Not able to snorkel
or scuba dive, we'll go fishing.
If we’re not going
to see the fish, well we’ll catch them. At the hotel, there’s a fisherman
called Pa who organises outings on the sea, in Gambia or in the mangroves. He
also organises outings that are called “Lazy Day”; a relaxed day let’s say,
where people have a “boat with deck” to bring together the discovery of
mangrove, fishing and solariums.
As he wanted to
make us discover the area, he took us on his biggest boat (top-left). It was
probably for the best because seeing the small one, going on the Atlantic would
not have been good for it.
At Denton Bridge, at
the police checks, we go onto a track to the micro-port. As is the case at
Lamin Lodge, a number of boats were on their sides, which was a little strange
(bottom-right). Strange also were the big stakes on either side, a sight whose
explanation still evades me (bottom-middle and top-middle).
At the bridge, we
spotted some people who were loading up pirogues bound for Senegal, which is
relatively close. It’s impressive to see the amount that they amass onto a
single ship, man or goods (top-right).
Once again, we saw
a good number of herons, egrets and other kingfishers. We took a couple of
photos but we were mainly there for fishing. It’s very relaxing to make our tranquil
way over the calm waters of the mangroves (top-left). We took the seat mats for
a bit more comfort.
Each on one side of
the boat with our rod, we have our backs turned to one another and we don’t
talk… Well me, yes I do because 10 minutes without a word is a bit difficult ☺. After a
while you get accustomed to it and a sense of calm seeps through you, serenity
is present and I forget to speak… for at least 15 minutes.
For the bait, we had some magnificent shrimp, big prawns I would even
say and I think that the fish under us were having a feast! More often than
not, Pascal would retract his line with only the hook remaining. As for me, I
learnt what I had done a little in Rodrigues and more importantly, I understood…
you must be cruel. I made myself excuses by thinking that the fish was being “greedy”
and had attached itself to my hook of its own accord, not because of my doing. In
fact, I found out what to hook meant. When it starts nibbling, you have to give
a hearty tug on the rod so that the fish is impaled on the hook. That makes the
whole experience less rejoiceful ☹ and a bit
harder for the conscience. Poor fish! On the other hand, the flying competition
did not think twice and went for it to their heart’s content in these rich
waters ☺
Pascal caught the first fish and in the end,
he caught the most (3 ‘somepat’, 1 ‘canava’, 1’joto’, and 1 catfish – the middle
photo). I came in second with 1 ‘joto’ and 1 ‘jellynose’ who had a rather
transparent snout. Pa, the pro, was very well beat with his little catfish
☺☺
The fish were not very big in this area but
we spent an excellent morning, and as we had caught a good few, the distraction
was total.
Pa Foday Jammeh is
based at the hotel, though here are his contact details just in case:
Tel: + 220 729 37 85 and his email: bafodejammeh@yahoo.com
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