Is there a Science to Fishing?

By Cindy Hunsinger

Many of us have been going fishing since we were very young. I know my Dad took me fishing before I could even walk. I assume it was the same with him as we came from a long line of fishers. But have you ever thought that there may just be a science to fishing? I know it sounds strange and maybe even a little weird. Being around fishermen all my life, believe me I think I have heard it all. The signs have to be right to catch the big one, others say no, it’s the right tackle or bait that lands the big one. While others truly believe it all depends on the weather.

So it got me to thinking, is there perhaps a real science to fishing? If I want to pull in a fish bigger than the giant redhorse my Daddy reeled in a few years back, does it really come down to understanding the fish or the environment? Now I don’t want my Daddy to worry, I won’t give away the location of his favorite fishing holes, well not for free anyway. (Sorry Dad, but it could be a lucrative venture for me.)

So with this science of fishing idea in my head, I have set out to find what, if anything, affects the big fish and coaxes them to bite.

Here’s what I have found thus far. There are as many experts on fishing as there are fishing stories (and believe me, there are a lot of fishing stories). So I’ll just "tackle" a few of the ideas I’ve heard the most. The first being the fact that fish are affected by the barometric pressure and are even able to detect changes in pressure before they occur. Well, I’m sorry, but according to research, it’s not the fluctuating barometric pressure that affects the fish as much as it is the actual change in the weather.

How about the color of the tackle or fly you use. Does it really matter? Is there one color that is better than another? Well again, there has been extensive research on this, and what it boils down to is that yes, in some situations, one color or color combination is better than another. The best color for the tackle or fly may change due to various factors, such as the level of the body of water or the time of day. So I found some helpful suggestions in picking the right tool for the job.

If you are fishing in deep waters, then blue is more visible to the fish. Choosing bait based on contrast rather than color may be a better choice when trying to get the fish to bite. Black just may be the most visible color under most conditions, so it seems you can’t go wrong if you have some black tackle in your box of goodies. Chartreuse is also a good color to stick with as it seems to be tried and true. Other combination that have been proven are yellow-and-white and chartreuse-and-white.

This is just some of the research I have found thus far. I’m not sure if these scientists have ever fished in a real fishing hole or not. But I think I’ll go out and test their theories and just maybe I can beat Daddy’s record of reeling in the big one.