Sportfishing: From evolution to revolution

By Bob McNitt

Sun Outdoors Writer

A few weeks ago I got a call from a gentleman asking about an antique rod and reel he'd found while inventorying a recently deceased aunt's estate belongings. He said the rod was constructed of four-pieces, probably hickory, that were joined together by metal ferrules and its total length when assembled was 12 feet.

He described the reel as being a simple skeleton click-drag, single-action that contained what appeared to be cotton line. No manufacturers' trademarks were evident, on either rod nor reel. The man wondered when the outfit had been made. The best I could do was advise him it was probably sometime around the late 1800s to early 1900s. Later, I got to thinking how fishing equipment has evolved, from simplistic to high-tech.

There's evidence that way back in 2000 BC the early Egyptians were constructing artificial flies to catch fish with. Obviously these were very basic lures and probably fished on hand lines or from long wooden poles with no reel. I can't imagine one of the Pharaoh's subjects landing a 100-pound Nile perch on such an outfit, but it probably proved adequate for smaller fish.

Since the time early humans first evolved from scavengers and gatherers to hunters, fishing was purely a consumptive activity. No telling when the first person discovered that placing a bait on a sharpened gorge or bone hook that was attached to long woven animal hair would catch fish was fun and effective, but I suspect it predated the early Egyptian anglers.

Fishing as a sport apparently didn't catch on (excuse the pun) until the late 15th century. In 1496 the book "A Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle" gave specific details for the first time in English about the use of the fishing rod. Written by Dame Juliana Berners, the prioress of an abbey near Saint Albans, England, the book describes the construction of hooks and rods for angling. The manuscript also describes how to tie knots in fishing lines and how to make and use artificial lures and flies to take advantage of the feeding habits of game fish. Dame Juliana's advice was the basis of the angling knowledge in England for about 150 years.

It wasn't until 1653 that English angler Izaak Walton published "The Compleat Angler," or the "Contemplative Man's Recreation," the period's most influential book published about sportfishing. In it, Walton addresses the art of constructing tackle, the science of basic aquatic biology, and the philosophy of recreational angling. Based on his lifetime of observations, Walton's book describes the crafts involved in making fishing tackle and the methods anglers must use to catch fish. He also covers the feeding habits and life cycles of different species. Walton believed that "the true angler is one who fishes for the love of fishing, and that catching fish by sporting means is far superior to other methods of fishing."