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Stuff Every Angler Should Know

Fishing, crabbing and clamming basics: licenses, rules, knots, gear and safety.

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  1. How much line do you fold over to start a Palomar knot?
    Show the answer

    About 6 inches. The Palomar starts with a doubled line, which is why it is such a strong knot. You pass that doubled line through the hook eye.

  2. How many times do you wrap the tag end when tying a clinch knot?
    Show the answer

    Five or six times. The clinch knot is wrapped several times, not just once or twice, so it grips. Too few wraps can slip, and too many are hard to seat.

  3. How much tag end should you leave before starting a clinch knot?
    Show the answer

    At least 6 inches. You need enough spare line to make five or six wraps by hand. A stubby tag end is hard to wrap and easy to fumble.

All 100 practice questions

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  1. How much line do you fold over to start a Palomar knot?
  2. How many times do you wrap the tag end when tying a clinch knot?
  3. How much tag end should you leave before starting a clinch knot?
  4. What is the double uni knot best used for?
  5. Tying a double uni knot with braided line, how many wraps per knot?
  6. What kind of knot is the Rapala knot?
  7. The arbor knot is used to tie line to what?
  8. What does a bobber stopper knot do?
  9. What does the barb on a fish hook do?
  10. Which part of a hook do you tie your line to?
  11. On the fishing hook size scale, which hook is the smallest?
  12. Which hook sizes suit deep-sea fishing for big fish like yellowfin tuna?
  13. Where does a circle hook usually catch a fish?
  14. Why are barbless hooks good for catch and release?
  15. Which fishing line stretches to absorb shocks?
  16. Which fishing line doesn't stretch and lets you feel every nudge?
  17. Which line is described as completely invisible underwater and very abrasion resistant?
  18. What is a bobber mainly used to do?
  19. What is a sinker's main job?
  20. Which hook does Take Me Fishing call the most popular for beginners?
  21. Which of these is natural bait rather than an artificial lure?
  22. What do fishing license fees help pay for?
  23. Which taxes fund the federal Sport Fish Restoration program?
  24. On a state's free fishing day, what still applies?
  25. In most cases, do you need a state license to fish a private pond?
  26. In Florida, anglers under what age are exempt from fishing licenses?
  27. In Florida, do you need a license if you plan to catch and release?
  28. In Florida, which fish is measured by fork length rather than total length?
  29. Statewide in Texas, what is the minimum length for a largemouth bass?
  30. In Texas, how big is the possession limit compared with the daily bag limit?
  31. Before handling a fish you plan to release, what should you do?
  32. How long should a fish you plan to release stay out of water?
  33. How should you hold a heavy fish for a photo?
  34. What does a descender device do for a fish caught from deep water?
  35. To revive a tired fish before release, which way should you face it?
  36. Wyoming Game and Fish says released trout die much more often above what water temperature?
  37. In Minnesota, where should you put unwanted bait?
  38. In Minnesota, which of these is illegal?
  39. Michigan says to dry boats and gear for how long before launching in another water body?
  40. If you catch a known invasive fish, what should you do?
  41. On a largemouth bass, how far does the upper jaw extend?
  42. Smallmouth bass are more closely linked to what kind of habitat?
  43. What marks a bluegill?
  44. What tells a pumpkinseed sunfish apart from a bluegill?
  45. When do channel catfish mostly feed?
  46. What are a catfish's whiskers (barbels) mainly for?
  47. Which pattern marks a northern pike?
  48. When is walleye fishing usually best?
  49. Where do largemouth bass hide in the daytime?
  50. Wisconsin DNR says largemouth fishing is best when water is what temperature?
  51. In Puget Sound, what must you do with a female Dungeness crab you catch?
  52. In Puget Sound, a crab you pulled up has a soft, flexible shell. What do you do?
  53. What is the minimum size for a male Dungeness crab in Puget Sound?
  54. When measuring a Dungeness crab, where do you measure the shell width?
  55. In Puget Sound Marine Area 10, what is the daily Dungeness crab limit?
  56. In Puget Sound Marine Area 10, which rule applies to red rock crab?
  57. How can you tell a red rock crab from a Dungeness crab?
  58. How can you tell a female Dungeness crab from a male?
  59. Puget Sound crabbers hold a crab catch record card. When must they report?
  60. In Puget Sound, who needs a Dungeness crab endorsement and catch record card?
  61. Is a crab catch record card required on Washington's coast?
  62. What must every Washington crab pot have so a lost pot stops catching crabs?
  63. What colors are required on a Washington crab pot buoy?
  64. In Puget Sound, how many units of crab gear may each person fish?
  65. Washington crab pots must have two escape rings. Where on the pot?
  66. In Washington marine areas 1 to 13, when may you not set or pull crab pots from a boat?
  67. What is the maximum size of a Washington crab pot?
  68. How does WDFW advise keeping a crab catch fresh?
  69. Which baits does WDFW list as best for crabbing in Puget Sound?
  70. In Washington, which tool may not be used to take crab?
  71. In Florida state waters, what is the recreational blue crab daily bag limit?
  72. In Florida, what is the rule about egg-bearing blue crabs?
  73. In Florida, when may recreational crabbers pull blue crab traps?
  74. In Texas, what is the bag limit for recreational blue crab?
  75. Before a Washington razor clam beach opens, how many toxin test samples must pass?
  76. Spring tides, with the highest highs and lowest lows, happen at which moon phases?
  77. What mostly causes ocean tides?
  78. You are caught in a rip current. What does NOAA say to do?
  79. Water is 55 degrees F. How dangerous is cold shock?
  80. About how many boating drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket?
  81. What is the Washington recorded hotline for shellfish biotoxin closures?
  82. Does boiling toxic shellfish make them safe?
  83. Is touching a shellfish to your tongue a reliable toxin test?
  84. Is it true that shellfish are safe in months with the letter R?
  85. Does clear water mean shellfish toxins are not present?
  86. Where in a crab do biotoxins tend to build up?
  87. Which clam keeps biotoxins for long periods, sometimes years?
  88. In Washington, when is recreational scallop harvest safe from biotoxins?
  89. What is an early sign of paralytic shellfish poisoning?
  90. What is the most common way people get vibriosis?
  91. To what internal temperature does DOH say to cook shellfish?
  92. How should fresh shellfish in the shell be stored in the fridge?
  93. A raw clam stays open when you tap it. What should you do?
  94. What is the safe minimum internal temperature for cooked fish?
  95. On a day above 90 degrees F, how long can cooked seafood safely sit out?
  96. Which fish is on the FDA's highest mercury list to avoid?
  97. How many servings a week of Best Choices fish does the FDA suggest for children?
  98. What SPF does CDC recommend for broad-spectrum sunscreen?
  99. A fishhook is stuck in someone's eye. What should you do?
  100. After removing a shallow fishhook, how should you treat the wound?