Finesse Fishing #1

What does finesse mean to you? If the writers of CLEO are to be believed, the average Aussie is quite satisfied with his finesse if he can avoid farting at the table and takes his weight on his elbows!

I once read a story about finesse fishing by one of Australia’s finest freshwater writers and frankly, most of it went over my head.  In fact I remember chuckling my way through it and branding it ‘wankerism’ After all, most of what he wrote doesn’t apply to salt water fishing does it? …Or does it? If only Id taken it a bit more seriously!

*The deep water Fang Fish

Now this fellow had us dressed up like Rambo, jungle greens were the go, but with our tackle pinned to our camouflage jackets instead of grenades. With rod in hand and net on shoulder, we crawl, creep and sneak our way around and through the reeds, scotch thistle and blackberry like some kind of ferrel butterfly collector. When we at last get within sight of the water, we mustn’t look! The fish just might be looking! So we cast from in the reeds, under the trees, or crouching behind rocks like a garden gnome with haemorrhoids.

* The mighty Halco Raider, an awesome Salmon and Kingfish lure

So just how do you decide what to pin on to your vest for any one day of fishing?

I imagine that you close your eyes and throw yourself headlong into your tackle collection, and trust providence. I’m not having a go at you tackle rats, believe me I’m one of the worst tackle rats you’ll see; if its shiny or new I’ve got to have it. But having bought many hundreds of fishing toys, how do you decide what to take with you? I could easily fill a large four-wheel drive with my fishing tackle, but I’ve never got the right gadget on hand when I need it, and my tackle bag is always too heavy.

I know what you’re thinking! “How will I get by without my hydraulic bent back bender, and I can’t do without my neoprene nosed pliers”

 *The Tungsten Vib an excellent closed water Bream lure

How simple it all was when I only had one rod and a small tackle bag. It was those insidious lures that started it; a bloke offered me one at a party! “One can’t hurt! Go on try it, you’ll really like it!” Oh! Why didn’t I listen to my mates who warned me that once you try it you just can’t quit, you just can’t stop at one! I used to drink scotch like water, smoke heaps of pot and cartons of cigarettes too; but I’ve had to give it all up to support my luring habit.

So, you want to know where this is taking us. Well, I asked myself the same big question late one afternoon as I staggered along a too soft beach with a too heavy bag. “Is all this stuff really necessary?”  The answer my friend is going to shake the coarse fishing world down to its very English roots. Fly fishing will never be the same, and maybe some of my fellow lure fishing addicts might get the strength to kick the hard body scene and get into soft plastics.

Till next time, just remember the early bird gets the...um..er..



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