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View Full Version : the good old days; longish post, no photos



rick_k
05-04-2006, 12:08 AM
From the introduction to Lance Wedlick's Fishing in Australia Angus and Robertson 1962, 1st published 1959.

'During the last tn years we have seen great changes in our salt-water and freshwater fishing. Where it was once possible to find areas untouched by professional and amateur fishermen, these areas are today so heavily fished as to make the taking of fish from them an increasingly difficult task.

Moderately priced casting reels have opened up those last remaining coastal waters that were previously inaccessible to the rock or boat fisherman. Spear fishermen comb every rock-pool and inlet. There is probably no area within easy reach of a city that isn't being fished by a large number of anglers. And in the post-war years the number of anglers has grown fourfold.

Fortunately, along with this phenomenal interest in fishing has grown an awareness of the need for conservation. Only by conserving a certain number of fish today can we be sure of our fish tomorrow.

It is to help anglers to catch fish from some of our harder to fish waters, as well as from the lesser-known, but more productive waters, that this book was written.'

Hmmmm. Almost half a century ago, in my Grand Dad's time, and only 150 years after white settlement, and a few years after the population boomed, well, for the time. I think we've packed quite a few more in in the last 30 years.

Interestingly, Barramundi then were the Saratoga of today, Barra then being called Palmer or Giant Perch. Bass were bass back then according to Lance, but in the 60s on the Nepean we called them Perch. Our indigenous brothers and sisters no doubt called them something else. Barramundi, Goodoo, etc do sound a bit better to my ear than those Anglophile/English names, or even more so, the marketing names of the modern guide; snubbies/oyster crackers called permit, and ox eye herring called tarpon. Never mind the differences, especially with the herring.

Rick K