not catch any fish, if you see fish humping on a rainy day.
Musical
Instrument
Fish bite best at night, and if you play a fiddle or guitar, the fish
just can't stay in the water but will come to the top because they
love the music of a fiddle or guitar.
If you go fishing and play a French harp (harmonicon), all the snakes
around will come.
Good
Luck
When a small minnow jumps out of the water,it will be a great and
successful day for you, and you will have good luck all day and come
home with lots of fish.
Turn your pocket inside out and you will catch catfish.
Use an even number of hooks on your line for luck, as fish will not
bite if the number is odd.
After you have put a worm on the hook, spit on it for good luck.
Chew anise and spit on your fishing hook for good luck.
Spitting on your bait will give you luck.
After you have put a worm on the hook, spit on it for good luck.
Chew anise and spit on your fishing hook for good luck.
When you go fishing, spit on the line and you will get fish by the peck.
A fisherman always throws the first fish he catches back in the water
for luck.
If you go on a fishing party, the first person to catch a fish will
have good luck.
If a fisherman goes out to fish, he should always pray - For
perpetual sunshine that will not fade away - And he will have good
luck all day.
Always fish against the wind for luck.
Fish for the first time in the season on Good Friday and you will be
lucky at fishing all year.
.
When a small minnow jumps out of the water,it will be a great and
successful day for you, and you will have good luck all day and come
home with lots of fish.
Fish when the sign is in the "feet' for luck.
Bad
Luck
If on your way to fish, you see a pin, pick it up for luck; failing
to pick it up will bring you bad luck.
Never tell anyone how many fish you have, while you are fishing, or
you will be unlucky.
The person who swears while fishing will not catch a fish.
To change poles while fishing will bring you bad luck.
Carry a fishing pole into the house before you start on a fishing
trip and you will not catch any fish.
If the end of your pole touches the water, you will not be successful
at fishing.
You will not catch any more fish if you are struck by a fish's fin.
You will not have any luck, if you fish when the sign is in the "head."
Your will have bad luck, if you fish on Sunday.
Never let anyone step over your line; it will cause you bad luck.
Fishing with crossed lines is unlucky.
It is unlucky to bait your hook with a worm by using your left hand.
Saving the first fish caught brings better luck, but throwing it away
is like throwing your luck away.
Never fish with a seine on a clear night; you will never have any
luck until you fish on a cloudy night.
Your will have bad luck, if you fish on Sunday.
Fishing on Friday is unlucky.
A rabbit crossing your path when you are going fishing is a sign of
bad luck that day.
It is unlucky to take a dog on a fishing trip.
If you go fishing and see a big fish jump up, it will be bad luck for
you all day.
If you go fishing and see a big fish jump up, it will be bad luck for
you all day
Miscellaneous
Fish can see upward, but cannot see downward.
If you go to a pond and make the water real muddy, the fish will all
come to the top.
If you talk while fishing, the fish will hear you and not bite.
If you want to fish for rough fish - cat, buffalo, sturgeon or carp -
fish with your bait deep.
If you want to fish for game fish, fish with your bait shallow.
Let your shadow fall on the water while you are fishing and you will
scare the fish away.
Throwing a pebble into the water excites the fish and makes them bite.
When you go fishing, if you will take an old looking-glass and hold
it so the sun can hit it, it will blind the fish so you can catch
them with your hands.
From The Book Of
Old Wives Tales
It's
true superstitions have no basis in reality.
They
are merely creations of our minds.
But
they are powerful creations that affect our actions and the
resultant outcomes. To laugh in the face of fate is to risk losing a
boatload of fish or even the boat itself. Besides, some of them are fun.
It is important that people who
fish follow all fishing rules and regulations.
These rules help conserve fish
populations and also help anglers be successful.
Regulations may limit the size of,
number of, and season that a type of fish may be caught, and may
require a license to fish. In some cases, only “catch and
release” fishing is allowed, which means the fish must be let
go. Some bait is illegal in certain areas.
Contact your state wildlife agency
by visiting Our Rules
and RegulationsPage.
If
you have
any hints, suggestions, techniques or anything that you would like to share
or
have me put onto this web page, please feel
free to Email
me
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I do not suffer
from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!
Carry a fishing pole into the house before you start on a fishing
trip and you will not catch any fish.
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