Fishing, like most sports, has die-hard participants. In the same way that many sports fans prefer a particular team over another, fisherman also have their preferred bodies of water to fish in. Some swear up and down that fishing in saltwater is better than fishing in freshwater and others share the opposite opinion. The truth is that there are pros and cons to each. Let’s take a few minutes and examine some of these and then in the end you can decide for yourself.
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Why Saltwater Fishing Is Better Than Freshwater Fishing
Saltwater fish are bigger than what you find in freshwater. What would you expect? They live in the ocean. Since saltwater fish are bigger, they’re going to put up a harder fight. Once you get a large saltwater fish out of the water, you have an impressive photo to share with your friends or on social media. And, since they are bigger, if you’re fishing for food, you are able to feed a larger group of people with a smaller number of fish.
There are more saltwater locations available, and these locations are more accessible. The world’s oceans take up 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, or approximately 360,000,000 km². There are five oceans- the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Arctic, and Antarctic oceans. This provides more area for saltwater fish. The oceans provide hundreds of millions of kilometers of coastline to fish from. Your fishing options become even larger if you choose to take a charter boat and do deep-sea fishing, snorkel fishing, or scuba fishing.
Freshwater lakes have a limited supply of fish. This is why in the United States, for example, the DNR or other governmental institutions stock lakes with fish to catch. If the lakes are not restocked, the supply becomes scarce and you could find yourself out on the lake fishing for a number of days and catching nothing that is worth keeping.
Saltwater fishing offers a tremendous variety. Sure, you can use a particular bait with the goal of catching a specific type of fish, but with one bait fish you, can catch a wide array of fish. You just have no idea what you are going to pull out.
Catching saltwater fish is just a lot of fun. They are usually more powerful and faster moving. When a saltwater fish hits your line and takes your bait, it is an intense experience. Fishing in deeper waters increases your chance of catching something that is nominally big.
Sitting on the side of the lake is a relaxing past time. However, fishing in the world’s ocean is an exciting adventure that will produce stories you will be telling for years to come.
Why Freshwater Fishing Is Better Than Saltwater Fishing
Anyone who has gone saltwater fishing knows the wear and tear it takes on their gear and equipment. Saltwater destroys everything that it touches. Conversely, freshwater is clean. You will not find yourself repairing or replacing equipment or boats as frequently because the saltwater is not eating them up.
As a result, freshwater fishing is a lot less expensive. You need larger boats with larger engines that consume more gasoline if you are going to do a saltwater fishing excursion. Conversely, when you fish in freshwater, you can use a smaller boat and consume less fuel when out on the water.
Unless there is a major storm brewing, freshwater fishing is smooth. You don’t have to worry about getting motion sickness from all of the waves.
A great thing about freshwater fishing is its predictability. When you’re out on saltwater, you don’t know if you’ve caught a tuna or if you are going to come face-to-face with a great white. However, with freshwater fishing, you know what you are going to get because there is only a limited population of fish in the lake.
Fishing in freshwater is less injury prone. When you fish in saltwater and wrestle with a fish that weighs more than you do, the risk for injury is high. If you can’t control your catch, your catch will control you. This is one of the reasons why many parents who go fishing with their smaller children prefer to take them to the lake. They don’t want to risk their children getting injured by a large fish that has sharp teeth or a powerful tail.
When you fish in freshwater, you know what bait to use. You can catch almost anything with a nightcrawler or a minnow. In the ocean, you have so many bait options to choose from that it’s almost endless. You spend more time worrying about the bait you’re going to use with saltwater fishing than you do actually getting out there and enjoying the water.
With saltwater fishing, there are so many ways to go about catching fish that it can become frustrating. When you fish in freshwater, you can do so off of a boat or a dock peacefully using your rod and reel. Freshwater fishing is not as intense as saltwater fishing. When you saltwater fish, fish will hit your bait and your line with unbelievable force. Then you will need to use all of your strength and endurance to try to reel the monster in. Depending on how big of a fish you catch, you might find yourself fighting with them for more than an hour.
The great thing about freshwater fishing is that it is not as intense of an experience. It’s relaxing. It is a sport that young and old can participate in and thoroughly enjoy.
The Choice Is Yours
Saltwater fishing is going to be a more intense experience, but it offers the possibility of catching monster fish that can serve as trophies or serve as food for a number of guests. Freshwater fishing is a more relaxed experience. The fishing is more predictable, but the size and scale of the fish you catch are a lot smaller than what you would get in the ocean.
What do you think? Do you prefer fishing in lakes and rivers? Or is ocean fishing more your style? Let us know in the comments section below.