BLOG: The minimal approach

At times I can get a little bit one-eyed when it comes to fishing. I get locked into chasing a particular species or get zoned in trying to work out a waterway and until I figure it out, I rarely stray from the path - sometimes to my own detriment.

I have owned boats since I was 22 and absolutely love the thrill of getting onto the water, hunting my prey and hitting numerous spots in a given session. My boat is integral to the way I fish and I sometimes scoff at those committed to fishing land based. This is not an elitist attitude, but I always felt that to really get amongst the prime pickings you need a boat to get to the good spots. A boat can be anything from a flash on-water Ferrari to a plank of wood with an oar; anything that floats basically. Upon reflection though I think I might be the one misinformed!

I had an opportunity the other day to hit the banks of a tiny little creek in the Hawkesbury system while I waited for my trailer to be repaired. I had around four hours to kill and armed myself with three spare jigheads, a packet of 2” Gulp! Shrimp, a bit of leader and a pair of scissors, which I stuffed into my short pockets. In hand was a 7’ 1-3kg spin stick on a micro Luvias. Off I trotted, my expectations fairly low.

On about the third cast to a bridge pylon my plastic was engulfed. Whatever took the lure shredded me in seconds and felt like a weighty fish. My adrenaline rose. A few casts later the same thing happened. It only took me five minutes of prospecting on foot to reignite my enthusiasm for other fishing pursuits. I had forgotten how good it was to set out on foot with minimal gear and a sense of adventure.

I caught plenty of fish in that session ranging from flathead to bream and even a whiting. However, those two dust-ups were still in my mind. I know they catch monster jewies in this shallow creek at times and I wondered if I'd happened to entice a couple?

This experience got me thinking. Maybe we over think our fishing a little at times. How naked would I feel if I went out fishing on my boat with only one packet of lures? Yet here I was, satisfied with my one-trick-pony approach, only a few different weighted jigheads to give me a small amount of flexibility. And I caught fish, and I was chuffed.

Also, they say an enemy's strength can be its weakness. Same too with land based fishing. While boat fishing I tout the "stay mobile" attitude, emphasising the need to cover large areas of water fast. Land based means the opposite: spending large amounts of time in a small patch of water. I was catching fish on cast twenty to the same snag when I would have moved on long ago in my boat. Obviously this had me rethinking my attitudes on how long I should give a spot before declaring it a dud.

This little session was a real eye-opener. I can’t wait to get back there and discover some more spots further upstream and further away from the crowds. At the same time I might lose a few kgs as well. It’s all positive!