Written by: Emily Joswiak • February 18, 2021• Outdoors

Alternative Fishing Techniques for Adventurous Anglers

Getting bored with fishing the same spots? Cast aside your trusty rod and reel, and try these alternative fishing techniques for adventurous anglers.

There comes a time when you feel like you’ve fished it all. That’s when adventurous anglers start exploring more extreme forms of the sport. Try these alternative fishing techniques for new challenges and a lot of exercise.

Spearfishing

Get down with your primal self! Basic spearfishing has been around almost as long as humans have. The most common way to spearfish now is with a kind of gun that shoots a short spear at the fish from a distance. If you’ve got serious arm guns, though, you can try it with a harpoon, trident, or eel spear. If you have some snorkeling experience, all the better. You’ll be in your wetsuit for a while, spending quality time up close and personal with your prey.

Bowfishing

For you avid bow hunters, you can combine that sport with fishing for the best of both worlds. Similar to spearfishing, a fishing bow shoots an arrow attached to a fishing line. Get lucky, and you can pull in some serious catches. You can’t use a regular hunting bow for this sport, but with a little effort, you can convert one. It takes some practice, patience, and endurance, but the thrill of going after bigger fish is worth it.

Noodling

This variation belongs firmly in the “not for the faint of heart” category. You might have seen some lively videos of this challenging activity on YouTube—and not all of them end in success. The idea is to wade in shallower water and stick your arm into a catfish hole. The startled fish is likely to clamp down on your arm; don’t worry, this means that things are going well. Grab onto the gills to wrestle the beast out of the water, and you’ve won the battle. Trust us: no one will ever call you a wuss again.

Wakeboard Net Fishing

This practice is pretty elaborate, and it’s often the result of a dare. You have to be pretty adventurous to try this alternative fishing technique, considering most participants wear a football helmet.

Step One

Learn to wakeboard, a challenging combination of water skiing, snowboarding, and surfing. (Have we lost you already? Well, we don’t blame you.)

Step Two

While standing on the wakeboard behind a speedboat, scoop up fish with a net.

Step Three

Deposit the fish in a shortened basketball hoop inside an inner tube.

At this point, a quiet afternoon on the dock probably sounds pretty good again. Whether you prefer to peacefully commune with nature or wage war with it, there’s no better way to spend a day than fishing.

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