Saltwater Fishing Tips and Techniques

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  Catch flounder with a weighted hook.
  ILLUSTRATIONS: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
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  Jerking the hook up and down attracts cod.
  MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
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  Cast your hook out far to catch bluefish.
  MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
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  A slowly moving hook will attract large fish like marlin and tuna.
  MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

A serious fisherman gathers food for market and for his table. He is neither an idle angler nor a blood sportsman, but a practical man bartering skill for food. There are few hard rules in fishing; techniques change with the days of the season, with currents and water temperature. There are some generalities, however, that can serve if local knowledge and current usage support them.

Bottom Fishing

flounder, fluke, cod, tautog 

Drifting free or slowed by a small anchor (a "lunch hook"), the bottom fisher drops a weight and single hook , or a gang rig with treble hooks, and baits it with clams or sea worms

Jigging

cod, haddok, halibut  

Jigging is a technique used by fishermen who know where the schools are. The bright treble hooks and weight are jerked up and down, attracting fish and foul-hooking as many fish as are fair-hooked.

Casting

bass, bluefish