‘Let’s go angling!’says young Kerala

If you think sitting quietly beside a river with a fishing rod, patiently waiting for a big catch, is the pursuit of the jobless, you’re in for a surprise!
Far removed from the traditional ‘meen pidutham’, angling, a sport quite common in Western countries, is slowly making inroads into the State too. With high-end baits, hook links and international guidelines, it’s quite an entertaining sport to watch out for, say the angling enthusiasts of the State.Anglers Club Ernakulam (ACE) had recently conducted a ‘catch-and-release’ fishing competition involving even non-Keralites. The State also had another All Kerala Angling Competition in Kochi, just recently. Here is how the angling scene evolved in the State.
Why angling in Kerala?
The sport, in which the participants use special hooks to catch fish from fresh and salt water bodies, suits our State the best, say anglers. Rajeev T R, an angler from Kochi, says, “We have a lot of water bodies surrounding us and also some special species of fish like the Malabar snake head and its bigger counterpart, the Baramundi fish, which have attracted anglers from far and wide. More and more youngsters are discovering the thrill of angling as well.
And it’s also a hobby which can earn you some quick bucks, according to another angler Aneesh Asokan. “People here are keen to buy fresh fish and so the catch sells off in no time. The buyer also benefits, as we generally sell fresh catch at the market rates.” During competitions there is no sale but ‘catch and release’. But there is still the excitement of discovering some magnificent species of marine life, anglers say. Kiran Kumar, an angler from Kollam, says, “At an event we organised a while ago, people turned up just to see the varieties of fish of various colours and sizes. What’s more, they got some good pics as we have a rich and diverse marine population in Kerala.”
The sport is fun and a lot more…
What’s so great about catching a fish, did you ask? “There are many things cool about it, right from the initial stage of waiting to grabbing your catch,” says Siddharth R, an angler from Kottayam. He explains, “Waiting for the catch increases your patience and attention span. You experience as sense of tranquillity waiting for a bite. Ever since I took to angling, I have become a lot more contemplative.”
The fight between the fish and the angler, after it is hooked on to the bait, is the most thrilling part of the sport, according to anglers. “The fish in our local waters are remarkably good fighters. They zip, zag and jump, and it’s a lot of fun,” says Aneesh. There are also times when our anglers get rare species like stingrays. “As catching them is illegal, they are immediately released post the catch, but the angler gets the joy of seeing at close quarters varieties which you don’t get to see often,” says Arun Ram, another angler.
It’s also a sport that can be enjoyed by people across age groups because of which there are many takers for it. Rajeev Rajendran, Secretary of Anglers Club Ernakulam (ACE), says, “It’s been less than a year since we formed ACE and this is also the first registered club for anglers in the State. We have around 150 odd members – from 17 year-olds to people in their late 50s.”
Anglers aren’t just into fishing…
Interestingly, our anglers are futuristic enough to create awareness among potential enthusiasts. Rajeev T R says, “Thanks to our rich water bodies, angling will become more popular here. After the initial excitement, you will lose interest in retaining your catch. So it is important that the budding anglers know how to handle the fish without killing them. If you don’t know the right techniques, a fish that appears to swim away healthy might also die after a while. So, ACE is also into teaching people on varieties of fish, how to handle them right and at the same time, enjoy the sport.”