Fishing: What are the benefits of Charter Fishing?

If you haven't experienced sea fishing on a charter boat before, our video will provide some idea about what's involved. 

Why take a charter fishing trip? Many amateur and experienced anglers appreciate being taken to off-shore locations they can't normally fish if they don't own a boat or perhaps can't reach in a smaller recreational vessel. It's great to have a professional guide show you local fishing hot spots and have knowledge of the type of fish to target.


Charter operators generally provide use of rods, reels, bait and tackle, with the gear per-rigged for customer convenience. Anglers will spend less time preparing for a fishing expedition and won't have to cart all their own gear to the shoreline or need to purchase new sea fishing tackle. 


Fishing licences are taken care of when fishing with a registered charter, and the charter boat crew will also clean the fish, gear, and boat afterwards, whilst customers head home with their bag full of fish to enjoy for supper.  


If new to fishing, an experienced charter crew can provide instruction and advice, and you'll be more likely to catch fish. This can be quite important if you are hoping to instill a love for fishing in your children or spouses - they'll soon suffer a loss of interest if they're not catching anything.


A fishing charter is a great option if you want to go fishing with a group of friends or family so you can spend more time fishing and fully engage in your day out together.


Make the most of your love for fishing, satisfy your curiosity and give charter fishing a go.



For more information, visit our site: Deep End Fishing Charters



Tight Lines!


Caro

Fishing Muse

Deep End Fishing

Fishing & Happiness

Why do people love fishing?

Ask any fishing enthusiast what aspect of fishing makes them smile and they're sure to reply 'when they've caught a great fish'.  The feeling of winning the challenge, applying their experience and skills, and then reeling in the reward induces a great feeling of happiness.

Fishing is as addictive as smiling is contagious.  We've captured some of our favourites in this series of Fishing for Smiles.

1. Pleasure derived from catching your fish:

Pleasure

2. Fishing stimulates endorphin release (happiness formula):

Happiness

3. Fulfilling your passion or gratifying the predatory urge:

Passion

4. Connecting with the natural environment:

Connecting - saltwater smile

5. Fish are impartial to human gender:

Achievement

6. Fish do not discriminate against age:

Pride

7. Love & respect your fish:

Appreciation

8. Present childhood opportunities - nurture the fishing smile:

Fun of Discovery

9.  Leisure - emotional benefit of releasing stresses "Happiness":

Leisure

10. Joy of discovering something you're good at:

Joy

Experiencing a positive situation like catching a fish sends neuronal signals from the brain cortex to the smiling muscles in the face and back again causing a feed-back loop & reinforcing the feeling of joy.

That's a good enough reason for giving fishing a go!

Caro Wags
Deep End Fishing Charters
Port Macquarie

Family Fishing - Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy lifestyle choices should begin at an early age.

Let the whole family enjoy an Outdoors Detox from work, education, TV, video games and other electronic devices and create a healthier lifestyle balance.

Numerous studies suggest that being 'outdoors' and connecting with nature are beneficial to mental and physical health, self-esteem, confidence and general well-being. Outdoors activities can provide those 'Remember when?' moments we treasure as we age and help youngsters shape views on life and the world around them.  Being outdoors helps kids develop an appreciation of nature and learn important skills that translate to their everyday lives.  These can also encourage personal development, aid judgement and decision making. So it's worth dragging the kids off the couch (& yourselves) and get away from the life of screen technologies to reinvigorate a passion for being in the great outdoors.

Remember when?

Grown-ups are aware of the pleasure many people derive from going fishing.  More young people could be encouraged or at least, given the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of this healthful recreational activity that is suitable for any age group, gender and ability.  Going fishing can offer light & medium exercise, increases upper body strength and hand-eye co-ordination and can be combined with walking short or long-distances and incorporate short or long bouts of relaxation.

In addition to the physical benefits and learning fishing skills, water safety and environmental awareness, fishing can also provide psychological and social benefits such as:

1. Developing a meaningful on-going outdoors pastime and new skills that can last a lifetime;
2. Engaging in an activity that encourages a sense of personal achievement, promoting confidence and self-esteem;
3. Providing healthy lifestyle choices for: 

• Activities that can be enjoyed with family - encouraging bonding & skill sharing between parents & siblings;
• Opportunities for time-out alone for contemplation, reflection, and relaxation;
• Alternative peer-group activities or community participation in challenges to gain prestige; and
• Promoting knowledge about wild produce and healthy diets.

Pride in catching a fish for supper

Fishing can be a relatively inexpensive means of entertainment once you have acquired the necessary equipment - maybe dust off those old fishing rods in the shed, borrow or hire some gear.  Talk to your local fishing tackle store about tackle deals, licenses, local fishing spots. and check your local fishing regulations and learn about local fish species.

Alternatively, go on a charter fishing boat where use of gear and licenses is included and take an off-shore fishing trip.  Consider an adventure based around catching fresh fish for a healthy family meal.  Charter operators will usually help you identify good eating fish and clean your fish ready to take home and cook.

We'll always remember this day!

In summary, fishing helps kids develop a sense of responsibility and respect for themselves, others, and the environment.  They learn about patience, decision making, action and reward in a real life situation (rather than fictional computer games) .  People who fish regularly instinctively become aware of the environment and most times, want to preserve it. Youngsters that learn to fish in addition to adopting a lifelong hobby, may become future guardians of our aquatic ecosystems &/or be inspired to pursue environmental-based careers.

What until I tell my friends about this!

Most kids take to fishing like 'ducks to water'.  I've experienced going out fishing with youngsters (7 years upwards) they come back to shore with their catches and the widest smiles.  They have enjoyed something worth boasting about to their peers and have added valuable memories to their lifetime  'Remember when?' moments.

Time to get off the couch!

Caro Wags
Deep End Fishing Charters
http://www.deependfishingcharters.com

Fishing & Surviving End of Year Madness

Smile of Success

The 'silly season' as it is sometimes known, is well under way.  Our crew, will be working very hard right throughout Christmas and the New Year as many thousands of tourists visit Port Macquarie for their Christmas, New Year and summer holidays.  How do the crew survive this sudden onslaught of activity?  It's not because out at sea no one can hear you scream.... They are in the business of doing something they truly love, and that's F-I-S-H-I-N-G! A passion for what they do is vital for both success & survival.

Summer holiday makers keep life extremely interesting.  The crew enjoy meeting people from 'all walks of life', all over Australia and overseas, and they love to hear & share stories of fishing in different places & cultures. However, the real reward for them is being there when holiday fishing enthusiasts catch those fish they've been dreaming of all year long.  The responses and smiles are often 'priceless'.

Christmas Joy!

We are not just part of the recreational fishing industry, our business is also about making people smile. For the Deep End Crew & the customers, it's 'win-win' all the way.

Wishing you all 'tight lines' for Christmas & the New Year!

Caro

Deep End Fishing Charters
&
Fishing Trips & Charters Port Macquarie

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Fishing - It's not just about catching fish!

 

Fishing - Male Bonding & Rituals

In Australia, as summer approaches we look at fishing and masculine traditions.

Conducting 'men's secret business' or feeling an urge to carry on a tradition by taking your mates or kids fishing?

 

 

What does western culture have to say about male bonding?

Male bonding and friendships tend to develop around shared activities and ambitions, and there are a number of reasons that men's fishing activities align with the classical anthropological concepts of ritual and rites of passage.

Tradition, Rituals & Rites

Traditions and rituals can encourage social cohesion and unity with some having developed from a need to negotiate or mediate social tension.  Often traditions and rituals are used as a means of marking an individual's transition from one status to another, such as coming of age or embarking on something new (new job, getting married, etc.)   A common term used is 'rite of passage' often wrongly referred to as a 'right of passage', it comes from 'rite' meaning 'a ritual of passage'.

Sociologist Victor Turner (1995) theorised 'rite of passage' as a space between the past and existing and future or impending milestones.  The rite presents an opportunity to create, renew and redefine social order and is often used to provide guidance for an individual's development and to help establish an affiliation with or inclusion within a group, community or society. As well as encouraging social relations, rituals can help regulate behaviour and develop identity.  Rituals generally incorporate everyday activities to demonstrate hierarchies, beliefs and values. 

Fishing as a rite of passage activity has been utilised in both ancient and contemporary societies to celebrate important transitions. French sociologist Emile Durkheim described activities such as rituals as serving to promote feelings of collectivism, a sense of belonging and 'bringing together'. Ritual activities can relate to any type of group with a shared focus.  They may consist of symbolic behaviour and forming sacred bonds, fitting in with the general theory of acceptance and socialisation, and are most commonly seen in religious ceremonies.

Bonding

In western cultures, fishing is often utilised as a means of bonding between father & son, friends or colleagues. Fishing was traditionally favoured by men with many being introduced to fishing by their fathers, uncles, brothers or male friends. Taking young people fishing can be an opportunity to introduce new skills, knowledge and inspire a healthy interest that may last a lifetime. For friends and colleagues, fishing provides a tool to celebrate achievements and enhance camaraderie. 

Fishing is often used to embrace gender division whilst part-taking in meaningful and symbolic activity i.e. men being men. Gender division often happens subconsciously, for example, an Australian BBQ where men instinctively take up the tongs and turn the meat whilst the women take care of the accompaniments.  These behaviours embrace the theory of division by adopting arcane gender roles i.e. the male as hunter and female as gatherer.

 

Gender

Gender division is not unhealthy but rather an opportunity for defining typical gender behaviour.  Used in father/son bonding, it allows the younger to identify with their maleness encouraged by the father 'role model'.  It provides an opportunity for parental guidance, discussion, sharing and observation of unique aspects of maleness including: demonstrating emotional and psychological behaviour, understanding moral and physical changes, gender responsibilities, and man's nurturing role as parent.  Learning to be masculine is basically about proving you are 'not female' and the rite of passage activity or ritual helps establish or maintain aspects of this identity.

Health

The valuable process of a rite of passage (separation > transition > reincorporation) has seen fishing adopted as a therapeutic transitioning activity for people with mental health issues and acquired disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorders.  Going fishing with friends or like-minded people can help participants let go of the past and embrace a new or more positive future. 

Organisations such as Wounded Warriors & Project Healing Waters have adopted fishing as a process to allow an adjustment of mindset and separation from negative past and/or present events; encouraging moving across a life threshold; and helping establish either a new identity, status, or make new recreational and social connections.  Involvement in the activity promotes repair, rehabilitation and moving on.

The relaxed nature of fishing and being outdoors in the natural environment can present a form of escapism from the everyday grind and routines of life. This makes recreational fishing activity an extremely valuable and popular solution to achieving a beneficial balance between hectic and healthy lifestyles.


In conclusion, going fishing with family members, friends and colleagues provides an enjoyable and healthful activity that doesn't necessarily end when you pack up the tackle, it continues to discussions around the dinner table whilst enjoying your fish supper, bonding and strengthening relationships and creating long lasting memories.

  

Fishing - The 10 Commandments:

1. Enjoy the challenge of catching fish for your supper;

2. Relax and partake in quality time away from daily environments and routines;

3. Utilise the opportunity to value companionship and friendship whilst sharing a common interest;

4. Maintain or develop relationships focusing on communication and building trust through team effort and goal sharing;

5. Maintain and share fishing knowledge and skills through mentoring or role modelling;

6. Create special memories and stories to share; celebrate achievements and milestones; share your catch;

7. Use fishing to encourage life skills development - concentration; decision making; independence; patience; problem solving; and responsibility;

8.  Connect with the natural environment - appreciate; respect; and share its beauty and benefits;

9. Promote fishing as an alternative recreational pursuit and a healthy lifestyle activity (including fish diet);

10. Educate and maintain awareness in survival skills, water safety, regulations; and the importance of sustaining our waterways and marine environments.

If you are fascinated to find out more about fishing, join one of the many fishing groups on +Google such as https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110296441810685599858  or join us at Deep End Fishing Charters

Caro
Deep End Fishing Charters
http://www.deependfishingcharters.com

From Port Macquarie, NSW

Links: Project Healing Waters

           Wounded Warriors

Ref:     Anthropology

Whale Time in Greater Port Macquarie - NSW, Australia

 Winter Ocean Therapy

Dust off those winter blues with some saltwater fishing and whale watching as the whales migrate along the New South Wales, Mid-North Coast.   

 

Whale watching is a seasonal event that attracts many visitors to Port Macquarie to celebrate the wonders of our magnificent coast line and waterways. Between June & September whales migrate north from the antartic region in search of warmer waters to give birth and rear their young.

Whales are well known for their playful antics with spectators finding themselves entranced by these gentle creatures as they dive, breach, and splash their way along the coast.  Most often the Southern Right Whale adults are between 14 to 18 metres in length and can weigh an enormous 80 tonnes. Obviously they make quite a splash.

When out in our fishing vessel we give them plenty of space to frolic and always give them the 'right of way'. Fortunately they don't mind sharing our tasty local fish.

Further details about whales and NSW whalewatching locations can be found at

Wild About Whales: http://www.wildaboutwhales.com.au/WAW.aspx

Fishing and whale watching is great fun for everyone, so bring along the family or friends for a memorable outing. Enjoy fishing on the reefs whilst taking in the wonders of nature and sharing some fresh fish for supper. You'll have a Whale of a Time!

Link for more information on visiting Greater Port Macquarie: Greater Port Macquarie - Deep End Fishing Charters

Deep End Fishing Charters at: http://www.deependfishingcharters.com

Fishing for Leisure

“Everyone has the right to rest and leisure”

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 

What is leisure? It’s quality time away from one’s normal routine and responsibilities, and is commonly known as R & R (relaxation & recreation). There are distinct differences between relaxation and recreation; one perhaps suggests doing nothing – whilst the other is about doing something. Whichever you choose you can achieve varying levels of leisure satisfaction. Many people choose fishing as it can incorporate both these elements. Perhaps that's why we love it.

Achieving pleasure and satisfaction is the same outcome we experience with eating food, and is just as important in maintaining our health and wellbeing.  As with other mammals, we humans are wired for seeking pleasure & satisfaction. Like the salivating Pavlov’s dog, some of us do the same when we see a shiny new fishing reel.  We crave satisfaction. 
 

There are different levels of leisure that are defined by the recreational activity and how one goes about participating.

·        Project-based Leisure – is short-term recreational activity such as planning a ‘one-off’ fishing expedition that may have other beneficial outcomes besides catching of fish.  Project-based leisure may also include a planned family or group bonding session or having the goal to build a fishing rod or learn to tie fishing-flies.

·        Casual Leisure – describes an activity that achieves immediate pleasure but with short term intentions. Casual fishers are people who like to have a go at fishing occasionally seeking momentary satisfaction but do not have the intention of pursuing professionalism or a career.

·        Serious Leisure - for those who are serious about fully participating in an activity for which they have a passion.  They gain immediate satisfaction and want to sustain this and are keen to build or increase their knowledge, skills and resources.  Other special benefits may include fulfilling a cultural tradition or trend; creating or maintaining a personal and social identity; opening up career opportunities, and/or can also be about providing sustenance such as fish for consumption.

It is easy to neglect leisure as an important aspect of health and well-being in our fast paced contemporary societies.  We sometimes need to remind ourselves, and those around us, of the importance of real recreational leisure time and getting active.  That is not blobbing-out on the couch or sitting glued to our Facebook accounts.  Participating in recreational activities can offer numerous physical benefits from improving body functioning to reducing risks of the incidence of disease. Coupled with its emotional benefits such as inciting happiness and satisfaction; promoting self-esteem and confidence; and building knowledge and skills, recreational leisure certainly appears more valuable than it is sometimes given credit for.

"What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are."  George Eastman Innovator & Entrepreneur, Eastman Kodak

If you miss out on quality recreational leisure time you could be neglecting your health and well-being, and as the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Exercise your human rights to enjoy leisure time, dust off the fishing tackle, and head out for a fishing spree.  You’ll soon be reeling in the rewards.
 

Caro

Deep End Fishing Charters
Port Macquarie, New South Wales
http://www.deependfishingcharters.com

 

(i) Recreation  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreation

(ii) Leisure http://www.seriousleisure.net/concepts.html
(iii) Fishing http://www.deependfishingcharters.com

(iv) Universal Declaration of Human Rights,Article 24

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/universal-declaration-human-rights-human-rights-your-fingertips-human-rights-your-fingertips

(v) George Eastman Innovator & Entrepreneur, Eastman Kodak

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/leisure.html#kTQPOVCWsQZ44HAo.99