Editorial

THE BALANCE OF YOUTH AND AGE

“But so often youth think that age knows only the wisdom of days that are gone, and therefor profits not. But remember this, the sun that shines today is the sun that shone when thy father was born, and will be shining when thy last grandchild shall pass into the darkness. “The thoughts of youth,” he (Arkad) said, “are bright lights that shine forth like the meteors that oft make brilliant the sky, but the wisdom of age is like the fixed stars that shine so unchanged that the sailor may depend upon them to steer its course.” — The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Glason

IN this modern age, when we ask whether experience or enthusiasm is the more important factor in achieving success, when it comes to offshore angling I think we need a combination of both. Nowadays our social media feeds are bombarded by those who use a shotgunapproach to share their photographs of the various fish species that are caught off the South African coast. I’m always enthralled by the fish, of course, but really it’s the look on the face of the angler proudly displaying his catch of the day that says it all. And if the word “released” appears in the caption alongside, that greatly promotes the “sport” of offshore angling.

Those of us who are blessed with age and experience of the days long gone can visualise the scenario of loading one’s ski-boat with fish and the pleasure derived from the search, strike, fight and landing of the fish we targeted.

Going back in time, photographic evidence of these catches was scarce, as the cameras of the time were difficult to use on the boat due to the constant effort required to carry them and keep them dry. Not like today’s splashproof mobile phones that one can use to snap off many photographs that require virtually no focusing or aperture and speed settings before one can press the button.

The net result was that, before the 1980s, it was generally only after the craft had beached and returned to its parking site that the odd photograph was snapped. We usually ended up with horrible shots of the washdown in progress, with a proud angler trying to look pretty while holding up a long-dead fish. Sure, the photo captured the catch and gave the angler the means with which to brag about his catch, however those photos were hardly ever photographic masterpieces.

With today’s top quality, easy-to-carry photographic equipment, including mobile phones and GoPros, we see an incredible number of great photos, many taken while on the water, that convey not only the excitement and record of the catch, but also the stunning colours inherent in a live fish.

Diving back into the archives, as I am currently doing while searching for information on the full history of the Durban Ski-Boat Club, I am overwhelmed by the effect of looking at years of scrapbooks and old photographs. Incredibly, in the mainly black and white photographs of the 1950s, the exact same excitement is etched on the angler’s face as one now sees on a daily basis on social media.

In short, I believe that those of us who have experienced both the long expired past and the present offshore angling experience are in a unique position to take the past, its memories, hardships and great offshore fishing and correlate it with the intensity of today’s ski-boat fishing experiences and the enthusiasm of today’s younger generation who put so much into visually sharing their catches to all who flick through the digital showcase of these images.

All these experiences combine to produce the kaleidoscope of memories that runs through my mind and which brings me a great deal of pleasure. What a joy it is to have that privilege; I wish the same for the generations that come after me.

Till the next tide

Erwin Bursik