‘A Fisherman’s Story’

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 18

‘A Fisherman’s Story’

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By

MITCHELL FARQUHAR,

aged eight of Kaiapoi We dropped the anchor and got our rods out. Mine is a creamy yellow and has 50 metres of

line on it. I have only one hook to bait. I quickly put squid bait on my line being careful not to hook my fingers. (They say that the bigger the hook the bigger the fish.)

I dropped the line in until it reached the bottom. I didn’t cast out my line on the boat because there were too many people. I waited for the fish to bite.

When they bite it feels bumpy. To catch them you need to give the rod a little flick. I could feel the fish nibbling. I flicked my rod and suddenly the rod felt heavy. I started to reel in the line. The rod bent as

The hook is on a loop that is made by the line and the sinker is below it.

though it would snap in half. I felt excited hoping it was a whopper of a fish. Winding it in is hard work.

I peered into the water to see if I could see anything. Then I saw something silver. I started to wind more quickly, but I got told to slow down. Then I saw it. A big terakihi. I felt so happy, my first catch of the day. I wondered if I would catch any more!