Glen Simoens is , the founder of the club, calls rawas (threadfin or Indian salmon) the prince of the tides.
Many years ago, , he caught his first one and remembers his hand bleeding when the hand line pierced his fingers as he tried to resist the brute force of the fish. Though rawas has become increasingly rare along the coast, Glen and other regular members continue to venture out almost every alternate weekend in search of other big catch such as cobia, marlin, sailfish, sheepheads, jewfish, catfish, red snappers, spanish mackerel… .
“I had been angling alone for a long time but when I put up an advertisement in a newspaper in 1994 calling for people who would be interested, I received about 600 phone calls,” glen says.
The club, which claims to be India’s only saltwater fishing club, now charters serveral boats . Fishing enthusiasts could be taken for trips along the coast of Maharashtra. The group only keeps the catch for immediate needs, the rest is released back into the sea.
Newton Thomas D’Souza,restaurant manager, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai, and Glen’ angling buddy, was introduced to the joys of the sport way back in 1969. For him, it was the sheer thrill of lining himself up against the fight put up by the fish. “All the odds are stacked against you,” he says. “You need to know when to leave the line as the fish is swimming away and when to pull it back. You can literally nachao (manoeuvre) the fish on your index finger.”
Another regular on these trips is Adrian who works in the banking industry has been angling for more than 15 years and has been associated with the club for the last 10 years. “I have done some freshwater fishing but I definitely prefer the sea,” he says. “On the sea, it’s not about fishing only, it’s about being cut off from the rest of the world and concentrating on the smallest activities on the surface of the water. It is a form of meditation.”
Fishing season : 1 September to 15th May .
Skill set : None required.
Facilities : All fishing gear including global positioning system (GPS) and electronic fish finder, meals and accommodation.
Cost: All the members share the expenses incurred during the trip (a two-day land-based trip on an average costs Rs.12000 each).
For details Log on to www.kraigjarvisfishingclub.com