Bass Digest: The majority of anglers that I know predominantly fish visible structure – reeds, grass, trees, jetties, rocky points, etc. I wanted to see how Mark approached offshore fishing, so earlier that morning he took us to a spot that was previously marked on his finder, located just outside the river section in 33ft of water. He drove over a brushpile that seemed to be holding some fish, dropped his marker buoy, and the 3 of us started dissecting the area, wondering who would be the first one with a fish. It wasn’t long and Cameron got a tap, then Mark. I promptly picked up the camera and another cast later, Mark had a good bite and set the hook. WOW - Mark really laid into that fish! I didn’t realise a rod, reel nor line could take that kind of punishment. Then again, with 15m-odd of line out in the water, the stretch factor compensated for most of it, even if it was fluorocarbon line. The fish was a healthy one of around 1.2kg or so, and it was safely released after a good smooch from Mark.
On that note it was time to call it a day. And what an awesome day it was!
The things that I learned from watching Mark and Cameron in action were enlightening.
The fact that they tried things I would never have considered, and caught fish on them, was an incredible prospect and really exciting, as it would force me to try those things I always wanted to.
The camaraderie that I experienced between Mark and Cam was something I’d never experienced before. They always fished right next to each other, chatting away, with the odd competitive chirp and elbow jab, yet always showing utmost respect.
The high fives after every fish were great to see.
The stealing of each other’s fish now and again got the spirits up again, but was soon followed by much laughter, enjoyment and some more high-fives.
The boat was always neat and tidy - in fact it was spotless. And not to mention, an awesome rig to fish off!
I really enjoyed the day out with the two guys, and Bass Digest would like to thank them for taking the time to spend the day with us.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of Deck Talk with the humble Mark Allen and his son, Cameron, and I hope you came away with learning something new - I know I did!
Bass Digest/July, 2014