Do you fish with nets, lines, pots or a rod?Pots for crab, and a rod when I am off duty.
How do you find the fish when you cannot see them?The sounder, the birds and thirty years of guessing.
How early does a fishing day start for you?Half past three. The cat does not approve.
What can you tell about the day just by looking at the water?Color and chop. Green and flat is a good sign here.
What do people on shore get wrong about fishing?That it is mostly waiting. It is mostly hauling.
What do you cook when you bring your own catch home?Mackerel on a camp stove, ten minutes out of the water.
What do you do with a fish that is too small to keep?Slip it back over the side, quick and gentle.
What do you fish for, and where do you go to find it?Crab in the bay, mostly. Mackerel when they run.
What does a fisherman do on a day with no fish?Mend gear, scrub the deck and listen to the forecast.
What goes on every trip, whatever you are fishing for?A knife, a flask of tea and spare gloves.
What has the water taught you that nothing else could?Patience, and to look twice at the sky.
What is a good day's fishing, by your own measure?Full boxes, calm sea, home before dark.
What superstition do fishing people keep, and do you keep it?My grandfather never whistled on board. Neither do I.
What was the first fish you ever caught?A perch the length of my hand. I was six.
Where on the water would you take a first-timer?The sheltered side of the island, when the tide is slack.
Which fish got away that you still think about?A salmon at the net. I saw its tail and that was all.
Which month's fishing would you never miss?Late summer, when the mackerel come in close.
Which sound on the boat means the day is going well?The winch running steady and nobody talking.
Who do you fish with, and what is each person's job on board?My brother steers. I haul. The dog supervises.
Who first put a fishing line in your hands?My aunt, off the end of a pier, with a hand line.
The boat 14
How do you find the harbor again after dark?The light on the breakwater, and the chart plotter.
How do you keep your footing on a wet deck?Good boots and bent knees. You learn to roll with it.
How long is your boat, and how many can work on it?Thirty feet. Two is comfortable, three is a crowd.
What does the boat need from you before every trip?A look at the fuel, the oil and the bilge.
What does the engine sound like when something is wrong?A cough under the hum. I feel it in my feet.
What happens first when the boat is back at the dock?The catch comes off. Then I hose the deck.
What is kept in the wheelhouse?Charts, the radio, a kettle and a tin of cookies.
What is the smallest boat you have fished from?A rowing skiff with one bench and a bucket.
What part of the boat gets mended most often?The winch. Salt gets into everything.
What would you change about your boat if you could?A bigger wheelhouse window and a quieter engine.
Where does the boat spend the winter?Hauled out on the slip, for scraping and paint.
Where on the boat does the catch go?Into iced boxes under the deck hatch.
Which knot do you tie most often on board?A bowline. I could tie it asleep.
Who works on the boat when a repair is beyond you?A mechanic at the yard who has known her for years.
Nets, lines and gear 14
How do you haul gear that is too heavy to lift?The hauler does the pulling. I guide the rope.
How do you know a net or a pot is past mending?When I spend longer mending it than fishing it.
How do you mark where your gear is in the water?Orange buoys with my number painted on.
How long does it take to mend a torn net?An evening for a small hole. A week for a big one.
How many hooks go on one of your lines?Two hundred on a long line. One on my rod.
What bait works best for what you catch?Salted fish heads for crab. They are not fussy.
What do you wear to stay dry, from the boots up?Rubber boots, bib pants, a smock and a wool hat.
What gear goes into the water first when you reach the grounds?The first string of pots, on last week's marks.
What is the oldest piece of gear you still fish with?My grandfather's net needle, made of bone.
What lure or fly have you made yourself?A feather fly tied with thread from an old coat.
What piece of gear do beginners always forget?A hat. Sun or rain, you want one.
What stops a long line from turning into one big knot?Coil them the same way every time, into tubs.
Where does worn-out rope or netting end up?A neighbor takes the old rope for her garden fence.
Which tool never leaves your pocket on the water?A short knife on a lanyard.
Weather and tides 14
How cold does it get on deck in winter?Cold enough that the ropes go stiff.
How do you read the waves before you leave the harbor?I watch the harbor mouth. If it breaks there, I stay in.
How does a full moon change your fishing?Bigger tides and a stronger pull on the gear.
How does the tide change where the fish are?Here they feed on the turn, so I plan around it.
How early do you know a trip is off?The night before, usually. Sometimes at the harbor wall.
What do the seabirds tell you?Where the small fish are. I steer for the diving ones.
What do you do when fog rolls in while you are out?Slow down, sound the horn and watch the screen.
What do you get done at slack tide?Hauling. The current stops for a short while.
What does the sky look like before the weather turns?High thin cloud, then a ring around the sun.
What is fishing like in the rain?Much the same. You are wet either way.
What weather do the fish seem to like best?An overcast morning after a still night, in my experience.
What wind keeps your boat tied up?Anything strong from the northeast. The bay turns white.
Which forecast do you read before a trip, and what do you look for in it?The marine forecast. Wind strength and direction first.
Which month has the calmest water where you fish?June. Some mornings it is like glass.
The catch 14
How do you keep the catch fresh until you are home?Plenty of ice, out of the sun, lids on.
How do you measure a fish or a crab to see if you may keep it?A brass gauge across the shell. Under the mark, back it goes.
How do you sort the catch on deck?By kind and by size, into separate boxes.
How do you tell apart two fish that look alike?The line along the side and the shape of the tail.
How many boxes make a day worth the fuel?Depends on the fish. Forty of mackerel would do.
What comes up in the net that you never meant to catch?Starfish, weed and jellyfish. Back they all go.
What do you catch now that you never saw when you started?Octopus. Twenty years ago I had never seen one in a pot.
What is in the boxes on an ordinary day?Brown crab, a few lobsters, the odd dogfish.
What is the most you have ever brought up in one haul?So many herring the net would not lift.
What is the strangest thing you have pulled up?A boot with a crab living in it.
Where does your catch go after it leaves the boat?To the market on the dock, and one box to a cafe.
Which catch do you keep for your own table?Any flounder. I never sell those.
Which fish do you wish more people would try?Gurnard. Ugly and sweet.
Which fish is the hardest to catch, and why?Bass. Clever, quick and fond of rocks.
An early start 13
How do you stay awake through a day that starts in the dark?Strong tea and a job for both hands.
How long is the ride out to where you fish?An hour and a half, into the wind.
How many days a week do you go out?Five when the weather lets me. Fewer in winter.
What do you do on the way out to the grounds?Bait up, drink tea and watch the sounder.
What do you do when you get home from the water?Hot shower, hot dinner, asleep in the chair.
What do you eat before a dawn trip?Oatmeal at home, an egg sandwich at the harbor.
What do you get ready the evening before a trip?Ice in the boxes, rain gear by the door, bed by eight.
What does the harbor look like before sunrise?Deck lights, gulls and steam from the kettles.
What is on your mind as the harbor comes back into view?Dinner, mostly.
What is the best part of being out before everyone else?The quiet, and first pick of the grounds.
What time are you back on land?Mid-afternoon, tide permitting.
Where are you when the sun comes up?Halfway out, with the light over the stern.
Who else is awake when you cast off?The baker, the gulls and two other skippers.
For a harbor or lake visit 16
Can I hold the fishing rod?Yes. Two hands, and keep the tip up.
Do you ever let a fish go?Often. The small ones go back to grow.
Do you get seasick?I did, my first week. Not since.
Does the boat rock a lot?On a windy day, yes. Like a slow swing.
Have you ever caught something that was not a fish?A sunken lunch box, still shut.
Have you ever seen a whale or a dolphin?Dolphins, most summers. They race the boat.
How do I learn to fish?From a dock, with a grown-up, a short rod and patience.
How do the fish get into the net?They swim in and cannot find the way back out.
Is the water very deep where you fish?Deeper than this building is tall.
What do you put on the hook?A worm, or a shiny lure shaped like a small fish.
What is in the bucket?Bait. It smells worse than it looks.
What is the biggest fish you ever caught?A halibut as long as the hatch cover.
What is your favorite fish to catch?Mackerel. They pull hard for their size.
Who drives the boat?The skipper. On my boat, that is me.
Why are the floats so bright?So I can find my gear again on gray water.
Why do you wear those big boots?The deck is wet all day. Wet socks are no fun.
How it works
These questions to ask a fisherman work on a dock or at home: the fish that got away, the first fish caught, what the water says about the day. Six more groups run from the boat to a harbor visit.
Read the full guide
Questions to ask fishermen, for a living or for fun
The sheet opens on twelve of the twenty in Good ones to start with, which fit a rod on a lake as well as a working boat. For someone who fishes for a living, set the box under Print this list to The boat, Nets, lines and gear or The catch.
On a harbor or lake visit
For a harbor or lake visit holds sixteen in a child's words: who drives the boat, how the fish get into the net. The example answers belong to an invented fisherman, and on paper they go on a last page you can leave out.
Questions and answers
What is a good question to ask a fisherman?
One that starts a story: what do people on shore get wrong about fishing, or which sound on the boat means the day is going well. Both are in Good ones to start with.
What can kids ask a fisherman?
What they can see: the bucket, the big boots, the bright floats. For a harbor or lake visit keeps to those, and each question is short enough to read aloud.
What is the difference between a fisherman and an angler?
A fisherman, or fisher, catches fish or gathers shellfish, as a profession or for recreation. Catching fish with a hook is called angling, so a fisher with a rod and line is sometimes called an angler.