Saltwater

Social Distancing While Fishing

Good news, people – fishing is an ideal social distancing activity! Don’t forget, most fishing rods are around six feet in length so if you can make a side-armed cast without whacking anyone in the head, you’re maintaining a safe distance. That said, many of us are taking some new considerations into account as we fish.

Expect to see a lot of odd-angled selfies, for the immediate future.

Ready to do some socially-distanced fishing of your own? Social distancing while fishing is no different than it is with other activities. We absolutely, positively defer to the CDC guidelines to prevent getting sick in every way, shape, and form, and encourage everyone to click on the prior link and read the CDC recommendations carefully. That said, here are the highlights of social distancing while fishing:

Go fishing only alone or with family members who you’re already living with.
Stay at least six feet away from other anglers, hikers, dog-walkers, and any other people. (Tip: check the specific length of your rod, so you can use it as a gauge).
You shouldn’t need to handle or touch anything used by others, nor should you have to visit a store to go fishing, but if for some reason it’s necessary be sure to immediately sanitize your hands using CDC guidelines.

Pretty simple stuff, right? Of course, you can increase your distancing measures by gathering your own bait, rather than going to the store. Digging up worms in the backyard, cast-netting for livies, setting a minnow trap off the dock, and getting creative with what you try using for bait have all become more popular recently. The oddest thing I’ve hard of thus far: one guy who wanted to take his kids catfishing but didn’t want to go to the store dug some old, moldy cheddar cheese out of the fridge and gave it a try. Net result? They caught a half-dozen fat blue cats – turns out those catfish like cheese! Another inventive twist: Rig two treble hooks about four inches apart, press one tine of the top treble into the front of a hot dog, and press one tine of the rear hook farther down into the hot dog. Poof! You have a walk-the-dog topwater lure. (We’ve tried it – this works). This is a great time to get inventive people – and get out there and catch more fish!