Presented with the idea of an autumn harvest, one generally thinks of fruit (including the ‘vegetable’ kind like pumpkins); the store of summer’s growth set into the hope of seeds sweetly wrapped for spring sprouting. Or perhaps mushrooms, or summer-fattened hunted game. In my world, and for slightly different reasons, most of which I am not certain of, offshore fish are perhaps one of the greatest autumn gifts. Warm waters on the cusp of change, seas rich with summer’s phytoplankton growth and nutrient delivery running off the land to boost it, better chances at calm seas to access it in a mate’s trusty small boat, the feeling of summer’s end pushing you out to fish before winter’s slow down. Somehow or other, this time of year has provided my best fishing. With an early start, it all came together this time, with diversity as much as volume, and 28 keepers between three of us.
So it has been pigfish and snapper for dinner for the family, the fridge charged for a few days and the freezer for a good few more after that. When the chance arises, and the sea is calm, and the season is right, and you know just enough of what to do, and the fish are biting; this is what ought be meant by the stars aligning; when to live in the best of all possible worlds at the best of all possible times becomes something true – accepting full well that it is contingent on luck, your own effort and leaving a lot of the contradictory truths of the world behind you on shore.
What a beautiful and diverse harvest. You are very lucky!
Yum!! I do so love fish. I almost feel ashamed that fishing is not a regular ectivity of mine, but I’ve never been, and I know nothing about it. I’m going to try prawning for the first time this sunday – my first foray into seafood foraging. Can’t wait! here’s hoping for a still, dark night…
Thanks so much for your blog – it is infinitely inspiring.
Thanks Annie. Prawning is something I have yet to try, and so on that I envy you. Truth is, I have been lucky with some good friends with great skills and knowledge to gain some entry to something that needs a lot more than a guide book and some good intentions. So much of the foraging I have taken on has been self-taught, but fishing could never have been. The good thing I have observed though is that fishers are often not just willing, but keen to share with newbies. Even now, after two decades of fishing, my mates fix my shoddy rigs with some better expert knot tying so I can catch up on catching fish then still split the catch equally. Surprise someone you know who fishes with a willingness to come along and chances are they will surprise you with a willingness to take you and teach you… or that’s what I reckon… In any case, hope the prawns came in. Cheers.
I will most definitely post about the prawning, so hopefully it’ll be at least slightly successful so I have something to photograph at the end of the night!
Thanks fr your advice about asking other fishos for help… now I just need to muster up some courage….
Some old classics there, Forager. Well fished.
A very colourful catch, hope they tasted as good as they look 🙂