Something in the water
FOLLOWING IN THE TRAILBLAZING FOOTSTEPS OF HIS RENOWNED GAME FISHING DAD, ROB HAS TAKEN TO THE TASK OF MANAGING ERSKINE’S TACKLE WORLD LIKE A FISH TO WATER, WRITES HAYDEN SMITH
Following in the footsteps of his dad, Rob Erskine (above) has taken to managing Erskine’s Tackle World like a fish to water.
ROB Erskine grins like he has won a meat raffle when asked about his first barra catch.
“I must have been about eight and was casting lures with Dad off the bank at Skeleton Creek. It was a fantastic feeling and one that sticks with you,” the 53-year-old said.
Since then he has spent decades honing his fishing nous, having worked in a wellknown Cairns tackle store from when he was a schoolboy.
The son of the late tackle industry trailblazer Jack Erskine, he grew up rubbing shoulders with some of the region’s angling royalty.
“My passion has always been barra fishing, which probably instigated from trips we used to do to Lakefield. Back then it wasn’t a national park,” he said.
“We used to fish with blokes like (late fishing writer) Vic McCrystal and (well-known Far North anglers) John Mondora and Laurie Woodbridge.”
Mr Erskine moved to Cairns from NSW when he was in primary school.
His dad started working at a tackle store owned by George Bransford, another fishing icon, who in 1966 famously caught the Far North’s first 1000-pound (about 454kg) black marlin.
His dad bought the store, then based at the marina, and it became Erskine’s Tackle World.
Jack Erskine, who died in 2012, is regarded as one of the tackle industry’s most influential figures.
His rod and reel designs earned him international acclaim, including spots in the Cairns Game Fishing and International Game Fishing Association halls of fame.
“Some of the designs and concepts he put forward still live today,” Mr Erskine said.
“He had an engineering background, which he applied to fishing. Dad worked too much.”
Erskine’s Tackle World relocated and has operated from a site on Mulgrave Rd for about 30 years.
Although Jack sold the business many years ago, the name remains synonymous with fishing in the Far North.
“It’s something that’s been around for a long time, and hopefully we’ll keep it going for a lot longer,” said Mr Erskine, who manages the store for owner Tom Winkworth.
The father-of-two’s passion for recreational fishing has taken him down some unexpected paths, including into politics.
For several years Mr Erskine was chairman of the Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party. Supported by local angl-
ers such as Wayne Bayne and Alex Witten, his main bugbear was proposed government lockouts of longstanding fishing grounds.
“I never set out to get into this sort of thing, but it put fishing on the map as a political topic,” Mr Erskine said.
“We knew, if we didn’t do something, they would just randomly do this, that and the other.
“We were only against zoning if it was done without scientific evidence and only on idealistic views.”
While saying the lack of decent wet seasons had impac- ted barra numbers in recent years, Mr Erskine remains optimistic about the region’s fishing scene.
“Last year we had some of the best coral trout fishing that I have ever seen. It just went on and on,” he said.
With fishing one of the Far North’s favourite pastimes, he said business had remained steady throughout the years.
“Even during the tough times, people are still going to go fishing,” he said.
“They mightn’t spend as much money, but they will come in and buy their basics, because it can be their release from the pressures of daily living.”
Mr Erskine said the store aimed to be a champion and enabler of fishing throughout the Far North.
Outside of work, the Trinity Beach resident can nearly always find time to wet a line.
Some of his most memorable barra have been caught in the Gulf of Carpentaria, including a 1.28m gem landed in the Smithburn River near Karumba.
“Lakefield was very special to me as a young boy but, in recent times, we’ve had some sessions up at the Gulf where you just think ‘how is this happening?’” Mr Erskine said.
“The best thing with barra fishing is seeing them strike the lure … to see them do it in front of you makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”