BLOG: So just what is "real" fishing?
I sometimes ask myself the question what constitutes real fishing? Is fishing a pursuit categorised by line fishing or is it simply the activity of catching fish - regardless of the method?
One of the areas closely related to our pastime that inspires this thought is spearfishing. Americans have a close association between angling and spearfishing, which is highlighted in a majority of their TV fishing programs. Hosts of these shows free dive on a patch of yellowtail (kingfish to us southerners), spear a few for the table and deploy some live baits after they have finished diving. The demarcation of fish caught by line or by spear is blurred and all that remains is the concept of catching fish.
I for one find it difficult to relate the two sports. While the outcome of harvesting of fish is the same, spearfishing, which is a challenge within itself, seems like cheating to me. Maybe I have a romantic notion of fishing as embedded in Hemingway’s Old Man & the Sea epic. Man versus beast, battled out in the traditional way with hand to hand combat. Yet, my spearfishing pals will tell me spears have been around far longer than nylon fishing line. So this was one argument I was never going to win!
The fact is fishing encompasses many methods including hand gathering, spearing, netting, trapping and angling. For the diehard fishermen amongst us, perhaps we need to get into the routine of calling ourselves anglers. This better explains what we do and how we go about it. Basically, the word "angle" is derived from the shape of a hook, which does much to explain our preferred method to catch our quarry.
Either way, fishing is meant to drag us away from our mundane realities and bring us back to our primeval past. It doesn’t really matter how you go about catching your fish, just as long as you show moderation and treat the environment with respect.
However, I will say there's nothing more fulfilling than the anticipation of identifying a hooked fish during a fight or the skill to tempt a fish on an artificial presentation. For this reason, angling is without doubt the number one choice for gathering fish worldwide…and millions of people can’t be wrong!
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reader comments
There's no doubt spearfishing has been around longer than "angling", and that the ability to identify your quarry before targeting them does have it's advantages. However, the "lucky dip" nature of angling also appeals to me (we're spoilt here in the tropics, I'll admit), as does the satisfaction of setting out with a gameplan to deceive a certain species into taking a well presented offering & then having the plan come together is what I find immensely fullfilling about angling. It's all "real fishing" & you've got to respect everyone's preferred method of extracting them. Thankfully, I've never seen a diver's flag over my favourite spot!
Steve, Cairns on 17-Aug-10 11:55 AM
To me 'Real Fishing' is about fooling a fish into taking your bait, jig, lure etc etc. For as long as I remember fishing has been known as a recreation in which you use a hook, line, and sinker, whether rod or handline. In my mind spearfishing has no relation what so ever and doesn't fal under any type of fishing style. All spearfishing is is hunting but in the water for different species of life. To sum up 'Real Fishing, is the ability of the angler to be able to fool a fish into biting his/her hook.
Aydin on 24-Jun-10 12:08 AM
Spearfishing I have caught (and often released) perhaps 10 times more snapper in the last 12 months "fishing" with soft plastics than I have in the past 30 years of spearfishing - that is no exaggeration. So the "cheating" call is perhaps misplaced. Certainly there are species that are probably easier to spear than they are to catch on a line, kingfish spring to mind, but is that a reflection of me being a better spearfisher than an angler? I am sure there are probably some great anglers out there who have little trouble consistently catching big kingfish. One of the local highlights of the last twelve months for me is the first ever Teraglin that I shot. Nice fish, 2.4kg, shot on a single breath of air on a dive of 28.7m for a duration of 1:53 (it is illegal to spear on SCUBA in most states of Aust). Most fisherman wouldn't think twice about a fish like that but to me, a spearfisher, it is an exceptional fish and I can assure you it didn't feel much like I was cheating! My point? Certainly there are times that it might seem that spearfishers capture some great quality fish but there are plenty of days and places when the water is too dirty, or too rough, or too much current, or too dark (can't spearfish at night), too deep, too sharky, fish too wary.....I could go on. Cheating? Perhaps I might humbly suggest that the only cheating is rocking up to the fish shop with a fist full of $50 notes and buying imported seafood. That is cheating everyone. It doesn't matter, angler, spearfisher, the important thing is just getting out there on these great Aussie waters and get amongst it, respecting the environment and bringing home just enough for a good quality feed. Cheers - John Featherstone Editor Spearfishing Downunder Magazine
John Featherstone on 22-Jun-10 02:32 PM
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