Apr 8, 2022 4 min read

It was a beautiful night with a warm, full moon the first time I saw the owl in my backyard. She was hunting, swooping down into the short grass along the edge of the yard.

I suspect it was after a mouse. It got me to thinking about hunters in the wild.

Man is not the only hunter in the game as animals have been hunting each other since time began. Look at your own backyard and I am sure you will come to realize that this is so. The circle starts in the insect department and heads on up the line to the apex predator, man.

This being trout season, think about your fish. Some fish are predators. There are some vegetarian fish. But for most, big fish devour little fish. Game fish is the term for this hunting by fish.

A trout will rise and strike an artificial lure as it thinks it is a minnow or an insect. So, in a way when humans fish for trout, we are fishing for a predator of fish. Being the top predator means we get to hunt for all the other predators. This requires us to use our predatory skills to hunt for fish.

Carp and suckers are not classified as game fish not because of their size but because they feed off the bottom. Relying heavily on scavenger tactics and not so much chasing down of food. The exception to this rule and there are a few, are those fish who are both within a species of fish.

Take common bullhead catfish, who are normally not predatory, calmly feeding on stuff on the bottom. Then we have channel catfish, who are predators and can be caught on lures. When I have been fishing for these big game cats, I have often used an injured Bluegill. The sensible thing to remember when fishing for predatory fish as opposed to non-game fish is to match the hook to the mouth size. For trout fishing, I use small size 10 hooks, whereas with cats I use much bigger hooks and gear all the way around.

Interestingly, while on this topic, what about the ocean? Here, there are so many predators. I am not completely convinced that man is the top Apex predator here in this big environment. The top of the food chain in the ocean might be whales and sharks. Man does not swim as well as these predators and, yes, we can use boats and gear to catch and kill them, which I guess qualifies us as the smarter predator. Sometimes I am just not sure what qualifies us as the top of the heap. I just know it makes me a bit nervous to jump in the ocean.

I guess when one is fishing for predators here at home you just need to think like a predator and determine where the fish hunts and how. Fish like trout usually hunt on the surface in the morning and late evening. Therefore, lures and flies work well then. On hot still afternoons, it is usually better to put a worm down where it is cooler.

I have never caught a walleye on the surface. They lay down deep in the cool and have eyes adapted for the dark, so know your predators’ habits. Trout have particularly good eyesight and if they can see you or your shadow, will not hit. I imagine that kingfishers and other birds have been fishing for trout too and have taught them to look up and be aware of attack from above. While trout can be lurking near a piece of cover waiting to dart out and grab whatever food drifts by, they also like to lay in ripples and fast pockets of water. They have a keen sense of smell and will go out after a worm like it is a steak.

This season, when you are preparing to go fishing, think about the sport from this point of view. Prepare yourself to take on another predator, just maybe one who lies in the water and not on the land. One who has a keen sense of smell and taste but not the brain capacity we possess.

The world is full of hunters and gatherers not all of them human.