The writer spends a day at a sport fishing academy at Thiruporur and discovers why many are falling for it hook, line and sinker

It’s a tug of war... between a gleaming silver barramundi and me. The one I am trying toreel in weighs two kg. As a first-time angler, I did not expect the fish to fight back. I hold on to the fishing rod with all my might to keep it from flying out of my hand. “Reel in, reel in. Grip the rod tighter,” shouts Prithviraj Manivelu, sport fishing consultant, who is not ready to give up despite my many futile attempts. This time, the fish is finally hooked… as I reel it out, in my excitement on seeing it, I lose focus. Sensing it, the fish dives right back into water, wins the battle, and swims away.

At The Big Catch League (organised by Beach Wolves Adventures), one of Chennai’s first fishing competitions, it turns out concentration is as important as patience. No wonder it’s proving to be a great sport for children, says Prithviraj, who started the Thiruporur Game Fishing, a sport fishing training academy, and the venue for the event. “With a lot of children constantly glued to the television, video games and the Internet, this is a unique way to get them outdoors and understand Nature. It helps in developing the child’s EQ and IQ. And it is a great stress buster for everybody,” he says.

About 40 contestants position themselves around the water body waiting for fish to take a bite of their bait. Among them are kids - the youngest, seven-year-old Sanjay Saravanan, has been fishing with his father for a month-and-a-half. He’s a picture of calm as long as the game is on. “The contest is open to all age groups. Today we have participants between the ages of seven and 80,” adds Prithviraj.

Meanwhile, 60-year-old Robert Gagarin, winner of the biggest carp category, poses with his catch — a two-kilo mirgal. Biggest carp, biggest barramundi, and maximum number of fish caught are the three categories for the sport. Bait fishing and spinning are the techniques the competition follows. Apart from Chennai, contestants are from Bangalore, Kolkata, Vellore and Kancheepuram. Forty-year-old Dereck D’Souza from Bangalore has been angling for the last 15 years. “I am here with a group to compete. Normally in Chennai, we fish by the sunken ship and the reef,” he adds, while expertly handling a baby terrapin he’s just discovered.

Fishing has grown from being a hobby to becoming a popular competitive sport. Just like Dereck and the other participants from all over the country, a lot of Chennaiites too head to other cities to take part in fishing competitions. Given the steep increase in the number of enthusiasts, The Big Catch League, an angling event, will take place thrice a year.

Blue Waters, another sport fishing institute, plans to organise a competition shortly. “Assam hosts perhaps one of the biggest fishing contests in the country. People go to the Himalayas, Mumbai, and Bangalore to participate in fishing camps and compete. I took part in a couple of contests in Malaysia. It's time for Chennai to host a few as well,” says Santhosh Jagadeesh, who started Blue Waters in 2010 along with his brother Sangeeth and Prithviraj. Starting off from their centre at the RMYC, Santhosh takes his clients into the sea where they catch bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, king mackerel, and giant trevally. “We recently conducted a summer camp for children and the response was amazing. There was an eight-year-old girl from Malaysia, who was very knowledgeable and knew just what bait to use when, and for what fish,” he adds.

Even though it’s a sport for all age groups, its hardcore practitioners belong to the age group of 30 to 50. The harsh sun and choppy waters have hardly been a deterrent. “I have noticed women are stronger than some of the men who come and can handle and adapt better to these situations,” says Manoj Chacko of Barracuda Bay.

According to Prithviraj, Chennai has about 2,000 keen anglers. And the increase in sales and availability of fishing equipment is an indicator of the rising popularity of the sport. Salt water spinning reels, surf spinning rods, poppers, sub surface divers and stick baits are now available in the city and often sell out within two days of their import.

When Manoj started fishing in Chennai 25 years ago, he had to wait for people coming from abroad to get him his equipment. “Now there are a lot of dealers in the city catering to the various demands of avid anglers,” he adds.

A basic beginner’s rod can be bought for Rs. 1,500. But picking up one and heading into the waters doesn’t always mean that you will land a catch. It depends on a lot of factors such as the lunar phases, the movement of winds and tides… Even after 28 years of fishing, Kannan Pasupathi says, “Do we catch a fish every time? No. Once, I waited for a whole year to catch a fish.” It’s all about giving the fish a fair chance to fight and escape. “The fish has a good chance of escaping; the angler has to apply his skills to catch it — that’s what makes it interesting. And by the time you hook your first fish, chances are the fish has hooked you to the sport.”