AS a sport fisherman I’d like to think that I’m being reasonably kind to the environment and our fish stocks. That may sound strange coming from someone who regularly sticks hooks in fish’s mouths and annoys them for up to an hour just for my own pleasure.
Now, to you and me that’s acceptable. I release 90 per cent of what I hook and land and keep very few fish for the table. Mainly because the species I target are not great eating. If I land a half decent saltwater barra, mackerel, snapper or threadfin it’s more than likely to get knocked on the head. I also target squid now and then and they go home also. I never take home more than we need for immediate table needs.
A lot of people would have trouble understanding what I’ve just said in that opening paragraph. Many environmentalists and animal libbers would say that fishing is a cruel sport that should be banned altogether. In their world we should not be allowed to use livebaits or hook and release/kill any fish.
On the other hand, your average Neville Nobody would seriously question why the hell I would spend some much time, effort and money chasing fish that I can’t eat and letting them go anyway. In Neville’s world you only go fishing to kill fish and catch food. That’s what sets us sportfishers apart from many other fishermen and the general public. Some would say it makes us the elite of anglers. Most of us are responsible and value the fish we catch and the surroundings we get to visit while enjoying our sport.
Most competent and serious sportfishers have been around the traps for a little while. The majority of us started out bait fishing for bread and butter species. I started fishing at 5 years of age and bait fished for 10 years before I discovered lures. I then lure and bait fished for another 35 years. I don’t bait fish these days and I rarely head out with the specific intent of even catching a feed. We may bring home the odd barra, mackerel, squid or snapper and they are treated with respect and valued. They are cleaned, filleted, skinned and eaten fresh or vacuum sealed. I don’t like to have a freezer full of frozen fish and squid. I consider that greedy when I can go and catch a few fish for the table just about any time I like.
I don’t enjoy bait fishing. I find it boring and smelly to be honest. I’d much rather cast lures and flies at pelagics or flies at flats species. I get a big kick out of hooking a fish on a fly I’ve tied myself. I love tying flies and presenting them to pelagics and flat dwellers. It’s very rewarding but doesn’t put a lot of fish on the table.
My wife doesn’t think along the same lines. She likes eating seafood as much as I do and poor Christine has struggled for 32 years of marriage wondering why the hell someone who likes eating fish, lets so many go or chases species that don’t taste all that good. I’ve tried to explain “sport fishing” to her a few times but she just doesn’t get it. Christine’s idea of going fishing is soaking a prawn, livebait, green weed or squid head and converting that into a feed of flathead, mulloway, snapper or blackfish. I’m always forced to keep squid heads when we catch a feed of calamari and we have quite a few in the freezer. Problem is they never get taken out and used.
I’ve fished with many good anglers who don’t get sport fishing either. Their mindset is that fishing is supposed to provide food. They’ll only fish for species you can eat. Many of them fish lures but they only target edible species. The idea of fishing for something you can’t kill and eat is foreign to these people. That’s okay with me. As long as they stick to their bag limits I have no problem with anyone going fishing for a feed. I did it for many years so it would be very hypocritical of me to deny any angler a feed of fresh fish.
Most non fishers don’t understand “sport fishing” either. When people who don’t fish find out I’m a fisherman and fishing journo they often assume I’m like a commercial fisherman where I go and catch a heap of fish for myself and family friends. Some are very disappointed when I explain what sport fishing is and you can tell by the puzzled look that they just don’t get it.
You have to be a certain type of fisherman to be a sport fisherman. I’d like to think we are a bit more responsible than your average “chuck and chance it” angler who kills everything he catches. It gets killed because it’s of no use to him or is a “pest” species and it gets killed if it can be eaten. These are often the grubs who leave rubbish and discarded fishing line or braid behind and give all fishermen and fisherwomen a bad name.
I also have a problem with anglers catching their bag limit every time and filling a freezer with fish that often gets freezer burn and is thrown out. Our fish stocks deserve more respect than just being treated as a source of protein for greedy humans. We should be proud of our sport fishing heritage and how we go about our sport.
