ASK Luke Cameron for a fishing story and he will tell you about the time a fish caught him.
He was chasing marlin in 2016 when he felt pressure on the line.
The marlin had smashed the shotgun lure and bolted deep at speed.
“As I pulled the rod out of the rocket launcher, I lost my grip and it was either let go of the rod or go in with it,” he said.
“The weight of the marlin dragged me into the water at the back near the motor.
“It pulled me under. I was lucky to dodge four lures as the boat kept trolling at eight knots and I was near a bait ball with the potential of sharks nearby.
“I was able to back off some of the drag and swim to the surface. It was lucky the line wasn’t bird nested (tangled).
Mr Cameron said he managed to climb back aboard and shout to the angler to start winding.
“We realised the rod still had weight on it and the marlin was still attached. We landed the fish after a battle,” he said.
Looking back, he said he was still learning the ropes and was fishing with an inexperienced crew.
“Straight away I went out and bought a shot gun rigger pole so the rod can stay down in the gunnel of the boat. I’ve used it ever since,” he said.
Mr Cameron, 42, of Cleveland, learned both fishing and his trade as a bricklayer from his father, Jim.
“Dad was a keen fisherman, and he taught me from when I was a kid about age six,” he said.
Now, he is passing those skills to a third generation by taking his sons out on the water.
His youngest, Levi, 8, shows the most enthusiasm.
“I like the feeling of catching a fish. I like watching the water. I like the adrenaline,” Levi said.
Mr Cameron feels the same.
“It’s the adrenaline – chasing the big fish, the strike, the screaming reels. There’s nothing like it,” he said.
A favourite catch is the blue marlin, which he always releases.
His biggest to date was a massive 340kg blue marlin.
“It can take all day,” he said. “You get no bites and then eight hours later, the marlin takes the bait and it’s on.
“You use a lot of line and they really fight. “I catch them and let them go every time. I do it for the sport.”
But it’s a different story with snapper, pearl perch, whiting and red emperor.
“They’re beautiful eating fish. Grill them on the barbecue,” he said.
