Phil Hadlow
I started fishing when I was four years old, fishing from the jetties in Port Lincoln. My father was a keen fisher and my mother had two uncles who were whiting fishermen. When I was about eight years old, I began going out fishing with my Dad. He was what was called back then a “fishing warrior” or a “weekend fisher”, working during the week and fishing on weekends. He didn’t become a full time fisher until he was 60 years old.
I’ve been a fisher for 37 years. I love being my own boss and responsible for my financial decisions. I mainly fish for King George Whiting and try to do one trip a week. I prefer to fish by myself. I used to take a deckie but on a small vessel being out on the water for that length of time it can get a bit much.
For a while I fished out of a cutter, a 20 foot, 4.5 tonne wooden sailboat with a tiny 20 hp diesel engine, built in Port Adelaide in 1972. I fished by Wedge Island, about 45 nautical miles from Port Lincoln. The cutter had a well in it to keep the fish alive and comfortable but my living conditions were fairly cramped. I sold her to another whiting fisher but his wife didn’t like him going out on it and he had to sell it after only a couple of years.
During late Summer/Autumn, I fish from Port Lincoln in a 23 foot boat and go out fishing for three days at a time. I get up while its dark to load food and other supplies, and to make sure I have enough ice. I tow the boat to Port Lincoln and once in the water head 25 nautical miles out to sea. I usually don’t get to start fishing until about lunchtime. These days I am a daylight fisherman. The first night out, I usually cook fresh fish for dinner. Otherwise, I heat up and eat stews and curries that I’ve prepared and frozen in advance. When I get back home, there’s a lot of work to do, washing out the boat and then preparing for the next trip.
For the last ten to fifteen years, I’ve sold my fish locally. When I get to shore, I take the fish to the fish factory and unload it there. Previously, I sent the fish to Adelaide but it’s easier for me now to just sell locally.
My most memorable experience on the water – and there’ve been many – was being caught by myself in a 25 metre swell and thinking I wasn’t going to make it. Swells last for a day or two, peaking after the first day and then taking another day to peter out. I had been out for a week and had run out of supplies. It was one of the biggest swells ever recorded.