SEASONED fisherman Gary Chaplin has swapped the rough seas and challenging conditions for a more laid-back approach to his beloved hobby.
The 68-year-old, who once braved 20-knot winds and significant waves in the middle of the night to catch elusive fish, now prefers calm waters and comfortable conditions, with the company of friends to make the experience even more enjoyable.
“I like to go for the reef fish in Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay,” Chaplin said.
“You can get snapper, sweet lip, and yellow fin bream. They are good eating. But coral trout are probably the best eating fish you can get.”
For Chaplin, fishing has always been about the joy of eating the fish he catches rather than the sport itself.
His preferred method of cooking involves filleting thicker-fleshed fish, cooking them in lemon and butter with the skin side down.
Lighter fish are often coated in tempura butter, or egg and breadcrumbs, before being lightly fried.
“There’s always fish in the freezer at our place and luckily we love to eat it,” he said.
As a recreational fisherman, Chaplin is committed to sustainable fishing practices.
He only targets species he enjoys eating, and ensures he never exceeds the legal catch limit or what he feels comfortable freezing.
“I would never take more than the quota or what I felt comfortable to freeze,” he said.
Chaplin recalled his annual trips to Fraser Island, where he would catch tailor with other fishermen.
The large schools off the beach made it nearly impossible not to catch some.
“There would be large schools off the beach,” he said.
“You would stand alongside about 100 fishermen in a line.
“You cast out 40 or 50 metres using steel tracers and you couldn’t help but catch some tailor.”
Chaplin often returned home with six to 12 tailor, but he made it clear that he didn’t believe in overfishing.
“There are some who will catch 100 a day,” he said.
“But these are a softer fish and not so good to freeze so, for me, this is too many to keep.”
He also recalled encounters with sharks in the bay, particularly around the Weinam Creek entrance, where he said bull sharks are abundant.
“There are loads of bull sharks about 100 metres away from the Weinam Creek entrance,” he said.
“I’ve had some on the line that are too big for the line and just break it off.”
Despite the occasional shark encounter, Chaplin prefers fishing from his boat – a 4.7m Ford runabout with a 60hp Yamaha motor.
He loves fishing in shallow waters, where most fish survive when released.
However, he jokingly noted that dolphins sometimes spoil this process.
“It’s happened many times,” Chaplin laughed.
“A dolphin will be waiting under the boat to grab the fish on its way back.”
