chevin

Many years ago, I exchanged a Penn 9/0 reel for money and a lot of books. One of the books was "Battles With Giant Fish" by F.A. Mitchell Hedges. The author wrote of the kind of fishing that most of us dream about, but few of us can ever experience. I get the impression that Vagabond is determined to emulate Mitchell-Hedges experiences as closely as possible in a more sophisticated way. Mitchell-Hedges was certainly into exotic fishing and fishing venues. I bet that Vagabond wishes that he still had that book!

The most exotic place? Not quite sure that exotic is the right word, but if it means exciting and unpredictable, then the place has to be Norwegian Bay on the North West Cape in Western Australa. It can only be accessed by sea or four wheel drive and to do it in the motor you have to traverse sand dunes oner 100 feet high with fearsome wind scours. When you get there though, it is one of those places you dream of. A big fish take every cast, and while snorkelling I have seen trevally in excess of 70lbs! As there is the debris of an old whaling station which was destroyed in a cyclone there, most of the big hook-ups finish up in tears, but it is always good to hook big fish whether you lose them or not. Sadly, the area is now a marine sanctuary and no fishing is allowed there. It is certainly the kind of place all anglers dream of, and I am just pleased that I was able to experience it. While I am sad that it has become a sanctuary, I feel that fisheries have got it right. All to often fishing is banned in places that have become almost sterile. On this occasion, (and others in Western Australia) the conservation has been applied where there are ample stocks to ensure good breeding programmes.

[/QB] OOooops, sorry, I meant to suggest that you ought to thank Vagabond if you needed that information

I'm sure I needed to be told that!!! Jim Roper[/QB]

Some help is given by the skipper "backing down" the boat towards the fish. Some people (almost certainly with no experience whatsoever of big game fishing) say this devalues the sport - ie you hook a fish, the skipper chases it with the boat until it is exhausted - where's the sport in that? Well, that's one point of view. I couldn't agree with you more on this one, and it is generally a remark made by a jealous as well inexperienced angler. I don't know any angler who while fishing from the shore, river/lake bank who would not move to get closer to a hooked fish if he was able to do so. I have hooked and played a few big fish in my time and on one occasion I was fighting a 1200lb tiger shark with no harness what-so-ever, (I had broken it on a fish earlier that day). The shark sounded and would not move, I needed to get above the fish, and if I was to move towards it, I had to crank a 42foot boat through my tackle to get into that position. Therefore the skipper backed the boat to the fish so that I was in a better position to apply pressure. While the shark was fighting, it had been moving the boat through me and it hurt badly. During that time the skipper did nothing to help and nor did I ask him to do so. Most skippers are aware of the fact that their clients want to feel some achievement when they beat a good fish and so they will not do anything other than give advice during a fight, unless it is just a matter of moving in the same way as a mobile angler would.

I have just heard the sad news of the death from lung cancer of Gerry Hughes, features editor of the Angler's Mail during the '70's. I spent a lot of time with Gerry - fishing, having the odd pint or several, trying to manipulate various angling projects and enjoying each other's company. It is many years since I last met him - in fact it was June 16th 1976 in the Angler's Retreat at Marsworth - but his passing still leaves a feeling of hiatus. My heart goes out to his wife Maggie, and their children.

I have just heard the sad news of the death from lung cancer of Gerry Hughes, features editor of the Angler's Mail during the '70's. I spent a lot of time with Gerry - fishing, having the odd pint or several, trying to manipulate various angling projects and enjoying each other's company. It is many years since I last met him - in fact it was June 16th 1976 in the Angler's Retreat at Marsworth - but his passing still leaves a feeling of hiatus. My heart goes out to his wife Maggie, and their children.

Thanks mate, it is up and running again. Hope you had a lovely 30th! Christ, you make me feel ancient! I have been married quite a few years more than that! Feel ancient? I guess I am effing ancient. Still I know that there is one poster here older than me, but as he moves about from place to place aimlessly and without any obvious plan, he will probably not see this posting, and if he did, would he reply to it?

Thanks mate, it is up and running again. Hope you had a lovely 30th! Christ, you make me feel ancient! I have been married quite a few years more than that! Feel ancient? I guess I am effing ancient. Still I know that there is one poster here older than me, but as he moves about from place to place aimlessly and without any obvious plan, he will probably not see this posting, and if he did, would he reply to it?

Hi Phil, Have a word with Chris and ask him who it was he left flat on his face in snow after I had been pushing his Mini-Cooper to get it started! It started suddenly, sprung away from me, I fell flat on my face in snow so deep it covered me, and Chris, who thought I had left him to run down hill, just drove off! I had to walk back to my house where I found Chris wondering where I had got to!

Hi Phil, Have a word with Chris and ask him who it was he left flat on his face in snow after I had been pushing his Mini-Cooper to get it started! It started suddenly, sprung away from me, I fell flat on my face in snow so deep it covered me, and Chris, who thought I had left him to run down hill, just drove off! I had to walk back to my house where I found Chris wondering where I had got to!

[2:Its an abondoned quarry which was only given up 2 years ago..up till then it was bone dry. I guess I am one of your "Dickwads" despite having been a successful fishery manager who could, at certain times of the year, determine the sex of a number of species of fish. During my management duties I tried to work with in the parameters the EA uses today, even though the Authority didn't exist in those days. I noticed that in your totally unnecessary diatribe that you suggest that if the EA was interested in the water, they would have stocked it, "Years ago" and yet the pit was only flooded two years ago! Perhaps the EA has realised, as I did many years ago, that there is little point in putting fish in pits that contain no water. Being a "Dickwad" I don't know what happens to the fish if you do, but being a professional fishery manager, I do know that no one wants to fish them! I would suggest that there is little point in you watching this site for any advice in the future, because I am quite sure that you have alienated those who could help you to such an extent that anything you got from them may well be counter productive. Futhermore, if I was honest, I am sure, that like a number of others, I find it a worry that you are interested in a fish's sex!