Written by Andrew Chorley
Fishing is more to a lot of people than just dangling a line in the water. To many it is a way of life, a passion, an adventure, an escape and can take you to every corner of the globe in pursuit of that trophy fish.
Here, Andrew shares some of his thoughts and experiences on the modern day adventure angler. Fishing, to many keen anglers, is not just about the fish, rather the journey. Modern times with social media have certainly seen a rise in popularity with fishing.
Once a past time for smelly old men, the hobby now sees people of all ages and genders take part in Australia’s biggest pastime.
With the rise of social media, it certainly gave anglers a platform not to just brag about their catch but to tell a story to a wider audience. With drone shots, fancy photography, Go Pro action cameras and everyone with a phone in reach with good camera quality, it certainly makes it easy to capture an adventure.
These images and stories get people motivated to get out and experience fishing for themselves and we have seen a huge movement towards more anglers getting out there in search of their own adventure.
For me, exploring new destinations is just as exciting as catching the fish of a lifetime and if you can combine the two it is certainly a recipe for the ultimate adventure. My pursuit of certain species of fish has seen me travel not just across our great country but the world. Many anglers share this same passion of travel and fishing and they certainly go hand in hand.
For many fly and lure fisherman that mostly practice catch and release, targeting a fish in a pristine, and usually remote environment, is as good as it gets. This sees some of the more remote towns benefit from this tourism-based fishing.
Towns such as Weipa, Cairns, Kurumba, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth just to name a few benefits hugely from anglers seeking adventure a little off the beaten track. In this mix of fishy destinations, our own piece of fishing paradise sits extremely high among the travelling angler.
The Fraser Coast made Tourism Australia’s The Top 5 Fishing Destinations which is something we should be enormously proud of. Our unique location, with a mix of southern and tropical waters, sees some great year-round fishing.
Seeking out your own angling adventure could be as simple as looking in your own backyard. This diverse range of species sees fish like cobia, black marlin, golden trevally, barramundi, threadfin salmon, queenfish, snapper, coral trout, red emperor and more all in reach of our local boat ramps.
For many anglers bitten by that bug to seek out their next goal or target species, plenty of time can be spent planning the next adventure.
Sitting back at night looking at google earth and thinking what’s around the next corner of the river, behind that island, the next reef, that point, that sand flat… these are all the thoughts the avid angler will have when planning their next adventure.
Sleepless nights before a trip and that excitement before you reach a destination are all feelings that the passionate angler experience. Many adventure anglers share this deep passion for the environment and are generally the gate keepers of many fisheries.
With this passion comes the responsibility to look after the fishery and anglers that also travel to destinations generally show respect to the fishery they are visiting like it is their own local water.
This passion has seen a huge increase in catch and release fishing along with improved handling techniques with fish. This is great for the future of fishing and fish stocks. It is also great to see the next generation looking after the environment and putting fish back maybe one of the few positives out of social media.
Modern covid times have certainly shifted the focus for many anglers to look closer to home and there is no time like now to look at a local angling adventure, or one further up the coast. Within a day’s drive of the Fraser Coast we have some pristine and remote locations.
These destinations are often sought after by international guests for their fishing. Why not take advantage of the quiet time in tourism and look at booking your own fishing adventure with an operator or plan a DYI trip and help our fellow Queenslanders.
Local or up the coast, any support is great right now for Queensland and we are incredibly lucky to be able to travel within the state.
Your angling adventure await! Why not see where fishing takes you?