Hooked on fishing

Alex de Vos
Vin Rigby has had a few run-ins with sharks during his 64 years working as a professional fisherman at St Leonards.
Fortunately, none have led to injury. Instead, they were comical experiences.
Like the time Vin and his two uncles were netting near Swan Bay during World War Two when they spotted a shark lurking in the shallows.
“He was about 12 or 14 feet and could smell fish,” the spritely 78-year-old recalled.
“My uncle reckoned we could catch him, so we threw a bit of net around the shark.
“As soon as he knew he had the net around him, he went mad – he was going up in the air as high as this roof,” Vin said, gesturing to the ceiling in his living room.
“My uncle got the axe and was going to hit him on the head – but every time he went to hit the shark it wasn’t there.
“The axe kept going through the net and by the time he got the head out the shark was up in the air. The whole time my other uncle stood by yelling ‘Too slow, you’re too bloody slow’.
“I was hysterical – I wish I’d had a movie camera.”
Eventually the axe and shark connected.
“We sold the shark – there was a shortage of fish at the time.”
Vin has been fishing in Port Philip Bay since he was 14.
“I started through the war but was always mucking around with boats,” he said.
“During the war we mainly netted for little flathead.”
These days Vin still fishes commercially despite his years but prefers the old-fashioned method of long lining.
The technique uses hundreds of baited hooks hanging from a single line.
“My father was one of the original long liners in the bay,” Vin said, “but he didn’t like it because it was so time consuming.”
A typical fishing day for Vin begins at 2am.
“I generally bait up in the morning – I get out of bed about two,” he said.
“I like the early starts – I reckon it’s the best part of the day.
“In the early days we used to catch our own squid and bait but as the squid got less and less we started to buy our bait.
“We also used to use horse meat and sometimes bait up with steak.”
Vin remembered fisherman had to be wary baiting up with red meat.
“If any stray dogs got into them there was trouble,” he laughed.
Sharks and dogs weren’t the only challenges.
Vin noted that every fisherman would experience their share of wild weather and rough seas during their career.
“Wherever there’s water it can get rough – even Albert Park Lake can get rough,” he observed.
“I’ve had a few floggings in my time.”
Vin said he had witnessed many changes in the fishing industry.
“It’s nearly all trawler boats now,” he sighed.
“But I think it’s all right – it’s the way it’s got to come.
“The nets are also tailor-made – it’s a lot easier now.”
Vin has gone through a number of boats throughout his career but admitted that he still used his father’s old dinghy.
“I’ve had it since the war and my father had it before me,” he said.
Vin dismissed recent claims about declining fish stocks in Port Philip Bay.
“There are just as many fish in the bay, if not more,” he contended.
“The amount of whiting that’s being taken out now is just phenomenal.
“Flathead have got a bit scarce but for whiting and snapper it’s very good.”
But this Easter weekend, Vin will make a trip to the local seafood shop to buy fish for Good Friday for the first time in years.
“I’m taking some long service leave at present,” he said.
“But I’ll be out again this year.”