Chance meeting way too close for comfort

OVER the long weekend many people flocked to popular holiday destinations.

I received a report from a young angler who was fishing at Boat Harbour in the NorthWest and he was telling me of standing in waist-deep water, just flicking a soft plastic lure around, when a huge school of Australian salmon came around him.

He said that every cast was a fish and it was quite hectic for a while, but he eventually noticed that fish had moved between him and the shore because he was sharing the waist-deep water with a large shark, which was also intent on a feed of salmon.

He lost no time in leaving the water, but he continued to catch fish.

The shark wasn’t identified, but the young chap said it was big. A FRIEND was fishing at a well-known hot spot recently and noticed some younger anglers were having difficulty in landing a fish with a small net.

Being a genuinely nice fellow, he offered them some advice. However, he was quickly told to mind his own business. The young angler also stated that he had CARL HYLAND probably caught more fish than the older chap anyway.

I don’t know whether the fish was lost or not, but that remark has stuck with me for a few days now, because I have had similar episodes at various locations, usually involving younger anglers.

This disturbs me somewhat because one would think that most people in difficulty, trying to land a fish, would accept help from whatever quarter it may come, but this appears not to be the case.

It’s a sad fact that a lot of people — not saying all — these days are so focused on trying to make a name for themselves in fishing circles and pushing products that they seem to have lost the fact that fishing is meant to be enjoyable and a pastime that is meant to help you relax.

I could go on, but there’s more fish to fry, so to speak. FISHING from Margate Wharf seems to be keeping a lot of people busy, with some nice snotty trevally being landed (plus lots of small ones).

Slimy mackerel are there for everyone to catch. They are not my cup of tea, but many people seem to like them either for bait or for the table.

Mackerel love sabaki rigs, which can be an expensive bit of tackle. You can do as I do and make your own. The best way to do so is to look up the subject on YouTube and you should be away. MICRO jigs seem to be becoming increasingly popular. There are many expensive varieties about, but some Tasmanian-made models are getting among good fish. A commercial long-liner tried his hand using the jigs, and on a recent trip they accounted for tuna and Ray’s bream.

Being quite small, true micro jigs “flutter’’ when jigged because they are quite thick in the back end, giving them the required weight to flutter and entice fish. It certainly makes for very entertaining fishing.

Micro jigs can be used in freshwater for trout, and early indicators are that there should be some good fish taken before season’s end on the new colours, and as we come out of winter.