In all my years of sharing fishing with people, young and old, privileged and not so, in school and not; I’ve honestly never seen anyone not be excited by the first fish that emerges through the surface, shining like something magical from another world.
We’ve done this a few times before so we know the drill, no panic, just pure fun. Mike positioned the boat carefully in front of the shoal that was moving rapidly and when we agreed, I lobbed the live bait into the mix. The take is normally instant but for a moment it looked like somehow the bait had been missed.
After that I paused for a minute, it was a beautiful moment, it lasted maybe a couple of seconds in total but the image of that fish lit up in that clear water, in the wave face, I can see it crystal clear in my mind and it’ll live with me forever. I love fishing!
It was beautifully calm and sunny, hanging out on boats with friends, living the dream! Not long after they gave me the heads up of a pod of Rissos dolphins cruising my way.
I quickly baited the hook with a large grain of corn and flicked it towards the the bush. The cast was rushed and not quite on the money. However, I spotted a previously unseen fish come from a different direction that raced toward where the corn was sinking and the float slid away without hesitation.
It was at one of the marks I discovered last year that I caught the first Bass of the season. There was nothing huge but it was great to see these spikey, silvery beauties once again. There are a few more spots in the area that I think will better in different states of tide but the only way to find that out is to get out there and try.
We talked and talked and talked! A complete stranger was rapidly becoming a new fishy friend. We are cut from the same cloth. We have an appreciation for what I suppose many would now consider, “old fashioned” etiquette and we both recognise that being quiet is just about your number one asset when on the bank.
Joss’ rod in particular had a lovely tip action that bent into a beautiful curve as he landed a string of great fish. Nothing massive but we’d found a weather window and we were in the fresh air catching more roach in January. That’ll do for me.
On balance it was a pretty good year. Every month there was some interesting variety and a bit of success. The boys joined me several times throughout the year and catching anything with them is fun. It’s a useful reminder to keep it fun and simple.
When you’ve been catching fish of around three ounces for a couple of hours, something approaching two pounds looks and feels like a monster!