FISHING has always been more than just a pastime for Redland Bay man Neil Pyle – it’s a cherished family tradition that spans generations.
At 62, Mr Pyle reflects on his first fishing experience at age five, when he joined his grandfather on trips to catch whiting and garfish at Hemmant, and mullet at Doboy Creek, Bulimba.
“We would dig for mudworms at low tide off Gibson Island and go to Green Island for snapper and sweetlip,” Mr Pyle recalls.
As his passion for fishing grew, so did the scope of his adventures.
His father, Graeme Pyle, built a 14-foot bond wood timber boat, complete with a 20hp Johnson motor, which took the family out weekly to fish for whitehead, flathead, and bream, depending on his father’s shiftwork.
“As a teenager, I was lucky enough to be able to go out on the trawlers. It was fabulous,” Mr Pyle said.
When his father built a larger boat, Mr Pyle bought back the original timber boat for his family’s use, which had by then been upgraded with a 25hp motor.
“Dad built it, so it was stable and steady,” he said.
Fishing has remained a central part of family holidays, with Mr Pyle, his parents, two sons, and now grandchildren, all enjoying camping trips and fishing.
Their adventures often included trips to South Stradbroke Island, where the family would head out with the Brisbane Outboard Aquatic Touring Club (BOAT).
“These days there are four generations. Mum and Dad would get there on the bigger boat and I would take my boat,” he said.
“And then there were the trips to the Gulf, catching barramundi.”
Mr Pyle considers catching a one-metre barra in the Gulf and a 53cm King George whiting in South Australia to be the highlights of his fishing career.
He is especially proud of a photo of his grandson, Hudson, holding a coral trout caught 170km out to sea.
“Fishing is tied up in the family. That’s where our memories are,” he said.
His love for fishing has not only deepened family bonds, but also led to lifelong friendships.
“I grew up living with the water and I still knock around with some friends I made at high school,” he said.
Recently, Mr Pyle introduced fishing to his new partner, giving her a taste of the world he holds so dear.
“I’ve given her a whole new world,” he said.
“She loves the jewellery, but she also loves catching crabs and yabbies. She’s even got her own boat licence.”
Outside of family trips, Mr Pyle is the current President of the RSL Fishing Club, where he enjoys the camaraderie and social aspects of the club.
When he’s not busy with club activities, he can often be found picking up seven or eight kilos of prawns in season near his home.
