LYNDY Pennisi admits she would usually rather go shopping than fishing.
But when she and her friends reel in a good catch, the Alexandra Hills resident says the experience is well worth it.
For Ms Pennisi, the lure of fishing is less about the line and more about the company.
“It’s about spending a nice day out with friends on the water,” she said.
“I get a bit bored if I catch nothing.
“But this time we were able to land some good fish and that made it more exciting.”
On a recent trip to Great Keppel Island with her husband Joe and friends Graeme and Julie Bates, the group fished from the Bates’ boat and came home with enough to feed themselves for several nights.
Their haul included two morwong, one hassar and four parrot fish, all caught on squid.
The catch was later crumbed and enjoyed as part of their holiday.
“There is nothing as good as fresh fish, and it is pretty special when you catch it yourself,” Ms Pennisi said.
While Lyndy is happy to make the most of the occasional success, her husband Joe rarely goes away without a fishing rod in hand.
“If I don’t put a line in the water, I’ll usually get on a fishing charter boat as part of the holiday package,” he said.
“That way I get to meet other fishermen, and I get to learn.
“There is always something new to learn.”
His most memorable catches came off a charter boat in Fiji.
“I caught a yellow and a blue fin tuna,” he said.
“They were at least one metre long and I don’t know the weight – it was pretty amazing.”
Without the means to cook them, he gave the tuna to locals to enjoy.
Closer to home, Mr Pennisi enjoys chasing mackerel off the Four Beacons near Stradbroke Island and tailor on Fraser Island, where he once camped and fished annually.
Although he rarely gets the chance to fish with his son, he hopes one day to pass on his love of the pastime to his grandsons.
“When we go to Evans Head on holiday, I go rock fishing and it’s great to see the young boys fishing as well,” he said.
Mr Pennisi said the pastime had changed over the years.
“Fishing has become an expensive and very regulated industry,” he said.
“There are lots of rules.”
