10-31-2006, 06:12 AM
[font "Times New Roman"]Beware the Sharks[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Back in 1950 when I was twelve my Auntie Dot and Uncle Jack asked me if I would like to go away with them on a fishing holiday down the south coast of New South Wales which is a State in Australia. They had no children of their own so I was always in demand and I accepted.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]A month or so later I received an airline ticket in the mail and during the Easter school holidays flew down to Milton airport where they met me.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]We motored down to Turos Heads towing a caravan and camped beside beautiful Turos Lake in the caravan park. The following day they said, if I liked I could walk over to a sand bar and fish while they motored to the nearby general store half a mile away to buy groceries.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I walked through ankle deep water to the sand bar and crossed it and stood in knee deep water on the other side and commenced fishing.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]After catching several decidedly tasty looking pan sized Bream I heard a car horn faintly tooting in the distance and looked around. They were back at the caravan and were gesticulating wildly for me to come back.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I gave a wave and packed away my fishing gear, picked up my catch and walked back to the caravan. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My Aunt was most upset and my Uncle said "Couldn’t you hear us blowing the horn. When we were at the store we could see two sharks swimming between you and the sand bar".[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Four days later we broke camp and motored on further down the coast to Lake Merimbula which is not far from the N.S.W. / Victorian border. We crossed a road bridge and drove across the long viaduct that spans the body of the lake. Crossed over the main road on the other side nosing the car and caravan down a walking track into dense bushland that eventually opened up into a clearing adjacent to the beach. Being no caravan parks in this area, this is where we made camp.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The next day my Uncle invited me to go down to the beach and learn to catch sand worms. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Off we went to the beach with rotten fish contained in a small Hessian bag attached to the end of a short length of rope. By swinging the bag in the wash of the receding waves the smell attracted the worms to the surface of the sand.[/font] [font "Times New Roman"]He referred to it as the Bomb Bag. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Worm heads popped up everywhere in the wash marked by a small v . The idea was to position your feet carefully either side of the largest worm head, squat down and gently offer it a small piece of raw fish with your left hand. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The worm smelt the fish in the water and eventually lent forward and seized the flesh. Following this, it arches its neck before pulling a chunk off and swiftly disappearing down into the sand to eat.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The knack of catching them is to position the finger and thumb of the right hand either side of its neck and wait until it arches its neck. Then pounce and grip it tightly just below the neck. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Dig down with the left hand and grasp its body again below the surface of the sand. Once this is achieved, the battle is "on for young and old" as the saying goes. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The worms are incredibly strong and pull hard to escape down into the sand often losing their heads in the process. Apparently they are able to grow another head. They must be the only creature on earth that can do so. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]At this stage I was frantically holding on to the worm and at the mercy of the waves was often knocked "arse over tit" by them.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My uncle threw the bomb bag further up the beach above the high water mark so it wouldn’t be lost to the waves and commenced frantically digging the sand away from around the worm with his hands assisting me while I hung on for grim death.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Finally lifting it free of the sand, I found the worm to be about four feet long. With time, it relaxed and become shorter and thicker, ending up about half an inch thick and about a meter long. Small pieces of worm are an excellent bait particularly for beach fishing. Bream commit suicide over them.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]After we had caught about a dozen worms we heard a shrill whistle. My Aunt was the only daughter in her family and she had nine brothers. [/font][font "Times New Roman"]She was a Tom Boy who could out fish and out whistle all of her brothers. In fact she had the loudest two fingered whistle I have ever heard.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]She was walking down the beach towards us and gesticulating wildly with her arms calling us toward her. We stood up and walked towards her meeting her further up the sand. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]She said “Look, don't laugh, I know I am reading a book written by Zane Grey about Shark Fishing, but Humour me, I’m almost certain I saw a fin in those waves. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing as I knew from experience she was a Dedicated, Champion leg puller. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My Uncle looked at me cagily and said No, she wouldn’t joke about something like that. I think I’ll roll a cigarette and stand here for a while and smoke it and we'll watch the water.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Within three minutes a ten foot Bronze Waler Shark beached itself in the wash of a receding wave and shortly after, two others followed it up onto the wet sand.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The sharks commenced flapping around on the beach. After several more waves had arrived on the shore they eventually succeeded in swimming off and [/font][font "Times New Roman"]reentered the water.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My uncle said they come up in the wash like that to seize baby fur seals. They have no doubt smelt the rotten fish in the bomb bag and would just as sooner have had us for a meal instead.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]We then realised we had been body surfing the waves there the previous afternoon. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]So be aware, catching sand worms can be as dangerous as body surfing You are placing your life at risk from shark attack.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]On returning to my home in Sydney several days later my Mother, Father and Sisters were horrified as I related to them the details of my holiday. My uncle and Aunt never invited me to go away on holidays with them again. I don't wonder.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Note..Brass pliers especially designed for catching worms are now available in the fishing shops but worms caught using them don't store very well and invariably die soon after. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Back in 1950 when I was twelve my Auntie Dot and Uncle Jack asked me if I would like to go away with them on a fishing holiday down the south coast of New South Wales which is a State in Australia. They had no children of their own so I was always in demand and I accepted.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]A month or so later I received an airline ticket in the mail and during the Easter school holidays flew down to Milton airport where they met me.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]We motored down to Turos Heads towing a caravan and camped beside beautiful Turos Lake in the caravan park. The following day they said, if I liked I could walk over to a sand bar and fish while they motored to the nearby general store half a mile away to buy groceries.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I walked through ankle deep water to the sand bar and crossed it and stood in knee deep water on the other side and commenced fishing.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]After catching several decidedly tasty looking pan sized Bream I heard a car horn faintly tooting in the distance and looked around. They were back at the caravan and were gesticulating wildly for me to come back.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I gave a wave and packed away my fishing gear, picked up my catch and walked back to the caravan. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My Aunt was most upset and my Uncle said "Couldn’t you hear us blowing the horn. When we were at the store we could see two sharks swimming between you and the sand bar".[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Four days later we broke camp and motored on further down the coast to Lake Merimbula which is not far from the N.S.W. / Victorian border. We crossed a road bridge and drove across the long viaduct that spans the body of the lake. Crossed over the main road on the other side nosing the car and caravan down a walking track into dense bushland that eventually opened up into a clearing adjacent to the beach. Being no caravan parks in this area, this is where we made camp.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The next day my Uncle invited me to go down to the beach and learn to catch sand worms. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Off we went to the beach with rotten fish contained in a small Hessian bag attached to the end of a short length of rope. By swinging the bag in the wash of the receding waves the smell attracted the worms to the surface of the sand.[/font] [font "Times New Roman"]He referred to it as the Bomb Bag. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Worm heads popped up everywhere in the wash marked by a small v . The idea was to position your feet carefully either side of the largest worm head, squat down and gently offer it a small piece of raw fish with your left hand. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The worm smelt the fish in the water and eventually lent forward and seized the flesh. Following this, it arches its neck before pulling a chunk off and swiftly disappearing down into the sand to eat.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The knack of catching them is to position the finger and thumb of the right hand either side of its neck and wait until it arches its neck. Then pounce and grip it tightly just below the neck. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Dig down with the left hand and grasp its body again below the surface of the sand. Once this is achieved, the battle is "on for young and old" as the saying goes. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The worms are incredibly strong and pull hard to escape down into the sand often losing their heads in the process. Apparently they are able to grow another head. They must be the only creature on earth that can do so. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]At this stage I was frantically holding on to the worm and at the mercy of the waves was often knocked "arse over tit" by them.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My uncle threw the bomb bag further up the beach above the high water mark so it wouldn’t be lost to the waves and commenced frantically digging the sand away from around the worm with his hands assisting me while I hung on for grim death.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Finally lifting it free of the sand, I found the worm to be about four feet long. With time, it relaxed and become shorter and thicker, ending up about half an inch thick and about a meter long. Small pieces of worm are an excellent bait particularly for beach fishing. Bream commit suicide over them.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]After we had caught about a dozen worms we heard a shrill whistle. My Aunt was the only daughter in her family and she had nine brothers. [/font][font "Times New Roman"]She was a Tom Boy who could out fish and out whistle all of her brothers. In fact she had the loudest two fingered whistle I have ever heard.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]She was walking down the beach towards us and gesticulating wildly with her arms calling us toward her. We stood up and walked towards her meeting her further up the sand. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]She said “Look, don't laugh, I know I am reading a book written by Zane Grey about Shark Fishing, but Humour me, I’m almost certain I saw a fin in those waves. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing as I knew from experience she was a Dedicated, Champion leg puller. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My Uncle looked at me cagily and said No, she wouldn’t joke about something like that. I think I’ll roll a cigarette and stand here for a while and smoke it and we'll watch the water.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Within three minutes a ten foot Bronze Waler Shark beached itself in the wash of a receding wave and shortly after, two others followed it up onto the wet sand.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The sharks commenced flapping around on the beach. After several more waves had arrived on the shore they eventually succeeded in swimming off and [/font][font "Times New Roman"]reentered the water.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]My uncle said they come up in the wash like that to seize baby fur seals. They have no doubt smelt the rotten fish in the bomb bag and would just as sooner have had us for a meal instead.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]We then realised we had been body surfing the waves there the previous afternoon. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]So be aware, catching sand worms can be as dangerous as body surfing You are placing your life at risk from shark attack.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]On returning to my home in Sydney several days later my Mother, Father and Sisters were horrified as I related to them the details of my holiday. My uncle and Aunt never invited me to go away on holidays with them again. I don't wonder.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Note..Brass pliers especially designed for catching worms are now available in the fishing shops but worms caught using them don't store very well and invariably die soon after. [/font]
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