The barra 9/10/2015boys

A year or so ago, my dad and I bit the bullet and purchased a small boat together. Since then, the family has had some memorable successes, our fair share of fish-lean days and some moments that have etched their way into family folklore including a mysterious tale of a man-over-board, his missing shorts and a mortified brother in law…! Fishing aside however, it’s provided a vessel (no pun intended) for the family to spend some time together away from the busyness of life on land. While somewhat simple in nature, we can’t undervalue these times and they’re something I’ll always appreciate and remember for years to come. Be it on a boat, a beach, a riverbank or impoundment, fishing has a knack of creating special moments with our nearest and dearest. The question is, are we capitalising on these opportunities as frequently as we can and, perhaps more to the point, what are we missing out on when we opt for an afternoon in front of the idiot box?

Fishing has a knack of creating some pretty special moments with your nearest and dearest.

It’s hard these days to open a paper, watch a news bulletin or engage in a conversation without some mention of mental health. While I certainly cannot, and will not, claim to be an expert in this field, there’s no doubt that mental wellbeing is becoming a more prominent focus in our society, and that all human beings experience periods of anxiety, stress, fear or low mood to varying degrees. We all know that there’s no magic fix to these challenges and the importance of seeking professional support simply cannot be understated in times of struggle. However, there are countless evidence-based resources that highlight some helpful and simple strategies we can all engage with in an effort to enhance our self-care. Pleasingly, many of these can be linked to the simple act of wetting a line.

Firstly,

As stated by Beyond Blue (2022) “Regular physical activity is great for mental wellbeing and can help prevent or manage mild anxiety and depression”. While going for a run is great for some, I quite like the option of picking up a flick stick and a backpack full or lures and walking the flats, a riverbank or a surf beach in the hope of finding a fish. I’m sure I speak for most when I say that our enthusiasm for fishing means we can get carried away and cover more kilometres than initially planned, and certainly more than if we were cutting laps of the block! Further to this, the concept of mindfulness has come to the fore in recent times. For the uninitiated, mindfulness is “a mental state where you focus on the present, without judging or being distracted” (health direct, 2022). Again, I feel that being completely locked into the present often goes hand in hand with fishing. In fact, I’d argue that being a keen angler means you are astutely tuned in to the present when on the water, paying attention to the situation at hand with regard to wind, tide, current, activity of baitfish or even the way your lure or bait is presented in the water. No, being mindful does not make one’s challenges disappear, however it does provide some separation and respite from an otherwise persistent thought loop or feeling.

There really is so much more to fishing than catching a fish. Attenborough moments are a regular occurrence for those who make the effort to get outdoors.

Moreover, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the role that natural environments play on wellbeing and, when it comes to fishing, we’re blessed with some of the best! While coming home with an empty bucket is something we all experience from time to time, 99 per cent of our fishing exploits occur in beautiful surrounds. Associate Researcher of Health, Nature and Sustainability, Doctor Rona Weerasururiya of Deakin University, states that “Simply escaping out into nature provides the freedom, relaxation and physical activity which is needed and known to have a positive impact on mental states”. There’s undeniably a simple joy and state of calm when immersed in natural environments, and those who commit to a session on the water are often treated to sites that others only see on a David Attenborough documentary.

A moment of calm after a week at the grind.

If you’re not yet convinced that there’s more to our game than donging a few fish, it’s time to talk physical health. While we’ve already explored exercise and its link with positive states of mind, you don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand that getting moving is a key pillar in maintaining a healthy physical state. Of course, we all know that exercise is linked with weight control, which is terrific, but the countless other benefits tend to get less air time.

Getting off our backsides is strongly linked with a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes, decreased blood cholesterol, a lower heart rate, greater muscle and bone strength and a reduced risk of falls, just to name a few (Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). The Department of Health and Aged Care (2021) outlines that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should be active most days, preferably every day, and complete 2.5 – 5 hours of moderate physical activity each week. Again, in many cases, fishing can be the perfect excuse to get out of the house and get moving.

Kayaking is a great way to catch some incidental exercise – and some nice fish too!

Be it trolling in a kayak for Murray Cod, traipsing through the scrub and over boulders in search of that untouched trout stream, or marching through soft sand pinging lures to the end of the earth, it’s pretty easy to incorporate some moderate physical activity that meets the recommendations from the health gurus. While there’s always a chance you’ll return with an empty catch bag, at least you can scratch out exercise from the ‘to do’ list! It’s rare for a fishing venture to be a waste of time.

While the emergence of social media has been hugely helpful for fishos on so many different levels, I can’t help but worry that it’s also breading a certain type of angler who wants to guarantee their catch, even before they’ve left their keyboard! As you wade through the comments on various forums and fishing groups, it’s not uncommon to read questions such as, should I go fishing this evening even though it’s a new moon? Am I wasting my time fishing for… during the day? Should I stay at home today because it’s a dodge tide? While, of course, there are patterns, trends and likely peak times for fish activity, being so fixated on ‘the rules’ often leads to people thinking about why they shouldn’t go fishing rather than why they should. Further to the point, by the time reports reach the screens of social media platforms, the action can be done and dusted, so perhaps it’s worth aiming for the ‘trend setter’ status rather than the ‘follower’!

A fond memory that highlights this point is from 2017. My brothers and I, who at the time lived interstate from one another, descended on our beloved Top End to spend a day on the mighty Mary River system, with dreams of locking horns with a big barra. While our enthusiasm was overflowing, deep down we knew that the middle of July is hardly ‘prime time’ to chase big barra in the mouths of the major rivers.

Not to be deterred, we hitched the boat and headed for the Arnhem Highway. For a number of hours we trolled the famous river mouth, through dirty and relatively cold water, with few other boats in sight. All signs were pointing to a doughnut trip. However, just as we were ready to pack it in, another life-highlight transpired. Seemingly from nowhere, my oldest brother Max sprang to life as his hardbody was stopped dead in its tracks. 30-odd metres behind the boat the water erupted, and the bucket-mouthed headshake immediately confirmed that we’d hooked what we had come for. After a spirited tussle and some nervous moments with a net that would be better suited to catching butterflies, we had our bounty in the boat. The moments after the grand capture were simply priceless, and I regularly find myself day-dreaming back to that scene, of three brothers, a boat and a beautiful big barra. I shudder to think what we would have missed out on if we opted for a stroll down Mitchell Street instead.

It pays to be opportunistic. A quick flick whilst watching the sun come up resulted in dinner on this particular morning.

While I think that a swift kick up the backdoor is likely the best way to get us out of the house and onto the water, the reality is that, for most, life is busy and it can be challenging to find time. With this the case, it’s worth considering how one can become more opportunistic to increase their fishing ventures. One simple approach is to have a ‘grab and go’ option ready in the shed, or even permanently hidden in the back of the car, that can get you fishing in a range of scenarios in your local area. By having this option, you can simply commit, before the inconvenience of preparation and organisation changes your mind.

Let’s take my situation of residing 20 minutes south of the Adelaide CBD as an example. I know that in no more than a 25-minute drive I can get to a number of jetties, a stocked reservoir, a mid-sized river system and some rock platforms. As a result, I’ve got a wide variety of target species on my doorstep, and nearly all can be tamed with a single spin setup, a box of lures and a few other odds and ends. I opt for a 7ft light spin stick and a 2500 size spin reel spooled with 10lb braid. A selection of lures, including small metals, squid jags, soft plastics, some crank baits of different sizes and depths and of course a few top-water offerings keeps me out of trouble.

Packed in with these items are two spools of leader that I can change, depending on the target species and terrain, as well as some pliers. While on the light side, it’s a set-up that rarely lets me down and allows me to target Murray cod in the local reservoir (that contains very little structure), squid off the rocks and jetties, salmon along the beaches, as well as bream, flathead and school mulloway in the river system. Having this option so readily at hand really can open up your opportunities for a fish and, given the simplicity of it all, it doesn’t matter if you’re only fishing for a half hour or so. As indicated above, a few casts are better than none at all!

While I absolutely recognise that time is a limited commodity (and perhaps leave passes more so), I think we’ve all been guilty of putting off a fishing session simply because the situation wasn’t ‘just right’. While life is certainly a balancing act, the many additional benefits that fishing can provide should be factored in when sitting on the fence of a ‘go or no’ decision. Empty buckets are a reality at times even for the best of anglers, so it’s worth coming to peace with this and enjoying the more holistic experience of wetting a line. The only way to guarantee you won’t catch a fish is to stay on the couch, and remember that life is short –no one remembers their best day scrolling Facebook!

Disclaimer: This article was written and released solely for information purposes. It is not a substitute for professional medical services and should not be relied on for personal medical advice.

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (2022) For adults (18 to 64 years), Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Available at: https://www.health. gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelinesfor-all-australians/for-adults-18-to-64-years (Accessed: February 5, 2023).

Benefits of #Greendesking (no date) The Nature Conservancy Australia. Available at: https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/get-involved/ take-action/greendesking/ (Accessed: February 5, 2023).

Department of Health & Human Services (2007) Physical activity - it’s important, Better Health Channel. Department of Health & Human Services, Victorian State Government. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activityits-important#benefits-of-regular-physical-activity (Accessed: January 30, 2023).

Exercise (no date) Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support - Beyond Blue. Beyond Blue. Available at: https://www.beyondblue.org. au/personal-best/topics/exercise (Accessed: January 29, 2023).

Mindfulness (no date) healthdirect. Healthdirect Australia. Available at: https:// www.healthdirect.gov.au/mindfulness (Accessed: January 29, 2023).