The Write Direction: Fishing for a future

WHAT do you do for an escape from the humdrum of normal life?

My “away from it all” has always been fishing.

I was introduced to the sport by my father and we spent many weekends in an old rowing boat in Middle Harbour chasing flatties, bream and whatever found its way onto our lines, which in those days were green cord, a lump of builder’s lead and barbless hooks.

The memories of those days of regular outings are firmly implanted in my psyche.

Then my grandfather, who owned a cruiser on the sound at Terrigal, moved me on to chase better snappers and ocean pelagics.

Over the years I regularly fished the mighty Colorado River above the Glen Canyon Dam in south west Utah USA, which holds back 145 miles of the river.

We lived on a friend’s 65-foot houseboat and spent weeks at a time being modern day Robinson Crusoes.

For a number of years we fished in arctic waters in northern Canada at a fly-in camp well north of any human habitation.

This was made easier by the fact that I had a basic pilot’s license, and we used an old Beaver float plane which held five of us plus supplies.

The weather was so difficult you never knew what day you would be able to fly out.

We fished east Malaysia and in waters between Alaska and Russia, and the Great Barrier Reef from Gladstone on a charter boat for two-week trips each winter.

My USA friends would come here and we would travel to the Northern Territory for barramundi.

We would find very out-of-the-way locations such as near Australia’s first uranium mine at Gunlom Falls, plus Litchfield Park and other known spots.

Crowdy Head was our favourite local spot just above Taree.

Sadly, like so much of Australian waters now, it’s basically fished out.

That brings me to the NZ trip that I have just returned home from at the Bay of Islands from Russell, the first capital city of NZ after its settlement by the British.

Sadly, that magnificent area was much harder to succeed in than normal.

Locals were saying that some seven long liners have been working in the Bay recently, pulling lines with over 2000 hooks on each and basically ruining that pristine area for recreational fishing, which just happens to be the economic life blood that provides the local community with income from holidaymakers.

The New Zealand government has just introduced legislation to ban commercial fishing along the coast from Auckland and many hope this may provide future security for recreational fishers.

Others say “watch this space” to see if it works.

By John BLACKBOURN