The trip back to Adelaide was quite easy and most of the time was spent commenting on how successful anyone can be just by applying some simple rules from experience to fishing.

The most enjoyable part of fishing CJ was to be able to fish only a few miles away from the ramp and to find that even though there were about a dozen boats out from the ramp, nobody seemed interested in what everybody else was doing and above all nobody tried to spoil everybody else's fishing day.

One of the reasons why I ended up getting a bigger boat was to really be able to get away from Adelaide's fishing attitude!

It is so annoying to find that hours spent sounding and anchoring exactly in one spot can be totally destroyed by the arrival of other boats that have decided to anchor right next to you.

And this is an attitude not only verified on those typical Adelaide's grounds like the Grange, Norma, or The Barges up north but anywhere where people see some one else fishing, above all if they look like "they might know what they are doing". It is as if instead of looking for fish people leave the marina looking for other boats and this is the wrong attitude that I am here really criticising. I remember reading a very nice article on fishing Tapley Shoal a few years back in SA Anglers and since then, I have noticed that the shoal has become a rather busier place. Now, not that I am asking people not to go to Tapley Shoal, but that article as well as describing very well how to fish that area, also had a very clever note on fishing etiquette on the shoal, something obviously most of the boats arriving from Adelaide just do not seem to want to know about.

It infact clearly stated that there are plenty of grounds on the Shoal and it stressed the importance of not intruding into someone else's fishing in an area with so much bottom.

I guess my conclusion is that fishing to me is hunting the fish and the real challenge for most anglers, that are not attempting to break game fishing records, comes from things like battling the weather, anchoring, and as I just said finding the fish and not other fishermen.

With this in mind we can all enjoy better fishing and much more pleasure knowing that the only way to get home with some fish is if we find it first, then anchor right on it and then, and only then, fish it.

By Adriano - Brindisi