Page 83 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing mag

TA Christmas tradition for the Schultz family
HOUGH my didn’t help to lessen the trick by scoring nice family and ear bashing we deserv- cod in Somerset on close acquaint- edly received for missing three consecutive
Fishing for Sport
by NEIL SCHULTZ
ances insist I’m ever evolving, seeking out new horizons and chal- lenges as the years pass, I’m also a stickler for tradition.
Christmas lunch. Christmas mornings.
Several of my little family’s traditions are shared with a multi- tude, such as attending the dawn service every Anzac Day or flying the flag on Australia Day.
outings.
Lake Somerset, a con-
home in time for lunch. One year, when spot- ted mackerel were par- ticularly cooperative, though a long, long way from the ramp, Tony and I were in the dog- house when mid-after- noon we apprehensively pulled up in the drive-
In contrast to rela- tively mundane targets, we chose to fish for Mary River cod, just to make any success that bit more memorable.
I’ve not kept a single cod for the table in 43 years of fishing for them and I can’t see myself starting any time soon.
However, others are rather unique, and I guess one of these oc- curs on December 25 each year.
erel fillets in the icebox
We managed a hat
were known back then. Once local lakes be- gan producing, fat impoundment fish at- tracted our attention for many subsequent Christmas morning
All of those fish were photographed and re- leased, as is our firm tradition with all fresh- water cod – yes, an- other custom.
* continued P84
Recent years saw an early 5km run to kick-start proceedings, followed by the traditional shing outing.
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 83
venient 45-minute drive up the valley, was our most frequently chosen venue for field test- ing Christmas presents freshly torn from their decorative wrapping paper.
way.
A decent feed of mack-
After that episode we opted for freshwater venues and once again, the ever-reliable Lake Somerset was selected for several years.
For the past 34 years, I’ve gone fishing every Christmas Day with only one exception – a morning spent sitting in the waiting room at the casualty department of the Ipswich General Hospital.
Bragging-sized gold- en perch were the target during those pre-bass days and the photo al- bum reveals that every morning of December 25 fish were caught by smiling boys.
This custom first be- gan as an opportunity for our first-born son to use a few of his pre- sents but evolved into an enduring family tra- dition.
Later and even closer to home, it was the tro- phy bass of Wivenhoe that were the subject of our Christmas morning sessions.
By necessity, the first Christmas morning fishing excursions were local outings, which enabled us to be home in time to get the kids organised to travel to Grandma’s house for the extended family gathering.
That was until one year when the gate was still locked at 08.30am, which forced a last- minute change of plan and a dash up the valley to Somerset.
Shark fishing in the Brisbane River was our chosen pastime of those festive mornings for the first couple of years, and saw a young angler grapple with ju- venile bull sharks, or river whalers as they www.bnbfishing.com.au
With a larger boat in the shed, we became a little more daring and spent a few Christmas mornings on Moreton Bay.
The years when we spent the morning chas- ing longtail tuna were OK because we were able to fish fairly close to Mud Island and keeping an eye on the clock, happily racing back to the ramp to be