Considering taking up a new sport? How about micro-fishing?
Across the states, fishing enthusiasts are now getting hooked on a new trend that’s not all about catching the biggest fish. The term is thought to have been coined originally by Stillwater home inspector and part-time fishing enthusiast Aaron Bye who on a 2009 fishing trip got bored and decided to pursue fishing from a different angle. However, it’s thought that micro-fishing has long been practiced in Japan without a name given to it.
Within the online fishing community, a growing popularity has been seen particularly in the last couple years for micro-fishing with people posting their achievements on forums and social media and sharing advice.
So, what is micro-fishing?
Instead of trying to catch the biggest fish, micro-fishers are more concerned with catching as many different species of fish as possible – a trend which has been rather undesirably referred to as similar to collecting baseball cards or rocks. The trend has been expanding the areas in which people go to fish. Some areas that were once unpopular have proven to have a rich biodiversity of species. Even if few of these fish are much bigger than a couple inches, the variety is what micro-fishers are after.
Reeling off a list
Aaron Bye has been largely heading the community. In an online competition called Micro Madness ran on a site called RoughFish, Bye asked members to try and catch as many different types of fish as they could within four months and photograph each one. The winner from British Columbia managed to catch a whopping 162 micro-species.
The competition gained traction online with Facebook pages being set up and other people hosting similar competitions.
Getting into micro-fishing
Getting into micro-fishing requires first getting into fishing. For those that have never picked up a rod, it could in fact make a good starting point as small fish can be found anywhere – you needn’t have to travel to a specific place for big fish.
Good quality gear is still needed. You’ll want a professional rod and even if you’re not catching big fish, an ultralight spinning reel could come in handy for keeping them steady. Some people use ice fishing lines, although these can be weaker. You’ll also want to use small hooks – ideally below size 14. These will do the least damage to tiny fish.
Are there micro-fishing hotspots?
Micro-fishing can be carried out anywhere, providing that local law permits it. Even city rivers and the tiniest of streams are likely to have small fish in. However, the major goal of micro-fishing is biodiversity, which requires going somewhere with a large range of different species. Certain waters such as marshland are thought to be better breeding grounds for different species. Quite often however, the best tactic is to fish in as many different locations as possible to raise your chances of catching as many different types of fish. Be aware that some fish will prefer the shore whilst other will favour the deep – going out into the middle of your local lake could achieve a different biodiversity from simply sitting at the edge.
