TOWARDS TEN THOUSAND TROUT Adrian Webb
I
was around six years old when I had my first fishing trip with my grandfather to the Semaphore jetty in South Australia. I can’t remember the fishing rod or reel I, because that was back in 1952. I do remember the first fish I caught though, it was a “Tommy Ruff”or as they’re now called Australian Herring. I didn’t do a lot of fishing with my grandfather as he suffered illness from the gas used during the first World War and he died in 1954, but it was thanks to him that got me started with my fishing. My dad wasn’t one for fishing. He didn’t have the patience to sit on a jetty for all that long. If he didn’t get a bite or catch a fish in the first thirty minutes that was it, we were off home. It was my brother who took me fishing mostly, he loved fishing and had all the patience in the world. A little too much patience some times because we would sit on the jetty for five or more hours for just a few tommies and gar with the odd mullet being caught. Good thing was, we always went home with a feed of fresh fish.
How I started chasing trout As the years went on my brother started work, then eventually got married and I went fishing on my own. I would ride my push bike to the Port River and fish for mullet from the wharves. Eventually I was old enough to start work (1961) and bought my first car, a 1950 Fishing News - Page 10
Vanguard that cost me fifty pounds back in 1962, that was my wheels for going fishing. It was sometime in 1965 when a friend asked me if I would like to go and have a fish for trout in the Finniss River at Yundi which is South of Adelaide. I did go with him and even today I can still remember that first trip to the Finniss River. I had a six foot split can fishing rod with a spinning reel and ten pound nylon line, my lure was a silver blade Mepps spinner. On my first spin session on the river I caught a beautiful brown trout that weighed 3lbs. That was the one and only trout we caught on the day, but that was enough to get me well and truly hooked on trout fishing. I still did my salt water fishing for whiting and snapper on a regular basis, but was really getting into the trout fishing more often. Trout fishing in South Australia was tough mainly because of the lack of rivers/streams that had trout in them, but I did find enough of them to keep me going. The more I went the better I became at it, reading a river and knowing where the trout would be holding out. The rivers/streams I fished were very challenging tight skinny waters, stalking trout in them wasn’t easy either and I feel that’s what made me the trout fisherman I am today.
What I love about trout Catching a trout on my first trip soon had me obsessed. There’s something different about it compared to salt water fishing where fish are normally in schools and plentiful. Trout on the other hand, especially the brown trout never swim in schools in a river, they are loners. They do pair up during the spawning season and that’s it. Sometimes you’ll see juvenile trout swimming in numbers, as they mature they are off on their own. Brown trout are cunning and can be pretty frustrating at times. They will come up behind a lure and just follow it with no signs of aggression, then turn and move off not to be seen again. When they’re in that type of mood it’s then up to me to entice the trout to take the lure. It can take some time and several changes of lure before you get one to take it, when a trout does take the lure you know you’ve achieved what many other fishers haven’t. I admit I am obsessed with trout fishing. In fact I became so obsessed we spent seven years heading back and forth to Tasmania before selling up and moving here in March 2000. I was finally in trout heaven where nearly every river and stream has trout in them. It’s not only the trout fishing I love, it’s also the beautiful peaceful surrounds one can take in. I’ve had many trips over the years when I haven’t landed a trout and not worried about because of the beauty that’s around
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