The high cost of fishing

Paul Amer (Ricky) writes:

LETS GO FISHING...

First I will need a car. OK, $$$, got my car, paid the transfer fees, etc., so let's go.

Oh hang on, it's not registered, OK, $$$, paid my rego fees, now let's go.

What's that? I need a licence before I can drive it? OK, $$$, got my licence, so let's bloody go.

Great, we are at the boat shop and I will have that one with all the safety gear etc., so let's go.

What? I have to register the tralier before I can tow it on the road? Well OK, $$$, now let's get going.

OK, great day here at the boat ramp, but what? I can't put the boat in until it's registered, well OK, $$$, now let's go.

Think I will anchor here and drop a line... WHAT? You need a fishing licence? Well, OK, $$$.

Finally, GREAT, here we are fishing, me and my son, OK, OK, $$$, now he has a licence too. Now we just have to get home before 1st February or swim because, you guessed it, I dont have a bloody boat licence, $$$.

I wonder if my boat would carry enough fuel to take me to another place where things were not so complicated and goverments were not so greedy and fish were a plenty and Dorothy and The Tin Man... OH SHIT, get with the programme Rick, we all know that's a bloody fairytale, we live in Aus not Oz.

Now, I am sorry that my story has taken so long to tell but that is my point. You don't get nuthin' for nuthin' now-a-days and I don't mind paying all these fees (well sort of, some of them go to a good cause), but why do they take the longest route possible with laws, legislations, etc.?

Look, e.g., boat rego, boat licence, trailer rego and fishing licence... all on one bit of paper. Now that took me a good .372 nanoseconds to come up with and I got a thousand other ideas that would be better than the system that is already in place. The hard bit is trying to come up with one that is worse.

So if you think that my story has been dragging on too long and is too complicated, BLAME IT ON THE GOVERNMENT and not me... OK, $$$.

(28 June 2002)


Varp replies:
Ricky writes in about the high cost of fishing. It's true I've spent a fortune (relatively speaking 'cos I'm chronically poor) and will continue to spend hard earned dollars on useless gear because I need it bad. Real bad.

Got something to do with a lousy allowance as a kid and having to make do with crappy gear and lots of catalogues with shiny pictures and only being able to afford half a dozen hooks at a time. I was miserable and swore that when I grew up (never have) I'll be able to buy what I want when I want and have lots of it all the time.

Well now I've got the gear (not enough and not quite right) you'd expect the fish to be at a bit sympathetic, but they pretty much are not. Have to spend a lot of time, travel and effort for a by-and-large lousy petrol to protein ratio.

It could be worse, I know of people who have done everything on the pokies, at least I can get the odd meal out of my addiction. An addiction it is and it's an addiction that must be fed. Can't get enough of it and in between bouts of terminal boredom and wracking guilt it's still the most engaging, satisfying and occasionally rewarding activity I know of and I don't care how much it costs.
(16 July 2002)

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