O.K. then. Well as far as fishing is concerned it is probably not much different than anywhere I guess. Fish are fish. And fishing tales are universal too I think....
I was mostly a crab fisherman. So if you think deadliest Catch, but without the icebergs or the freezing water temperature or the big boats or the big money - you would be getting close. Sort of.
Thing is I know exactly what they are doing - there is no difference at all in how you find them and how you set your gear. Would quite happily have jumped on board and got into it - except for being probably too old for deck work now so doubt they would not have been interested - it's a young blokes game and I'm quite happy to watch from the cabin. Nursing a crook shoulder so no chance or desire to go back on the deck. But the operations are the same as far as how you run a boat or run a crew. Those things are universal as far as I can see.
Most of the crabs in my area are either the blue crab you would be familiar with or variations of sand crab you tend to find along surf beaches perhaps. My rig was a 20 odd foot heavy built plate alloy with hydraulic pump and pot winch on an arm - it's an inshore fishery based on large areas of tidal sand flats in mostly protected waters, although there are plenty of unprotected areas I used to work hard from time to time. It's small single operator stuff mostly - although there is a significant quota trap fishery using 60 to 80 foot long boats out in the centre of local Gulfs out of reach of smaller vessels.
My marine scale license granted me access to several species from your basic mullet types, squids, several table fish of various quality and popularity right up to sharks and rays.
No we don't ride sharks, that would just be silly.
The saddles fall off and it's hard to keep the leather shiny in salt water.
We wrestle them wearing nothing but goggles and gloves. Wouldn't want to get into trouble with OHS with scratched hands now would we??
Anyway. Today I tossed the tinny in (that's any aluminium boat under 30 foot to an aussie) with the missus and a handful of (relatively) fresh squid and headed out into our local bay(s) for a fish right on sunrise. Must have been early, second car at the ramp. Glorious morning - mirror calm as far as you could see. Pretty rubbish for fishing as the fish can see us before we even get there - but after doing it for a living my attitude now is who cares when its like that? Half a dozen squid and a few undersize everything else and we decided to go for a troll. Few tommies (pretty much a herring) later and a very enjoyable putter along just looking at the odd sea eagle (Southern Osprey) and shag (cormorant) as we dribble past. Actually not much action for most of the morning, so as a wind change is due we head over to a nearby island for a fish. No better bait fishing than earlier so we decide to troll around a point now the tides rushing in before heading home and Bang - missus hooks into a screamer Aussie Salmon (not a pacific salmon or an atlantic salmon - a completely Ozzie salt water species (arripis trutta etc. if you want to look it up) growing to possibly 12 - 14 pound but rarely caught over 8 normally. 10 pound is something to really boast about.) Big enough to take ten minutes of fighting to get into the boat - yeah!
Wife says that's what I want, get another one and we'll bake 'em. Crikey, you beauty - I'm into the missus getting into it if you get what I mean. Bonus points for later in the week I'm thinking....
We had a ball eventually boating eight, none under 6 pound. With two hooked up the tinny was getting skull dragged backwards - not bad for fish only 60 odd centimetres long, these things absolutely hammer! Brilliant sport fish, big jumps out the water, the whole performance.
Ahh, life is good.
They are not seen as a good table fish by many, but I think that is as silly as saying you only ever eat prime sirloin. They fillet alright, baked they are great, but correctly smoked they are sublime - fresh though they must always be, they don't keep well. If I am to freeze them I will make them into patties with egg, rice flour, mint and mushy peas then crumb the patties before wrapping them well. If fillets I'd dip them in malt vinegar, then flour and crumb them before freezing. Then they keep quite well.
Interesting point is the reels used today. My wonderful Certate 2500R Custom, the wife's Okuma spin whatsit, one Ultra Mag XL Plus and one Ultra Mag XL II.
The big fish were caught on the Daiwa Custom, and the XL II. Those '80's Abu's are still hard to top for practical casting ability - and that is why I now try and find them. I reckon I have to get a few together now before they end up wasted in museums or in glass cases so I have parts and can fish them for another 25 plus years.
I did find one Ultra Mag XL VI on Ebay - landed here in Oz for under $90. But I admit to being fairly twitchy when looking at the same thing offered for three times that price, or more..... I have had some really good reels through a couple of forums - probably because I am not just buying to hide them away, nor to re-sell anything. If I buy a reel it's going to get used just as designed. And it's going to get serviced silly so I can use it in the salt water.
Persistence pays when fishing - whether for fish or fishing gear doesn't matter.
Hope I don't bore you with antipodean meanderings - and thank you for the attention.
Hoo roo for now.
