Fishing at Warnboro Sound

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Good morning. Yesterday Jon decided that it was high time he taught me how to fish. Despite having sailed for more years than I care to remember I have never been into fishing. Anyway, the Indian Ocean is apparently a fisherman's paradise. For the sort we were going to do - beach fishing - the best time is just before sunset when fish come inshore to feed.

We drove down to Warnborough Sound beach which is about a 20 minutes walk from where we are staying. When we arrived I noticed that the Freemantle Doctor, a wind that kicks in every afternoon, was blowing onshore at about 15 - 20 knots and was causing quite a swell. No prob said Jon, we shall put a weight just above the hook so we can cast offshore. Havin got the rods assembled and the bait fixed to the hooks - worm, which our prey, Whiting love - he showed me how to cast. It's all in the wrist apparently. Jon's first effort took the line out about 50 metres, pretty impressive, I thought. So I had a go: weight about a foot from rod tip, brake off, pinch line against rod; take a good backward swing and release line as tip of rod goes past vertical. Nowt to it, I thought. I swung rod back and whipped it towards to sea. Weight went flying off, did a big arc and, ...landed at my feet. The line, unnoticed by me has got tangled around the reel. Heard a muffled snigger from a passing seagull, but what does he know about fishing? For my second effort I managed to cast about 20 metres, well actually, I was probably more like 20 feet, but you know how fishermen are prone to exagerrate.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by both of us the tip of Jon's rod was bending so he picked it up and reeled in a whiting big enough to eat so it went into the bucket for supper.

On my next cast I felt a nibble, and with a quick flick of the wrist, hooked it. It was a game little devil and I took time to reel him in as I didn't want to lose him. When we finally landed him he was too small to eat so back he went.

The sun was just starting to set so time for a quick beer, (fishing is thirsty work). I must say it was a fantastic evening: the sound of the sea, colours on the horizon, fish queueing to jump on the hook (in the end we caught 6 of an edible size).

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Comments

[Jo and Martin]

Tis a hard life! Who got to gut the fish?