Michael, The hand line thing might be because they cannot afford better equipment. That is the way they fish in poorer countries.
It could also be a way to avoid detection when poaching, but it seems less likely. If they can't afford a fishing rod and reel, they may not be able to afford the license.
Militant Bluefish Jihadist
"Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people," "It's just very, very sad" - Donald Trump 2011
"With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people? It sure sounds like it." - JAMES M. INHOFE
"Most meteorological research is funded by the federal government. And boy, if you want to get federal funding, you better not come out and say human-induced global warming is a hoax because you stand the chance of not getting funded." - WILLIAM GRAY
"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in fishing" - Babylonian proverb