We alighted at the same jetty as our previous trip to St John Island.
And we started our journey on foot to a partially man made island.
St John Island is linked to Lazarus Island by this sand bank reclaimed a couple of years back. Now it is one of the favourite fishing spots for anglers to target rabbit fish. Though the sun was getting stronger, the stroll was peaceful and relaxing.
With the clear blue sky, fluffy clouds and St John Island in the background, the scenery was great.
It was first time fishing for most of my friends. We stopped at a shelter for a rest and in the meantime, I taught them the basics of fishing.
Before we started fishing, I had to teach everyone how to tie their own knots and rigs, which I found out that it was not one of the strong points for the girls.
For someone who had never feel a fish at the end of the line before, I thought it would be better for them to experience it before the actual thing. Hopefully this would give them more confidence and can rise to the occasion when the time comes.
The platform where we were fishing from is actually floating on the water surface. It gave us a gentle rocking motion while we fished. A good chance to experience how it is like when fishing from a boat.
After landing a couple of juvenile reef fish, she managed to catch one good size goldband snapper aka Ang Goli (local dialect name).
Another snapper caught but upon closer look, it seemed like a cross breed between a goldband snapper and something else which I was unable to identify.
We were constantly being entertained by reef fish and once a while, would be visited by other guest who likes to puff.
I came to realised that holding a fish for photo taking also requires technique and experience.
Learning how to cast the line is another basic fishing technique that an angler has to master. Even if you cannot cast far, as long as the posture looked professional would be good enough.
Some even went for a swim as the sun was scotching hot. I would expect the lady anglers to retire back to sheltered area but I was impressed by two of them who persevered under the heat on the platform for two hours.
At the end of the day, we sat around under the shade of the coconut trees, and in the cabin of the return ferry to chat about what we had learnt.
It was a tiring day, and our bodies were hot and sweat. However it was very enjoyable. Everyone learnt something new, be it about the island or on fishing. And for me, I learnt that sharing of knowledge is one of life's greatest joy.
